Aceh
Aceh (/ˈɑːtʃeɪ/ AH-chay, Indonesian: [aˈtʃɛ(h)] ⓘ; Acehnese: Acèh [atʃeh], Jawoë: اچيه), officially the Province of Aceh (Indonesian: Provinsi Aceh, Acehnese: Nanggroë Acèh, Jawoë: نڠڬرواي اچيه), is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west, Strait of Malacca to the northeast, as well bordering the province of North Sumatra to the east, and shares maritime borders with Malaysia and Thailand to the east, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India to the north. Granted a special autonomous status, Aceh is a religiously conservative territory and the only Indonesian province practicing Sharia law officially. There are ten indigenous ethnic groups in this region, the largest being the Acehnese people, accounting for approximately 70% of the region's population of about 5.5 million people in mid-2023. Its area is comparable to Croatia or Togo.
For other uses, see Aceh (disambiguation).
Aceh
7 December 1956[1]
Bustami Hamzah (Interim)
Vacant
58,485.9 km2 (22,581.5 sq mi)
11th
125 m (410 ft)
3,466 m (11,371 ft)
0 m (0 ft)
5,512,219
14th
94/km2 (240/sq mi)
20th
- 98.48% Islam
- 1.27% Christianity
- - 1.26% Protestanism
- - 0.1% Catholicism
- 0.15% Buddhism
- 0.01% Others
2022
4.21%
0.734 (12nd) – high
Aceh is where the spread of Islam in Indonesia began, and was a key factor of the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia. Islam reached Aceh (Kingdoms of Fansur and Lamuri) around 1250 AD. In the early 17th century the Sultanate of Aceh was the most wealthy, powerful and cultivated state in the Malacca Straits region. Aceh has a history of political independence and resistance to control by outsiders, including the former Dutch colonists and later the Indonesian government.
Aceh has substantial natural resources of oil and natural gas.[9] Aceh was the closest point of land to the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which devastated much of the western coast of the province. Approximately 170,000 Indonesians were killed or went missing in the disaster.[10] The disaster helped precipitate the peace agreement between the government of Indonesia and the separatist group of Free Aceh Movement.[11]
Name[edit]
Aceh was first known as Aceh Darussalam (1511–1945). Upon its formation in 1956 it bore the name Aceh before being renamed to the Daerah Istimewa Aceh (Aceh Special Region; 1959–2001), Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam (2001–2009), and back to Aceh (2009–present). In the past it was also spelled as Acheh, Atjeh, and Achin.[12]
Ecology and biodiversity[edit]
Aceh has the largest range of biodiversity in the Asian Pacific region.[67] Among the rarer large mammals are the Sumatran rhinoceros, Sumatran tiger, Orangutan and Sumatran elephant.[67] In 2014, there were 460 Sumatran elephants in Aceh including at least eight baby elephants.[68] The area has been suffering from deforestation since the 1970s.[69] The first wood pulp mill in Aceh was built in 1982.[70] The government of Aceh intends a law by which 1.2 million hectares would be opened for commercial use.[71] This proposal has caused many protests.[71]
Transportation[edit]
The 74-km Sigli–Banda Aceh Toll Road is currently under construction, as a part of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road.
Railways in Aceh has started since the Dutch colonial era. In 1876 the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) started to build a 750-mm gauge railways known as Atjeh Tram, which began operating from 1882 to 1942 and later changed its name to Atjeh Staatsspoorwegen (ASS) in 1916. Its railways assets, now mostly inactive, is under the ownership of the Regional Division I North Sumatra and Aceh of Kereta Api Indonesia. Cut Meutia is a train that serves Krueng Geukueh to Krueng Mane in North Aceh Regency.
Airports in Aceh include Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport in Aceh Besar Regency (serving Banda Aceh and surrounding areas) and Maimun Saleh Airport in Sabang.
(in Indonesian)
