Bireuën Regency () is a
regency
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
of
Aceh
Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...
, the westernmost province of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. It is located on the island of
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, and was created on 4 October 1999 from the former western districts of
North Aceh Regency
North Aceh Regency () is a List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, regency in Indonesia's Aceh Province - which was formerly called the Aceh special territory (''Daerah Istimewa Aceh'') in 1959–2001), and then ''Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam'' in ...
. The capital is the town of
Bireuën, 105 miles east of the provincial capital,
Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh (; , Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of 35 metres. The city covers an area of and had a population of 223,446 peopl ...
. The regency covers an area of 1,796.97 square kilometres and had a population of 340,271 people according to the 2000 Census;
at the 2010 Census it had a population of 389,288,
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] which had risen to 436,418 at the 2020 Census;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 453,242 - comprising 224,053 males and 229,189 females.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kabupaten Bireuen Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1111)] It is bordered by the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...
on the northeast coastline. Bireuen has been affected by the clashes between the
Free Aceh Movement
The Free Aceh Movement (, GAM; ) was a separatism, separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra, Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Insurgency in Aceh, Aceh insurgency from 1976 to 2005. E ...
(GAM) and the government, and by the
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004.
The regency's name is commonly spelled without the
diaeresis on the : ''Kabupaten Bireuen'' (in
Acehnese, represents a
schwa () in diphthongs).
Administrative districts
The regency is divided administratively into seventeen
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''), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census
and the 2020 Census,
together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kabupaten Bireuen Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1111)] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of villages (''gampong'') in each district, and its post code.
References
States and territories established in 1999
Regencies of Aceh
Peusangan basin
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