Indonesia Regencies

Indonesia is divided into 38 provinces, and below them into the level that actually runs the country: kabupaten, regencies, and kota, cities. There are 514 of them, they are the name on the welcome arch at every boundary and on most of the government signage in between, and this page is the whole list, grouped the way the game groups it.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: Island
In the game: 514 regencies

Start

What you are looking at

A kabupaten is a regency: a rural district run by an elected bupati. A kota is a city run by an elected wali kota. The two are the same rank. A kota is not part of the kabupaten around it, even when it is a small circle of streets sitting in the middle of one, which is why this map has so many holes punched neatly out of larger shapes. Both report to the province, and both are split below into kecamatan, districts, and then into desa or kelurahan, villages and urban wards.

The names follow the pattern. Where a city has grown out of the countryside around it, the two keep the same name and are told apart only by the word in front: Kabupaten Bogor wraps around Kota Bogor, Kabupaten Malang around Kota Malang, and there are more than twenty other pairs like them. Get in the habit of reading the first word, because on this map Bogor on its own is ambiguous and the game will ask you for one or the other.

Jakarta is the exception that proves the rank. Its five kota and one kabupaten are administrative subdivisions rather than self-governing ones, and their heads are appointed by the governor rather than elected. Their full official names say so with the word Administrasi in the middle, as in Kota Administrasi Jakarta Pusat.

The count is not old. Indonesia had roughly three hundred of these units in the late 1990s, and decentralization after 1998 set off two decades of pemekaran, literally blossoming: splitting a region in two so both halves get their own budget and their own bupati. Papua and Sumatra grew the most, which is why the highlands are a mosaic of small regencies with names that appear on no older map.

How to place one

Get the island first. The seven groups this game uses are how the map is taught and how it is talked about: Sumatra, Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua. Almost every name belongs to exactly one of them, and being on the right island is most of the answer.
Read the compass word. Utara is north, Selatan south, Barat west, Timur east and Tengah central. A large share of these names are a place plus a direction, and once you know where Halmahera or Aceh or Nias is, the direction puts you inside the right one.
Read the landform word. Kepulauan means islands, so Kepulauan Seribu, Kepulauan Mentawai and Kepulauan Aru are offshore rather than on any coastline you were scanning. Pulau is a single island, Tanjung a cape, Kuala and Muara a river mouth, Gunung a mountain.
Then use density. Java is small and holds well over a hundred of these, so a Javanese answer is a click into a crowd and worth zooming for. Kalimantan and Papua are the opposite: few, large and mostly interior.

The failure mode is the shared name. Two dozen or so names belong to both a kabupaten and a kota, always in the same place, so the pair is not a memory problem but a reading one. The other trap is the pair that shares a word and nothing else: Kabupaten Banjar is in South Kalimantan while Kota Banjar is in West Java, and Kabupaten Sorong, Kabupaten Sorong Selatan and Kota Sorong are three different answers around one bay.

Every regency, by island

Sumatra154 regencies: Kabupaten Simeulue, Kabupaten Aceh Singkil, Kabupaten Aceh Selatan, Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara, Kabupaten Aceh Timur, Kabupaten Aceh Tengah, Kabupaten Aceh Barat, Kabupaten Aceh Besar, Kabupaten Pidie, Kabupaten Bireuen, Kabupaten Aceh Utara, Kabupaten Aceh Barat Daya, Kabupaten Gayo Lues, Kabupaten Aceh Tamiang, Kabupaten Nagan Raya, Kabupaten Aceh Jaya, Kabupaten Bener Meriah, Kabupaten Pidie Jaya, Kota Banda Aceh, Kota Sabang, Kota Langsa, Kota Lhokseumawe, Kota Subulussalam, Kabupaten Nias, Kabupaten Mandailing Natal, Kabupaten Tapanuli Selatan, Kabupaten Tapanuli Tengah, Kabupaten Tapanuli Utara, Kabupaten Toba Samosir, Kabupaten Labuhan Batu, Kabupaten Asahan, Kabupaten Simalungun, Kabupaten Dairi, Kabupaten Karo, Kabupaten Deli Serdang, Kabupaten Langkat, Kabupaten Nias Selatan, Kabupaten Humbang Hasundutan, Kabupaten Pakpak Bharat, Kabupaten Samosir, Kabupaten Serdang Bedagai, Kabupaten Batu Bara, Kabupaten Padang Lawas Utara, Kabupaten Padang Lawas, Kabupaten Labuhan Batu Selatan, Kabupaten Labuhan Batu Utara, Kabupaten Nias Utara, Kabupaten Nias Barat, Kota Sibolga, Kota Tanjung Balai, Kota Pematang Siantar, Kota Tebing Tinggi, Kota Medan, Kota Binjai, Kota Padangsidimpuan, Kota Gunungsitoli, Kabupaten Kepulauan Mentawai, Kabupaten Pesisir Selatan, Kabupaten Solok, Kabupaten Sijunjung, Kabupaten Tanah Datar, Kabupaten Padang Pariaman, Kabupaten Agam, Kabupaten Lima Puluh Kota, Kabupaten Pasaman, Kabupaten Solok Selatan, Kabupaten Dharmasraya, Kabupaten Pasaman Barat, Kota Padang, Kota Solok, Kota Sawah Lunto, Kota Padang Panjang, Kota Bukittinggi, Kota Payakumbuh, Kota Pariaman, Kabupaten Kuantan Singingi, Kabupaten Indragiri Hulu, Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir, Kabupaten Pelalawan, Kabupaten Siak, Kabupaten Kampar, Kabupaten Rokan Hulu, Kabupaten Bengkalis, Kabupaten Rokan Hilir, Kabupaten Kepulauan Meranti, Kota Pekanbaru, Kota Dumai, Kabupaten Kerinci, Kabupaten Merangin, Kabupaten Sarolangun, Kabupaten Batang Hari, Kabupaten Muaro Jambi, Kabupaten Tanjung Jabung Timur, Kabupaten Tanjung Jabung Barat, Kabupaten Tebo, Kabupaten Bungo, Kota Jambi, Kota Sungai Penuh, Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ulu, Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ilir, Kabupaten Muara Enim, Kabupaten Lahat, Kabupaten Musi Rawas, Kabupaten Musi Banyuasin, Kabupaten Banyu Asin, Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ulu Selatan, Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ulu Timur, Kabupaten Ogan Ilir, Kabupaten Empat Lawang, Kabupaten Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir, Kabupaten Musi Rawas Utara, Kota Palembang, Kota Prabumulih, Kota Pagar Alam, Kota Lubuklinggau, Kabupaten Bengkulu Selatan, Kabupaten Rejang Lebong, Kabupaten Bengkulu Utara, Kabupaten Kaur, Kabupaten Seluma, Kabupaten Mukomuko, Kabupaten Lebong, Kabupaten Kepahiang, Kabupaten Bengkulu Tengah, Kota Bengkulu, Kabupaten Lampung Barat, Kabupaten Tanggamus, Kabupaten Lampung Selatan, Kabupaten Lampung Timur, Kabupaten Lampung Tengah, Kabupaten Lampung Utara, Kabupaten Way Kanan, Kabupaten Tulangbawang, Kabupaten Pesawaran, Kabupaten Pringsewu, Kabupaten Mesuji, Kabupaten Tulang Bawang Barat, Kabupaten Pesisir Barat, Kota Bandar Lampung, Kota Metro, Kabupaten Bangka, Kabupaten Belitung, Kabupaten Bangka Barat, Kabupaten Bangka Tengah, Kabupaten Bangka Selatan, Kabupaten Belitung Timur, Kota Pangkal Pinang, Kabupaten Karimun, Kabupaten Bintan, Kabupaten Natuna, Kabupaten Lingga, Kabupaten Kepulauan Anambas, Kota Batam, Kota Tanjung Pinang
Java119 regencies: Kabupaten Kepulauan Seribu, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Kota Jakarta Timur, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Kota Jakarta Barat, Kota Jakarta Utara, Kabupaten Bogor, Kabupaten Sukabumi, Kabupaten Cianjur, Kabupaten Bandung, Kabupaten Garut, Kabupaten Tasikmalaya, Kabupaten Ciamis, Kabupaten Kuningan, Kabupaten Cirebon, Kabupaten Majalengka, Kabupaten Sumedang, Kabupaten Indramayu, Kabupaten Subang, Kabupaten Purwakarta, Kabupaten Karawang, Kabupaten Bekasi, Kabupaten Bandung Barat, Kabupaten Pangandaran, Kota Bogor, Kota Sukabumi, Kota Bandung, Kota Cirebon, Kota Bekasi, Kota Depok, Kota Cimahi, Kota Tasikmalaya, Kota Banjar, Kabupaten Cilacap, Kabupaten Banyumas, Kabupaten Purbalingga, Kabupaten Banjarnegara, Kabupaten Kebumen, Kabupaten Purworejo, Kabupaten Wonosobo, Kabupaten Magelang, Kabupaten Boyolali, Kabupaten Klaten, Kabupaten Sukoharjo, Kabupaten Wonogiri, Kabupaten Karanganyar, Kabupaten Sragen, Kabupaten Grobogan, Kabupaten Blora, Kabupaten Rembang, Kabupaten Pati, Kabupaten Kudus, Kabupaten Jepara, Kabupaten Demak, Kabupaten Semarang, Kabupaten Temanggung, Kabupaten Kendal, Kabupaten Batang, Kabupaten Pekalongan, Kabupaten Pemalang, Kabupaten Tegal, Kabupaten Brebes, Kota Magelang, Kota Surakarta, Kota Salatiga, Kota Semarang, Kota Pekalongan, Kota Tegal, Kabupaten Kulon Progo, Kabupaten Bantul, Kabupaten Gunung Kidul, Kabupaten Sleman, Kota Yogyakarta, Kabupaten Pacitan, Kabupaten Ponorogo, Kabupaten Trenggalek, Kabupaten Tulungagung, Kabupaten Blitar, Kabupaten Kediri, Kabupaten Malang, Kabupaten Lumajang, Kabupaten Jember, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, Kabupaten Bondowoso, Kabupaten Situbondo, Kabupaten Probolinggo, Kabupaten Pasuruan, Kabupaten Sidoarjo, Kabupaten Mojokerto, Kabupaten Jombang, Kabupaten Nganjuk, Kabupaten Madiun, Kabupaten Magetan, Kabupaten Ngawi, Kabupaten Bojonegoro, Kabupaten Tuban, Kabupaten Lamongan, Kabupaten Gresik, Kabupaten Bangkalan, Kabupaten Sampang, Kabupaten Pamekasan, Kabupaten Sumenep, Kota Kediri, Kota Blitar, Kota Malang, Kota Probolinggo, Kota Pasuruan, Kota Mojokerto, Kota Madiun, Kota Surabaya, Kota Batu, Kabupaten Pandeglang, Kabupaten Lebak, Kabupaten Tangerang, Kabupaten Serang, Kota Tangerang, Kota Cilegon, Kota Serang, Kota Tangerang Selatan
Bali and Nusa Tenggara41 regencies: Kabupaten Jembrana, Kabupaten Tabanan, Kabupaten Badung, Kabupaten Gianyar, Kabupaten Klungkung, Kabupaten Bangli, Kabupaten Karang Asem, Kabupaten Buleleng, Kota Denpasar, Kabupaten Lombok Barat, Kabupaten Lombok Tengah, Kabupaten Lombok Timur, Kabupaten Sumbawa, Kabupaten Dompu, Kabupaten Bima, Kabupaten Sumbawa Barat, Kabupaten Lombok Utara, Kota Mataram, Kota Bima, Kabupaten Sumba Barat, Kabupaten Sumba Timur, Kabupaten Kupang, Kabupaten Timor Tengah Selatan, Kabupaten Timor Tengah Utara, Kabupaten Belu, Kabupaten Alor, Kabupaten Lembata, Kabupaten Flores Timur, Kabupaten Sikka, Kabupaten Ende, Kabupaten Ngada, Kabupaten Manggarai, Kabupaten Rote Ndao, Kabupaten Manggarai Barat, Kabupaten Sumba Tengah, Kabupaten Sumba Barat Daya, Kabupaten Nagekeo, Kabupaten Manggarai Timur, Kabupaten Sabu Raijua, Kabupaten Malaka, Kota Kupang
Kalimantan56 regencies: Kabupaten Sambas, Kabupaten Bengkayang, Kabupaten Landak, Kabupaten Mempawah, Kabupaten Sanggau, Kabupaten Ketapang, Kabupaten Sintang, Kabupaten Kapuas Hulu, Kabupaten Sekadau, Kabupaten Melawi, Kabupaten Kayong Utara, Kabupaten Kubu Raya, Kota Pontianak, Kota Singkawang, Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat, Kabupaten Kotawaringin Timur, Kabupaten Kapuas, Kabupaten Barito Selatan, Kabupaten Barito Utara, Kabupaten Sukamara, Kabupaten Lamandau, Kabupaten Seruyan, Kabupaten Katingan, Kabupaten Pulang Pisau, Kabupaten Gunung Mas, Kabupaten Barito Timur, Kabupaten Murung Raya, Kota Palangka Raya, Kabupaten Tanah Laut, Kabupaten Kota Baru, Kabupaten Banjar, Kabupaten Barito Kuala, Kabupaten Tapin, Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan, Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Tengah, Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Utara, Kabupaten Tabalong, Kabupaten Tanah Bumbu, Kabupaten Balangan, Kota Banjarmasin, Kota Banjar Baru, Kabupaten Paser, Kabupaten Kutai Barat, Kabupaten Kutai Kartanegara, Kabupaten Kutai Timur, Kabupaten Berau, Kabupaten Penajam Paser Utara, Kabupaten Mahakam Hulu, Kota Balikpapan, Kota Samarinda, Kota Bontang, Kabupaten Malinau, Kabupaten Bulungan, Kabupaten Tana Tidung, Kabupaten Nunukan, Kota Tarakan
Sulawesi81 regencies: Kabupaten Bolaang Mongondow, Kabupaten Minahasa, Kabupaten Kepulauan Sangihe, Kabupaten Kepulauan Talaud, Kabupaten Minahasa Selatan, Kabupaten Minahasa Utara, Kabupaten Bolaang Mongondow Utara, Kabupaten Siau Tagulandang Biaro, Kabupaten Minahasa Tenggara, Kabupaten Bolaang Mongondow Selatan, Kabupaten Bolaang Mongondow Timur, Kota Manado, Kota Bitung, Kota Tomohon, Kota Kotamobagu, Kabupaten Banggai Kepulauan, Kabupaten Banggai, Kabupaten Morowali, Kabupaten Poso, Kabupaten Donggala, Kabupaten Toli-Toli, Kabupaten Buol, Kabupaten Parigi Moutong, Kabupaten Tojo Una-Una, Kabupaten Sigi, Kabupaten Banggai Laut, Kabupaten Morowali Utara, Kota Palu, Kabupaten Kepulauan Selayar, Kabupaten Bulukumba, Kabupaten Bantaeng, Kabupaten Jeneponto, Kabupaten Takalar, Kabupaten Gowa, Kabupaten Sinjai, Kabupaten Maros, Kabupaten Pangkajene Dan Kepulauan, Kabupaten Barru, Kabupaten Bone, Kabupaten Soppeng, Kabupaten Wajo, Kabupaten Sidenreng Rappang, Kabupaten Pinrang, Kabupaten Enrekang, Kabupaten Luwu, Kabupaten Tana Toraja, Kabupaten Luwu Utara, Kabupaten Luwu Timur, Kabupaten Toraja Utara, Kota Makassar, Kota Parepare, Kota Palopo, Kabupaten Buton, Kabupaten Muna, Kabupaten Konawe, Kabupaten Kolaka, Kabupaten Konawe Selatan, Kabupaten Bombana, Kabupaten Wakatobi, Kabupaten Kolaka Utara, Kabupaten Buton Utara, Kabupaten Konawe Utara, Kabupaten Kolaka Timur, Kabupaten Konawe Kepulauan, Kabupaten Muna Barat, Kabupaten Buton Tengah, Kabupaten Buton Selatan, Kota Kendari, Kota Baubau, Kabupaten Boalemo, Kabupaten Gorontalo, Kabupaten Pohuwato, Kabupaten Bone Bolango, Kabupaten Gorontalo Utara, Kota Gorontalo, Kabupaten Majene, Kabupaten Polewali Mandar, Kabupaten Mamasa, Kabupaten Mamuju, Kabupaten Mamuju Utara, Kabupaten Mamuju Tengah
Maluku21 regencies: Kabupaten Maluku Tenggara Barat, Kabupaten Maluku Tenggara, Kabupaten Maluku Tengah, Kabupaten Buru, Kabupaten Kepulauan Aru, Kabupaten Seram Bagian Barat, Kabupaten Seram Bagian Timur, Kabupaten Maluku Barat Daya, Kabupaten Buru Selatan, Kota Ambon, Kota Tual, Kabupaten Halmahera Barat, Kabupaten Halmahera Tengah, Kabupaten Kepulauan Sula, Kabupaten Halmahera Selatan, Kabupaten Halmahera Utara, Kabupaten Halmahera Timur, Kabupaten Pulau Morotai, Kabupaten Pulau Taliabu, Kota Ternate, Kota Tidore Kepulauan
Papua42 regencies: Kabupaten Fakfak, Kabupaten Kaimana, Kabupaten Teluk Wondama, Kabupaten Teluk Bintuni, Kabupaten Manokwari, Kabupaten Sorong Selatan, Kabupaten Sorong, Kabupaten Raja Ampat, Kabupaten Tambrauw, Kabupaten Maybrat, Kabupaten Manokwari Selatan, Kabupaten Pegunungan Arfak, Kota Sorong, Kabupaten Merauke, Kabupaten Jayawijaya, Kabupaten Jayapura, Kabupaten Nabire, Kabupaten Kepulauan Yapen, Kabupaten Biak Numfor, Kabupaten Paniai, Kabupaten Puncak Jaya, Kabupaten Mimika, Kabupaten Boven Digoel, Kabupaten Mappi, Kabupaten Asmat, Kabupaten Yahukimo, Kabupaten Pegunungan Bintang, Kabupaten Tolikara, Kabupaten Sarmi, Kabupaten Keerom, Kabupaten Waropen, Kabupaten Supiori, Kabupaten Mamberamo Raya, Kabupaten Nduga, Kabupaten Lanny Jaya, Kabupaten Mamberamo Tengah, Kabupaten Yalimo, Kabupaten Puncak, Kabupaten Dogiyai, Kabupaten Intan Jaya, Kabupaten Deiyai, Kota Jayapura

Each group can be switched on and off on its own in the start dialog. That is the only sane way through a list this long: Bali and Nusa Tenggara is an evening, Java is a project, and nobody should meet all seven at once.

Worked examples

Kota Sabang

One end of the country

The island of Weh, off the northern tip of Sumatra, and the western end of the phrase Indonesians use for the whole country: dari Sabang sampai Merauke, from Sabang to Merauke. It is a kota rather than a kabupaten despite being an island of about thirty thousand people, and it is the first click most people get right on this map because it is the only thing that far northwest.

Kabupaten Merauke

The other end

The southeastern corner of Papua, on the border with Papua New Guinea, and the far end of that same phrase. It is one of the largest regencies in the country by area and one of the emptiest, so on the map it is the big block in the corner rather than anything you have to pick out of a crowd.

Kota Bogor

A city inside its own regency

The clearest example of the pattern that makes this map hard. The city sits in the middle of the regency that shares its name, an hour south of Jakarta, and the two are separate governments of equal rank. When the game asks for the kota you want the small shape in the middle; when it asks for the kabupaten you want the ring around it, and clicking the wrong one is the most common way to lose a round in Java.

Kabupaten Kepulauan Seribu

The one that is all sea

A chain of small islands in the bay north of Jakarta, and the only kabupaten in the capital. It is the odd one out twice over: an administrative regency with an appointed head rather than an elected one, and a region with almost no land in it, which is why it needs a tap area on this map to be clickable at all.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a kabupaten and a kota?

They are the same administrative rank, one rural and one urban. A kabupaten is a regency, headed by an elected bupati, and usually covers a large area of countryside and small towns. A kota is a city, headed by an elected wali kota. A kota is not inside the kabupaten around it: both answer to the province directly, which is why an Indonesian map shows cities as holes cut out of the regencies that surround them.

How many kabupaten and kota does Indonesia have?

514 in total, made up of 416 kabupaten and 98 kota, spread across 38 provinces. The number grew from roughly three hundred in the late 1990s through the splitting of regions known as pemekaran, and has been broadly stable since a moratorium on new autonomous regions in 2014.

Why do a kabupaten and a kota often share a name?

Because the city was carved out of the regency. When a town inside a kabupaten grows big enough to be given its own government it becomes a kota, and it keeps the name it always had, leaving the surrounding regency with the same name and a hole in the middle. Bogor, Malang, Tasikmalaya, Bekasi, Tangerang and about twenty other names work this way, and only the word kabupaten or kota in front separates them.

What is below a kabupaten in Indonesia?

A kabupaten or kota is divided into kecamatan, districts, and each kecamatan into desa in rural areas or kelurahan in urban ones. A desa elects its own village head and holds its own budget, while a kelurahan is an office of the city above it. There are a little over seven thousand kecamatan and more than eighty thousand villages.

How do you tell which regency you are in from the ground?

Boundaries are signposted heavily. Regencies put up a welcome arch or gateway at their limits, government offices and schools carry the name of the kabupaten or kota in full, and street name signs and banners often do too. Vehicle plates narrow it down a level further, since the prefix letters are issued by region: B around Jakarta, D around Bandung, L for Surabaya, AB for Yogyakarta and DK for Bali.

Which Indonesian regencies are hardest to place?

The Papuan highlands, where a couple of dozen small regencies were created after 2000 and share no coastline to anchor them, and the dense middle of Java, where the shapes are small and the names are shared with their cities. The small island regencies are a third group: Kepulauan Seribu, Kepulauan Mentawai, Kepulauan Aru and Kepulauan Talaud are easy to name and hard to find.

More administrative maps in the region: Philippines Provinces, Thailand Provinces, Vietnam Provinces, India States and Japan Prefectures.

Sources

Indonesia administrative boundaries (COD-AB), the boundaries, the names and the BPS codes this game's map is built from
Badan Pusat Statistik, Statistics Indonesia, who draw and publish those boundaries
Regencies and cities of Indonesia, the split between kabupaten and kota, and how the count has changed

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