Featured article photo: Labuan Bajo, Indonesia by William Kusno
1. Provinces, known as “Provinsi” in Indonesian
The concept of a province, or provinsi in Indonesia should sound pretty familiar as there are many countries around the world with provinces as administrative divisions that are one tier lower than a country as a whole.
There are 38 provinces in Indonesia, with most of them spread across 5 major islands (Sumatra, Java, Kalimatan/Borneo, Sulawesi, and Papua) as well as in smaller islands such as Sunda Islands and Maluku Islands.
- Learn More: The Provinces of Indonesia
The head of government at the provincial level is known as the governor, or gubernur in Indonesian.
Here is a map of Indonesia with its provinces starting from Aceh in the west all the way to South Papua in the east:
2. City, known as “Kota” in Indonesian
There are 93 cities + 1 provincial-level capital city spread across Indonesia’s 38 provinces. In Indonesian, “city” translates to kota. The head of government at the city level is known as the mayor, or walikota in Indonesian.
3. Regency, known as “Kabupaten” in Indonesian
Regency, or Kabupaten in Indonesian, is a pretty uncommon administrative division in countries across around the world. It is one tier lower than the status of a city but one tier higher than the status of a district. Its head of government is known as a regent, or bupati in Indonesian.
Typically, a city and a regency do not co-exist.
The main difference between kota and kabupaten is that:
A city (kota) is usually more populated and urbanized, whereas a regency (kabupaten) is less so.
4. District, known as “Kecamatan” in Indonesian
The next lower tier of administrative division in Indonesia after a city or a regency is a district, or kecamatan in Indonesian. The head of a kecamatan is a camat, or essentially a “head of district”, typically appointed by the bupati or wali kota.
Both cities and regencies contain districts, which contain sub-districts.
5. Sub-district, known as “Kelurahan” in Indonesian
The smallest administrative division is the sub-district or kelurahan in Indonesian. A sub-district typically has a population of a few hundred to a few thousand people. The head of a kelurahan is a lurah, or a “head of sub-district” who is appointed by a camat.
