The Land

Aceh is one of 33 provinces within the territory of the Republic Indonesia. The capital of the province is Banda Aceh which, in the past until 1962, used to be popularly known as Kutaraja.

In view of its extraordinary role in the history of the nation, Aceh is also commonly referred to “The Front Porch of Mekkah, ““The Land of Iskandar Muda, “and “The Land of Rencong”. Bung Karno, the first president of the Republic Indonesia, called Aceh the asset of Nation.

It was in Aceh that the first Islamic Kingdom was founded in 9 Century. From this kingdom Islam was spreading sequentially to other areas in Indonesia. Aceh has become “The Front Gate of Islam”.

The Land, Nature and Environment

Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam is located in the northernmost of Sumatera Island, or in the westernmost of archipelago of 17,000 islands of Indonesia. It extends from 2 to 6 degrees north latitude and from 95 degrees to 98 degrees longitude, covering an area of 57,365.57 square kilometers. Average altitude is 125 meters above sea level. Boundaries: Indonesia Ocean on the west, and Malaka Straits on the north and east. Two rivers border the northern parts of South Aceh, they are Simpang Kiri river on the east and Tamiang river on the west. These river also serve as the natural boundaries between Aceh and South Sumatra Province. The borders are based on a concensus and historical developments of the respective areas or provinces.

There are 119 islands, big and small, in Aceh waters. Weh Island is located on the westernmost. It is also frequently called “ Sabang Island”, named after Sabang, the capital scatter around Weh Island, such as Breuh Island, and Nasi Island.

Along the western part of Aceh, there are some bigger island, such as simeulue Island, Tuanku Island, Babi Island and Banyak Island.

The main-land of Aceh extends from north to south, or to be more accurate, from northwest to southwest. Bukit Barisan mountain range cuts across the province of Aceh southwards along Sumatera Island. The areas west of the mountain range are narrow and covered with dense forest. The hills are steep. There are some sheer cliffs facing the ocean. On the opposite side of the mountain range, there are vast low-lands with well irrigated wet rice fields; while along the shore of Malaka Strait, mangrove trees are densely and widely grown. Compared with the clear and transparent sea water in west beaches, the sea water in the east is somewhat brownish. This is due to the fact that a great deal of rivers flowing both in Sumatera and Malaysia empty into the Malaka Strait. Some big rivers in Aceh which empty into Malaka Strait are: Aceh River, Peusangan River and Jambo Ae River.