Aceh Besar Regency

Great Aceh Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Aceh Besar) is a regency of the Indonesian province of Aceh. It covers an area previously known as Lamuri. The regency covers an area of 2,903.49 square kilometres and had a population of 351,418 at the 2010 Census, 391,870 at the 2015 census and 405,535 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 453,070 (comprising 227,130 males and 225,940 females). The Regency is located at the northwest tip of Sumatra island and surrounds the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, many suburbs of which lie within the Regency. It also includes a number of islands off the northern tip of Sumatra, which comprise Pulo Aceh District within the regency. The seat of the Regency government is the town of Jantho.

Economy

Aceh Besar Regency produces cloves, nutmeg and palm oil and rice, and also small quantities of maize, cassava, sweet potatoes and beans.

Landmarks

Museums

Aceh Besar Regency contains several museums. The Museum dan Rumoh Aceh is the State Museum, located in Banda Aceh. The museum's main building is built in the style of a traditional Acehnese house. It was installed by Dutch Governor Van Swart in 1915. Museum Ali Hasymi contains the personal collection of Ali Hasymi, a former governor of Aceh and artist and include books by the scholars of Acehnese past, ancient ceramics, the typical weapons of Aceh, souvenirs from all over the world, etc. Museum Cut Nyak Dhien was originally the home of the heroine Cut Nyak Dhien. The ancient Abee Tanoh Library, located at the foot of Mount Seulawa contains some important manuscripts.

Places of worship

Indra Puri Old Mosque is located about 20 km south of Medan. Indra Puri was a Hindu kingdom and it was a place of worship before Islam arrived. Later, Sultan Iskandar Muda introduced Islam to the public. After the people embraced Islam, the previous temple was converted into a mosque. The mosque site covers an area of 33,875 m2, and is located approximately 150 metres from the edge of the Krueng Aceh River.

Fortress and tombs

Indra Patra Fortress is situated 19 km from Banda Aceh at Krueng Raya. According to history it was built under the Indra Puri Hindu kingdom, although some say that the fort was built during the Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam in an effort to resist the Portuguese. The fort had a very important function at the time of Sultan Iskandar Muda.

The Tomb of Admiral Malahayati is located about 32 km from the city of Banda Aceh.

Administrative divisions

The regency is divided administratively into twenty-three districts (Indonesian: kecamatan), which comprise 604 villages (Indonesian: gampong). The areas of the districts and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid 2025, are listed below. These are grouped below into four geographical sections for convenience, which have no administrative significance. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages (gampong) in each district, and its post code. The gampong are grouped into 68 mukim.

Notes: (a) comprises a group of islands off the north-western tip of Sumatra, of which the largest are Pulau Breuh, Pulau Nasi and Pulau Teunom. (b) includes some smaller islands off the north-western tip of Sumatra but closer to the mainland than Pulo Aceh District - Pulau Bunta and Pulau Batee. (c) includes the Jantho Nature Park, southeast of Kota Jantho. (d) includes Tanjung Dunung, the most northerly point on the Sumatran mainland. Four of the 13 villages comprising the district lie west of this cape (and thus can be considered as within the Krueng Aceh river valley and the orbit of Banda Aceh city), these are the gampong of Lamnga, Gampong Baro, Neuheun (with 9,152 inhabitants in 2024, the largest gampong in the district) and Durung; the other nine are situated to the east of the cape, with Keude and Leupung as their main centres. (e) comprises southern suburbs of Banda Aceh city, with 118,792 inhabitants in mid 2025.

Rusa Island

Rusa Island in Lhoong district was shaped like Rusa (deer) before the tsunami struck the island on 26 December 2004, but now that much of it has been washed away, the form of the island has changed and become smaller like a lamb embryo. The island is very important for marking Indonesia's boundaries due to its location as the most westerly island in Indonesia with Titik Dasar TD175 and Titik Referensi TR175 (Base Point TD175 and Reference Point TR175).

Bunta Island

Since the 2004 tsunami struck Bunta island, 45 minutes by traditional motorised boat from Ujong Pancu Village, Peukan Bada, there are no longer any inhabitants living there. Nowadays some people use the island as a coconut plantation, but they live in Banda Aceh. As the tsunami washed out all of the living creatures there, nowadays there are no squirrels, monkeys or snakes on the island. The island has been popularized by the documentary film Hikayat di Ujung Pesisir and is ideal for camping, but with no facilities at all, and modest snorkeling can be done there.

Transport

Banda Aceh on the north coast is connected through Aceh Besar Regency with the rest of Sumatra by three principal highways. The northern route runs eastwards along the north Sumatran coast via Keude, Laweueng, Sigli and Meureudu towards Bireun. The central route runs up the valley of the Krueng Aceh river via Kota Jantho, Tangse and Geumpang towards Blangkejeren. The western route runs down the west Sumatran coast via Lamno and Calang towards Meulaboh.

Ferries connect Banda Aceh with the regency's northern islands of Nasi and Breueh, as well as with Matara, Sri Lanka, with Balohan (on Weh island, Sabang), and with Phuket (Thailand).