Labuhanbatu Regency (''Kabupaten Labuhanbatu'', alternatively ''Kabupaten Labuhan Batu'') is a

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

. Its seat is

Rantau Prapat Rantauprapat is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and it is the seat (capital) of Labuhan Batu Regency. Rantauprapat is also a village within the district of Rantau Utara (North Rantau). It consists of 3 main roads. A number of citizens ...

. It had an area of 9,322.5 km² in 2000 (prior to the separation of the new North Labuhanbatu and South Labuhanbatu Regencies in 2007). Subsequently, the reduced regency has an area of 2,561.38 km² and had a census population in 2010 of 415,248, which rose to 493,899 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 499,982. The Panai Estuary, which consists of Bilah River and Barumun River are located in this regency, and it was the seat of ancient Buddhist trading kingdom of

Pannai Pannai, Panai or Pane was a Buddhist kingdom located on the east coast of Northern Sumatra that existed between the 11th and 14th centuries. The kingdom was located on the Barumun River and Panai River valleys, in today's Labuhan Batu and Sout ...

, c. 11th to 14th century, connected to the

Bahal temple Candi Bahal, also known as Biaro Bahal (''biaro'', derived from '' vihara'', a monastery) or Candi Portibi (Batak ''portibi'', derived from prithivi, "earth") is Vajrayana Buddhist candi complex in Bahal village, Padang Bolak, Portibi, Padang ...

in North Padang Lawas Regency.

Administrative Districts

Following the separation off of thirteen

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(''kecamatan'') to form the new North Labuhanbatu and South Labuhanbatu Regencies in 2007, the reduced regency is now divided administratively into nine districts, tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2021.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2022. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of villages (rural ''desa'' and urban ''kelurahan'') in each district, and its post code. Notes: (a) including the offshore island of ''Pulau Ongah Labuhan''. (b) including the offshore island of ''Pulau Sikantan''.

References

Regencies of North Sumatra {{NSumatra-geo-stub