Aceh

Aceh
Special Autonomous Province
Province of Aceh
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Serambi Mekah (Indonesian) "Porch of Mecca"
Motto(s):  Pancacita (Kawi) "Five Ideals"
Anthem: Aceh Mulia "Noble Aceh"
Aceh in    Indonesia
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates: 05°33′25″N 95°19′34″E / 5.55694°N 95.32611°E / 5.55694; 95.32611 (provincial administration)
Country	Indonesia
Province status	7 December 1956[1]
Capital and largest city	Banda Aceh
Government
• Type	Special autonomous province
• Governor	Bustami Hamzah (Interim)
• Vice Governor	Vacant
• Legislative	Aceh House of Representatives
Area [2]
• Total	58,485.9 km2 (22,581.5 sq mi)
• Rank	11th
Elevation	125 m (410 ft)
Highest elevation (Mount Leuser)	3,466 m (11,371 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2023)[3]
• Total	5,512,219
• Rank	14th
• Density	94/km2 (240/sq mi)
• Rank	20th
Demonym	Acehnese[4]
Demographics [3]
• Ethnic groups[5]	71% Acehnese 9% Javanese 7% Gayo 3% Batak 2% Alas 1.5% Simeulue 1.4% Jamee 1.1% Tamiang 4% others (Kluet, Singkil, etc.)
• Religion	98.48% Islam 1.27% Christianity - 1.26% Protestanism - 0.1% Catholicism 0.15% Buddhism 0.01% Others
• Languages	Indonesian (official) Acehnese (co-official regional) Alas-Kluet Devayan Gayo Haloban Jamee Lekon Sigulai Simeulue Singkil
Time zone	UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)
GDP (nominal)	2022
- Total[6]	Rp 211.8 trillion (20th) US$ 14.3 billion Int$ 44.5 billion (PPP)
- Per capita[7]	Rp 39.2 million (30th) US$ 2,637 Int$ 8,229 (PPP)
- Growth[8]	4.21%
HDI	0.734 (12nd) – high
Website	acehprov.go.id

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.

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]