Indonesia has 38 provinces spread over an archipelago stretching more than 5,000 km from east to west and 1,700 km from north to south. When the country was first declared independent, it only had eight provinces, with Java, by far the most populous island, having three and the other islands having one each.
The provinces are organized by island or island arc and listed roughly from north to south, west to east. Population given is according to a 2020 government census.
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Sumatra
1. Aceh
This was the region hardest hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, with over 160,000 people dead and 500,000 people displaced.
2. North Sumatra (Sumatra Utara)
It is the location of Lake Toba, which contains Samosir, the largest island within an island in the world and the only one to be populated (to add to the absurdity, Samosir also has two small lakes in it. They are lakes within an island within a lake within an island!). The lake is actually a humongous volcanic crater, the remnant of a supervolcano that erupted during the Middle Paleolithic, approximately 70,000 years ago. Scientists have proposed that the eruption was responsible for the worst population bottleneck humanity has experienced until now.
3. West Sumatra (Sumatra Barat)
Bukittinggi, a city about 80 km north of Padang briefly served as the capital of the Indonesian revolutionaries from 1948 to 1949, after the fall of Yogyakarta.
4. Riau
Riau is the country's top producer of coconut and palm oil. A side effect of this is that excessive deforestation makes it prone to forest fires. While sago is best known as Eastern Indonesia's staple food, Riau is its primary producer.
5. Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau)
The province stretches all the way north into the South China Sea, as it includes the Natuna Islands, situated halfway between West and East Malaysia. This gives Indonesia, alongside other neighboring countries, a stake against China during the South China Sea dispute.
6. Jambi
Mount Kerinci, located on the border with West Sumatra, is the highest volcano in Southeast Asia.
7. Bengkulu
was found in Bengkulu by botanist Joseph Arnold during the governorship of Sir Stamford Raffles. The area's backwaterness made it a favorite place for the Dutch to banish their political opponents; it was here that Sukarno met his third wife, Fatmawati, who bore him Megawati, during his period of exile from 1938 to 1942.
8. South Sumatra (Sumatra Selatan)
Palembang is also renowned for its largely seafood cuisine, particularly pempek fishcakes. South Sumatra as a whole is noted as a producer of coffee and rubber.
9. Bangka Belitung Islands (Kepulauan Bangka Belitung)
10. Lampung
Administratively, Lampung also includes the volcanic islands of the Sunda Strait, including the infamous Krakatoa (now represented by its remnant, Anak Krakatau).
Capital: Banda Aceh
Other autonomous cities: Langsa, Lhokseumawe, Sabang, Subulussalam
Area: 57,956 km2
Population: 5,274,871 (15th)
Indonesia's northernmost and westernmost province. Also known as "The Porch of Mecca", as its relative proximity to the holy city means that it has served as one of the launching points for pilgrims for centuries. Fittingly, the province is the first to accept Islam and to this day is among the most conservative. It is governed under sharia law, separate from the rest of the country, which was instituted in 2006 as part of a deal to end the region's independence struggle spearheaded by the militant Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM, Free Aceh Movement). This was the region hardest hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, with over 160,000 people dead and 500,000 people displaced.
2. North Sumatra (Sumatra Utara)
Capital: Medan
Other autonomous cities: Binjai, Gunungsitoli, Padang Sidempuan, Pematangsiantar, Sibolga, Tanjungbalai, Tebing Tinggi
Area: 72,981 km2
Population: 14,799,361 (4th)
Sumatra's most populous province. Medan, the third most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous outside Java, was the seat of the Malay Deli Sultanate, whose territories encompassed the eastern coast of North Sumatra. The center and the west, on the other hand, are home to the famously tribal Batak confederations. Unlike other ethnic groups in Sumatra, the majority of Bataks are Christians, the legacy of Dutch proselytization during the colonial era and something the Dutch used to their advantage to prevent fellow Muslims Aceh to the north and the Minang kingdoms to the south from linking up and fermenting a rebellion. Ironically, the Bataks are nowadays probably the most fanatical supporters of the idea of a united Indonesia, well represented in the legal system and military. It is the location of Lake Toba, which contains Samosir, the largest island within an island in the world and the only one to be populated (to add to the absurdity, Samosir also has two small lakes in it. They are lakes within an island within a lake within an island!). The lake is actually a humongous volcanic crater, the remnant of a supervolcano that erupted during the Middle Paleolithic, approximately 70,000 years ago. Scientists have proposed that the eruption was responsible for the worst population bottleneck humanity has experienced until now.
3. West Sumatra (Sumatra Barat)
Capital: Padang
Other autonomous cities: Bukittinggi, Padang Panjang, Pariaman, Payakumbuh, Sawahlunto, Solok
Area: 42,012 km2
Population: 5,534,472 (11th)
Nestled between the Barisan Mountains is the land of the Minangkabau, the largest matriarchal society in the world. The Minang's scholarly culture, where unmarried men are expected to emigrate to seek education, means that their culture is readily recognizable throughout the archipelago. Nowadays, you can't go to a major city in the country without finding at least one Rumah Makan Padang (Minang restaurant) serving such delicacies as rendang. Bukittinggi, a city about 80 km north of Padang briefly served as the capital of the Indonesian revolutionaries from 1948 to 1949, after the fall of Yogyakarta.
4. Riau
Capital: Pekanbaru
Other autonomous city: Dumai
Area: 87,023 km2
Population: 6,394,087 (10th)
Before the colonial era, Riau was part of Malacca Sultanate, a great maritime power and trading post responsible for disseminating Islam and the Malay language throughout the region. Note that the name Riau here is an artifact, back when the province also encompassed the Riau Islands (detailed below), therefore it has nothing to do with anything having "Riau" in its name, including the Riau-Lingga Kingdom or the Riau Malay dialect. To be fair, the current province was also home to a successor of the Malacca Sultanate, but not the Riau-Lingga, rather, it was the Siak Sri Indrapura. Riau is the country's top producer of coconut and palm oil. A side effect of this is that excessive deforestation makes it prone to forest fires. While sago is best known as Eastern Indonesia's staple food, Riau is its primary producer.
5. Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau)
Capital: Tanjungpinang
Other autonomous city: Batam
Area: 8,201 km2
Population: 2,064,564 (25th)
Consisting of thousands of islands spread to the east of Sumatra and south of Singapore, the Riau Islands have a long and eventful history. As with Singapore, it is a bustling trading center. After the Malacca Sultanate broke up in the 16th century, its remnants in the Riau Islands and Johor formed a new state called Johor-Riau (or simply Johor). Its Malay dialect, Riau Malay, is the basis for the modern Malay language. Since the 1970s, the province has been especially fast-growing economically, with Batam island being directly groomed to become Indonesia's version of Singapore (the fact that it's located just across the sea from it helps). The province stretches all the way north into the South China Sea, as it includes the Natuna Islands, situated halfway between West and East Malaysia. This gives Indonesia, alongside other neighboring countries, a stake against China during the South China Sea dispute.
6. Jambi
Capital: Jambi
Other autonomous city: Sungai Penuh
Area: 50,058 km2
Population: 3,548,228 (20th)
Jambi was in pre-Islamic times a sister kingdom to the more famous Malay Srivijayan Empire to the south. The polities eventually merged following the sacking of Srivijaya's capital, Palembang, by the Tamils in the 11th century. Mount Kerinci, located on the border with West Sumatra, is the highest volcano in Southeast Asia.
7. Bengkulu
Capital: Bengkulu
Area: 19,919 km2
Population: 2,010,670 (26th)
Considered the island's backwater region, Bengkulu was controlled by the English, later British, for over a century before being handed over to the Dutch in the early 19th century, since they did not find the largely mountainous area suitable for growing pepper. The British did contribute something in the long run, however; a certain gigantic flower with a stinking stench was found in Bengkulu by botanist Joseph Arnold during the governorship of Sir Stamford Raffles. The area's backwaterness made it a favorite place for the Dutch to banish their political opponents; it was here that Sukarno met his third wife, Fatmawati, who bore him Megawati, during his period of exile from 1938 to 1942. 8. South Sumatra (Sumatra Selatan)
Capital: Palembang
Other autonomous cities: Lubuklinggau, Pagar Alam, Prabumulih
Area: 91,592 km2
Population: 8,467,432 (9th)
Palembang, the oldest city in Maritime Southeast Asia, was built in the 600s as the capital of the nascent Buddhist and Malay Srivijayan Empire, which, as luck would have it, eventually conquered not only Sumatra, but also Java, the Malayan peninsula, and even as far north as the Kra Isthmus of modern Thailand. The empire lasted for over seven centuries (though by the last two it was a dead man walking) and was a major power in Asia during the Early Middle Ages, as they controlled the Strait of Malacca, until today the sole reliable maritime access between China and Europe. The empire entered decline due to numerous foreign invasions, eventually succumbing to a Majapahit invasion, and was almost completely forgotten until the modern period. Nevertheless, it has been claimed that without Srivijaya, there might not be a concept of a united Malay nation, or even Malay in general. Palembang is also renowned for its largely seafood cuisine, particularly pempek fishcakes. South Sumatra as a whole is noted as a producer of coffee and rubber.
9. Bangka Belitung Islands (Kepulauan Bangka Belitung)
Capital: Pangkalpinang
Area: 16,424 km2
Population: 1,455,678 (28th)
Two moderately sized islands surrounded by several smaller ones to the east of South Sumatra. Bangka is the larger one. Notable for its pepper and tin production and the large community of Chinese Indonesians (percentage-wise, it is at the top). Starting in 2005, the province experienced a sudden spike in popularity domestically after the release of Laskar Pelangi, the first of a series of autobiographical books written by a native of Belitung island, followed by their cinematic adaptations. 10. Lampung
Capital: Bandar Lampung
Other autonomous city: Metro
Area: 34,623 km2
Population: 9,007,848 (8th)
The southernmost province of Sumatra. The Dutch, and later the Indonesian government, designated it as the first of the many regions to be settled by people from Java during the "Transmigrasi" movement aimed at reducing the island's overpopulation. The result of this is that the province is now mostly populated by descendants of the Javanese and Sundanese (combined, they are somewhere around 70% of the population) and thus it has more in common with Java than its fellow Sumatran provinces. The port of Bakauheni at the southern tip is a major commercial and transport link between Sumatra and Java and is especially crowded during the holidays. Administratively, Lampung also includes the volcanic islands of the Sunda Strait, including the infamous Krakatoa (now represented by its remnant, Anak Krakatau).
Java (Jawa)
11. Banten
The western appendix of Banten is the site of Ujung Kulon National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site best known as the last refuge of the critically endangered Javan rhinoceroses.
12. Special Capital Region of Jakarta (Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta)
Jakarta has a surprisingly long history: it was the likely capital of Tarumanagara, circa the 4th century the oldest Hindu kingdom in Java, and continued to serve as an influential port city during the subsequent period of alternating Sunda kingdoms. Since the Dutch colonial period, it has been serving as the archipelago's center of power, brief interruptions during the National Revolution notwithstanding. The city has had a few name changes throughout history. Originally known as "Sunda Kelapa", the city was renamed "Jayakarta" (Sanskrit for "accomplished victory") by Fatahillah, a general from the Demak Sultanate, who wrestled control over the city from the Portuguese in 1527 (they were invited by the Sundanese in 1513 to help them fight against Demak). When the Dutch came in 1619, they renamed it "Batavia", after the Batavi, a Roman-era Germanic people the Dutch considered as their ancestors. Finally, in 1942, the city was renamed for the last time by the Japanese, who wanted to appeal to the native population by reviving the city's name before the Dutch arrived, albeit abbreviated to "Jakarta".
Jakarta is a city of immigrants, with its "indigenous" people, the Betawi, being an amalgamation of numerous ethnic groups who settled the region throughout generations, including the Sundanese, the Javanese, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Chinese, and the Arabs. Currently facing an overpopulation and environmental crisis, which erupt into debates of moving the capital elsewhere every few years. The government of President Joko Widodo announced in 2019 that a new capital city will be constructed in East Kalimantan, with operations expected to start the year his second term will end: 2024.
13. West Java (Jawa Barat)
A lot of place names in West Java and Banten have the prefix ci-, which means "waters" in Sundanese. It usually signifies that the settlement or place is/was located near a river or a water body.
14. Central Java (Jawa Tengah)
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Central Java is the Sangiran Early Man Site, where the first archaeological excavation of Homo erectus, an archaic human species, was conducted.
15. Special Region of Yogyakarta (Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta)
The province is a popular tourist destination. After Bali, Yogyakarta is usually the second name that foreigners spit out when they think of Indonesia. The royal capital is well-known for its quirkiness and innovation, as well as its status as a college town (the elite Gadjah Mada University is located here). During the Indonesian National Revolution, the city was the primary capital of the revolutionaries, since Jakarta was overrun by the Dutch, until its fall in 1948 necessitated them to move to West Sumatra.
Yogyakarta was also the home of Suharto, the country's dictator from 1967 to 1998; his birthplace is about 11 km west of the royal capital. Another president born here is Megawati Sukarnoputri, although she was raised in Jakarta.
The province was struck by an earthquake in 2006, which killed more than 5,000 people, making it Indonesia's second deadliest disaster in recent memory. It struck at a shallow point and under a densely populated area, explaining why it killed so many people despite having a relatively flimsy 6.4 magnitude.
The name "Yogyakarta" is derived from the phrase Ayodhyakarta, meaning "accomplished Ayodhya". Ayodhya is a legendary city in Hindu mythology, being the capital of the Suryavanshi dynasty, to which Rama of Ramayana fame belonged to. Ayutthaya of Thailand is also named after it, and there is a city in India that claims itself to be the ancient Ayodhya, though it should be noted that whether the Ayodhya of Ramayana is a real city or not is one of the most controversial debates in the historiography of ancient India.
16. East Java (Jawa Timur)
in Hindu mythology, said to be the center of the universe). The province has produced a record number of three presidents: Sukarno (from Surabaya), Abdurrahman Wahid (from Jombang), and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (from Pacitan).
Surabaya is definitely a gigantic city, being the center of the country's second-largest metropolis. In fact, it was the largest city during the Dutch East Indies period, surpassing even Batavia. It put up the fiercest resistance during the Dutch attempt to take over the city in the period after WWII and to this day is known as "Hero City". Today, it is one of the country's main ports and houses two Top 10 universities. Another is located in Malang, a hilly city about 94 km south.
The province also includes Madura, an island off the coast of Surabaya connected with the longest bridge in Indonesia, which has a distinct, more warlike culture. As their land is less developed than Java, many Madurese have migrated to Java since ancient times; the aforementioned Blambangan is split 50/50 between its Javanese and Madurese populations.
Capital: Serang
Other autonomous cities: Cilegon, Tangerang, South Tangerang
Area: 9,662 km2
Population: 11,904,562 (5th)
A relatively recent province in Java (established October 2000), Banten was carved as the western extension of West Java, with which it shares broadly Sundanese character, although considerably more religious, as Islam has a longer root. Banten had a celebrated political history: it was the seat of the colonial-era sultanate of the same name, which ruled as far as Lampung and Bengkulu during its heyday. In modern times, the north is far more industrialized than the south, with Tangerang and South Tangerang cities both serving as part of the Jakarta metropolitan area (the "ta" in Jabodetabek stands for Tangerang). The western appendix of Banten is the site of Ujung Kulon National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site best known as the last refuge of the critically endangered Javan rhinoceroses.
12. Special Capital Region of Jakarta (Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta)
Area: 664 km2
Population: 10,562,088 (6th)
The gargantuan capital of the country. Rules basically everything, from economy, culture, politics, you name it. It is the center of Jabodetabek, a vast metropolitan area that includes and surrounds it, and is the headquarters of the Indonesian Armed Forces. Jakarta has a surprisingly long history: it was the likely capital of Tarumanagara, circa the 4th century the oldest Hindu kingdom in Java, and continued to serve as an influential port city during the subsequent period of alternating Sunda kingdoms. Since the Dutch colonial period, it has been serving as the archipelago's center of power, brief interruptions during the National Revolution notwithstanding. The city has had a few name changes throughout history. Originally known as "Sunda Kelapa", the city was renamed "Jayakarta" (Sanskrit for "accomplished victory") by Fatahillah, a general from the Demak Sultanate, who wrestled control over the city from the Portuguese in 1527 (they were invited by the Sundanese in 1513 to help them fight against Demak). When the Dutch came in 1619, they renamed it "Batavia", after the Batavi, a Roman-era Germanic people the Dutch considered as their ancestors. Finally, in 1942, the city was renamed for the last time by the Japanese, who wanted to appeal to the native population by reviving the city's name before the Dutch arrived, albeit abbreviated to "Jakarta".
Jakarta is a city of immigrants, with its "indigenous" people, the Betawi, being an amalgamation of numerous ethnic groups who settled the region throughout generations, including the Sundanese, the Javanese, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Chinese, and the Arabs. Currently facing an overpopulation and environmental crisis, which erupt into debates of moving the capital elsewhere every few years. The government of President Joko Widodo announced in 2019 that a new capital city will be constructed in East Kalimantan, with operations expected to start the year his second term will end: 2024.
13. West Java (Jawa Barat)
Capital: Bandung
Other autonomous cities: Banjar, Bekasi, Bogor, Cimahi, Cirebon, Depok, Sukabumi, Tasikmalaya
Area: 35,377 km2
Population: 48,274,162 (1st)
The country's most populous province and economic powerhouse. Otherwise known as Tatar Pasundan, West Java is the homeland of the Sundanese people, who built some of the nation's earliest Hindu kingdoms. Containing three cities of the Jabodetabek metropolis: Bekasi ("bek"), Bogor ("bo"), and Depok ("de"), Jakarta itself was also a part of West Java until 1957. The capital, Bandung, is famous for being a 2+ million city that is not only not a port, but also not located in a low-lying area; its location in the Priangan Mountains has made it a popular resort and retirement home, despite being a metropolitan (Bandung's metropolis is the third largest in the country). The mountainous terrain, meanwhile, supports the growing of livestock and tea in large quantities. Education-wise, it is tied with East Java in having the country's three Top 10 universities. A lot of place names in West Java and Banten have the prefix ci-, which means "waters" in Sundanese. It usually signifies that the settlement or place is/was located near a river or a water body.
14. Central Java (Jawa Tengah)
Capital: Semarang
Other autonomous cities: Magelang, Pekalongan, Salatiga, Surakarta, Tegal
Area: 40,800 km2
Population: 36,516,035 (3rd)
The cultural heartland of the Javanese people. Home of Borobudur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a bunch of other smaller, but still majestic, Buddhist and Hindu temples, most of them built from the 700s to 900s by the Medang Kingdom, whose high culture is responsible for the Central Javanese' renown of its etiquette. The prestige dialect of the Javanese language is the dialect of Surakarta (or Solo if you're locals), an inland city that was once a seat of a sultanate (and still is, but they no longer have political power) and is the home of the current president, Joko Widodo. Also contains a Top 10 university in the capital, Semarang, a port city known for its Chinese Indonesian cuisine. Along with East Java, it's a noted agricultural area, in particular onions. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Central Java is the Sangiran Early Man Site, where the first archaeological excavation of Homo erectus, an archaic human species, was conducted.
15. Special Region of Yogyakarta (Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta)
Capital: Yogyakarta
Area: 3,133 km2
Population: 3,668,719 (19th)
Basically the part of Central Java that is ruled by a sultanate. Yes, right. The province is the only region in the Republic of Indonesia that is ruled by a monarchy. Ruled, because two sultan families hold the hereditary position of governor and vice-governor, each of whom used to reign over two of the four remnants of the 17th century Mataram Sultanate (the other two are in Surakarta). This is accorded in the constitution, which is why it is called a "Special Region"; while other areas might have local monarchies, they don't have any political power. Otherwise, the province is Central Javanese in all but name, from language to geography to its status as a repository of ancient monuments, including Prambanan, the second largest pre-Islamic temple in Indonesia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The province is a popular tourist destination. After Bali, Yogyakarta is usually the second name that foreigners spit out when they think of Indonesia. The royal capital is well-known for its quirkiness and innovation, as well as its status as a college town (the elite Gadjah Mada University is located here). During the Indonesian National Revolution, the city was the primary capital of the revolutionaries, since Jakarta was overrun by the Dutch, until its fall in 1948 necessitated them to move to West Sumatra.
Yogyakarta was also the home of Suharto, the country's dictator from 1967 to 1998; his birthplace is about 11 km west of the royal capital. Another president born here is Megawati Sukarnoputri, although she was raised in Jakarta.
The province was struck by an earthquake in 2006, which killed more than 5,000 people, making it Indonesia's second deadliest disaster in recent memory. It struck at a shallow point and under a densely populated area, explaining why it killed so many people despite having a relatively flimsy 6.4 magnitude.
The name "Yogyakarta" is derived from the phrase Ayodhyakarta, meaning "accomplished Ayodhya
". Ayodhya is a legendary city in Hindu mythology, being the capital of the Suryavanshi dynasty, to which Rama of Ramayana fame belonged to. Ayutthaya of Thailand is also named after it, and there is a city in India that claims itself to be the ancient Ayodhya, though it should be noted that whether the Ayodhya of Ramayana is a real city or not is one of the most controversial debates in the historiography of ancient India. 16. East Java (Jawa Timur)
Capital: Surabaya
Other autonomous cities: Batu, Blitar, Kediri, Madiun, Malang, Mojokerto, Pasuruan, Probolinggo
Area: 47,799 km2
Population: 40,665,696 (2nd)
The second most populous province with the second most populous city and an agricultural heartland, being the nation's top producer of rice, corn, vegetables, various fruits, sugarcane, and livestock. It is also a homeland of the Javanese people, but with a difference; East Javanese have a more egalitarian culture and largely excise the etiquette that characterizes Central Javanese. Some see it as uncouth, but others see it as a freedom. Nevertheless, it is still an integral part of Javanese history; from the 1000s until the Islamic era, East Java was the political center of the Javanese people, with the Later Medang, Kediri, Singhasari, and the famous Majapahit, which had a remarkably similar territorial extent as Indonesia, ruling from the area between Surabaya and Malang. East Java was the Last Stand of Hinduism in Java, with Blambangan, a land neighboring Bali, surviving as an independent Hindu kingdom until the 18th century. Even today, there are scattered Hindu communities living on the slopes of Mount Bromo, to the south of which is the highest mountain in Java, Semeru (named after a legendary mountain in Hindu mythology, said to be the center of the universe). The province has produced a record number of three presidents: Sukarno (from Surabaya), Abdurrahman Wahid (from Jombang), and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (from Pacitan). Surabaya is definitely a gigantic city, being the center of the country's second-largest metropolis. In fact, it was the largest city during the Dutch East Indies period, surpassing even Batavia. It put up the fiercest resistance during the Dutch attempt to take over the city in the period after WWII and to this day is known as "Hero City". Today, it is one of the country's main ports and houses two Top 10 universities. Another is located in Malang, a hilly city about 94 km south.
The province also includes Madura, an island off the coast of Surabaya connected with the longest bridge in Indonesia, which has a distinct, more warlike culture. As their land is less developed than Java, many Madurese have migrated to Java since ancient times; the aforementioned Blambangan is split 50/50 between its Javanese and Madurese populations.
Lesser Sunda Islands (Kepulauan Sunda Kecil)
17. Bali
Bali also has a history. The island's society was irrevocably changed following the destruction of Majapahit in the 16th century due to the arrival of thousands of Javanese Majapahit refugees on the island. Balinese language, which is tiered into three registers like modern Javanese, is especially stark evidence of this; previously, Balinese had a largely uniform language with no distinction in seniority. Bali can therefore be said to be a continuation of Majapahit, except with a regional flavor.
Since cattle is sacred in Hinduism, Bali's most popular meat is pork, of which it is a top producer by far. Meanwhile, the terraced paddy irrigation topped by temples, the so-called Subak ecosystem, is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site.
18. West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat)
Sumbawa's volcano, Tambora, had a spectacular eruption in 1815 that was measured to be VEI 7, the highest in recorded history. Its ashes filled the Earth's atmosphere for the next several years, cooling the temperature and causing harvests to fail; the 1816 Europe was called "A Year Without Summer" because of this. Domestically, the eruption was thought to have killed over 70,000 people and annihilated an ethnic group who lived close to the volcano, a la Pompeii.
19. East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur)
The province is mostly Catholic, thanks to the influence of the Portuguese. Unlike West Nusa Tenggara, the province has a lot of languages and ethnic groups, mostly with few speakers and numbers, and is emblematic of Central and Eastern Indonesia, where tribalism is strong and languages and ethnic groups tend to overlap.
The island of Timor has an international border with East Timor. The country used to be part of Indonesia from 1976 to 1999 after an annexation that is a controversial topic in the country. The East Timorese seem happy to be separate, though. After all, it was colonized by a different country.
The Komodo National Park is located just off the western coast of Flores. Yes, the Komodo dragons live here.
Capital: Denpasar
Area: 5,780 km2
Population: 4,317,404 (16th)
Needs no introduction, or does it? Bali is an island east of Java, west of Lombok, that is ridiculously famous internationally for its beaches and culture. That's the short version. The long version: unlike the other provinces, Bali is not majority Muslim or Christian, but Hindu, a religion that was once widespread in the archipelago but became nearly extinct in the early modern period. It has a quirkiness that really cannot be translated into other areas. As a result, it attracted quite a bit of attention, something that rubbed off on its natural potential, even though the environment is honestly not that different from other islands in the region. The economy is thus driven primarily by tourism, again something that is unlike other provinces. Then again, Bali is a beautiful island. Tanah Lot, Kuta beach, Ubud, Bedugul, and Mount Agung among others, are worthy of being visited time and again. Not to mention hundreds of temples scattered across the island, giving it the nickname "Island of a Thousand Pura". Bali also has a history. The island's society was irrevocably changed following the destruction of Majapahit in the 16th century due to the arrival of thousands of Javanese Majapahit refugees on the island. Balinese language, which is tiered into three registers like modern Javanese, is especially stark evidence of this; previously, Balinese had a largely uniform language with no distinction in seniority. Bali can therefore be said to be a continuation of Majapahit, except with a regional flavor.
Since cattle is sacred in Hinduism, Bali's most popular meat is pork, of which it is a top producer by far. Meanwhile, the terraced paddy irrigation topped by temples, the so-called Subak ecosystem, is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site.
18. West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat)
Capital: Mataram
Other autonomous city: Bima
Area: 18,572 km2
Population: 5,320,092 (14th)
A brief preface: Nusa Tenggara is Indonesian for "Southeastern Islands". As the name implies, this is the western part of the Nusa Tenggara island chain, the two largest of which are Lombok and Sumbawa. Lombok is the site of the capital, Mataram, and is geographically and culturally similar to Bali, except that its people, the Sasak, are Muslims, rather than Hindu. Sumbawa is much larger and longer than Lombok, but has less people and is less developed overall. Western Sumbawa is culturally close to Lombok, while Eastern Sumbawa has more in common with East Nusa Tenggara. Sumbawa's volcano, Tambora, had a spectacular eruption in 1815 that was measured to be VEI 7, the highest in recorded history. Its ashes filled the Earth's atmosphere for the next several years, cooling the temperature and causing harvests to fail; the 1816 Europe was called "A Year Without Summer" because of this. Domestically, the eruption was thought to have killed over 70,000 people and annihilated an ethnic group who lived close to the volcano, a la Pompeii.
19. East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur)
Capital: Kupang
Area: 48,718 km2
Population: 5,325,566 (13th)
Three major islands, accompanied by smaller ones, form an inverted triangle to the east of Sumbawa. Flores in the north, Sumba in the southwest, and Timor in the southeast. It has the notorious distinction as Indonesia's poorest province measured by GDP per capita. The province is mostly Catholic, thanks to the influence of the Portuguese. Unlike West Nusa Tenggara, the province has a lot of languages and ethnic groups, mostly with few speakers and numbers, and is emblematic of Central and Eastern Indonesia, where tribalism is strong and languages and ethnic groups tend to overlap.
The island of Timor has an international border with East Timor. The country used to be part of Indonesia from 1976 to 1999 after an annexation that is a controversial topic in the country. The East Timorese seem happy to be separate, though. After all, it was colonized by a different country.
The Komodo National Park is located just off the western coast of Flores. Yes, the Komodo dragons live here.
Borneo (Kalimantan)
20. West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat)
21. Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah)
As a side note, while Barito River is mostly associated with Banjarmasin, Upper Barito is in Central Kalimantan. The river gives its name to a language group spoken by the Dayak tribes concentrated in the province. One of these, Ma'anyan, is the closest living relative of Malagasy, the national language of Madagascar, meaning whoever brought the language to that country must have come from here.
22. South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan)
23. East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur)
The 4th century Hindu Kutai Kingdom, situated on the banks of the Mahakam river, is often regarded as the earliest recorded state in what would become Indonesia, although accounts of it are very sparse.
24. North Kalimantan (Kalimantan Utara)
Capital: Pontianak
Other autonomous city: Singkawang
Area: 147,307 km2
Population: 5,414,390 (12th)
Also known as the "Province with a Thousand Rivers" due to the existence of numerous river systems, West Kalimantan was the location of Pontianak Sultanate, a Malay state subservient to the Dutch that was built on top of a Hindu Dayak state, as well as the Lanfang Republic, the biggest Chinese kongsi republic (originally formed from a federation of bauxite mining communities) in Borneo. This explains the province's multicultural character, with the province having one of the largest concentrations of Chinese Indonesians in the country. Pontianak sits on the Kapuas, the longest river in Indonesia, and has an interesting creation story: it was said that the sultan had to fight against a female ghost using cannonballs before he could settle the area, which he named after the ghost. 21. Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah)
Capital: Palangka Raya
Area: 153,564 km2
Population: 2,669,969 (22nd)
The largest province in Indonesia, formerly a backwater region that was tributary to Banjar Sultanate to the east. Kotawaringin is the oldest area, with mentions dating back to the Majapahit period. Palangka Raya was purposely built when the province was carved from South Kalimantan and to this day is the largest city by area in Indonesia, though most of it is still forested. Until East Kalimantan was chosen in 2019, Central Kalimantan was a popular choice as the place for the construction the country's new capital city. As a side note, while Barito River is mostly associated with Banjarmasin, Upper Barito is in Central Kalimantan. The river gives its name to a language group spoken by the Dayak tribes concentrated in the province. One of these, Ma'anyan, is the closest living relative of Malagasy, the national language of Madagascar, meaning whoever brought the language to that country must have come from here.
22. South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan)
Capital: Banjarbaru
Other autonomous city: Banjarmasin
Area: 38,744 km2
Population: 4,073,584 (17th)
The Banjar are a mercantile people who established a sultanate on the lower reaches of Barito River that lasted from 1526 to 1860 and ruled or had tributes over all of Southern Borneo. Its core territories mostly corresponded with the modern province. The Banjarese language is often regarded as a divergent Malay dialect, though some disagree and classify it as a Malayic language, on par with Minangkabau. 23. East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur)
Capital: Samarinda
Other autonomous cities: Balikpapan, Bontang
Area: 127,267 km2
Population: 3,766,039 (18th)
Outside of the capital region, East Kalimantan is the country's richest province by GDP per capita. This is mostly thanks to it being a center of natural gas extraction, alongside North Kalimantan, which was carved from it. Samarinda is also the largest city in the island of Borneo (including Malaysia and Brunei). In 2019, the government announced that East Kalimantan would serve as the location of the country's purpose-built capital city to alleviate congestion in Jakarta. It will be located midway between Samarinda and Balikpapan cities, around a hill known as Bukit Suharto. The capital, whose name was announced in 2022 as Nusantara, is expected to be functional by 2024. The 4th century Hindu Kutai Kingdom, situated on the banks of the Mahakam river, is often regarded as the earliest recorded state in what would become Indonesia, although accounts of it are very sparse.
24. North Kalimantan (Kalimantan Utara)
Capital: Tanjung Selor
Autonomous city: Tarakan
Area: 72,275 km2
Population: 701,814 (35th)
One of the country's newer provinces, it was carved in 2012 from East Kalimantan. As with its parent, it has ample resources of gas and is among the richest in Indonesia. It is the least populated province outside New Guinea, as most of the place is still forested. Unlike most other provinces in Indonesia, the capital city, Tanjung Selor, is not the province's largest. In fact, it's not even an autonomous city, but a regency seat (kota kabupaten) that doubles as the gubernatorial seat. Despite its lack of development, it was chosen as the capital because it is situated on mainland Borneo and therefore has land access to the island's other provincial capitals like Samarinda and Banjarmasin. The province's largest and only autonomous city, Tarakan, is located on a separate island, accessible only by sea or air. Sulawesi
25. North Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara)
). Combined with the central government's strict centralization during the republic's early years, this kind of thinking was responsible for the outbreak of the Permesta rebellion in the late 1950s, which sought autonomy and later outright independence for Sulawesi.
The province also includes Sangihe and Talaud island arcs to the north, off the coast of the Philippines. A tourist attraction is Bunaken island off Manado's coast, whose outlying coral reefs are a popular diving spot.
26. Gorontalo
27. Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah)
Economically, it's best remembered for growing chocolate (Indonesia is the world's third-largest exporter of cocoa beans).
28. West Sulawesi (Sulawesi Barat)
29. South Sulawesi (Sulawesi Selatan)
The Makassarese and the Bugis, two related seafaring ethnic groups, dominate the southern half of the province. As they are located in the middle of the archipelago, they used to serve as mediators during the spice trade. The Makassarese made contact with the Aboriginal Australians in the early 18th century while they were collecting sea cucumbers and established a sultanate centered in Gowa. The Bugis, meanwhile, dispersed throughout the archipelago and today can be found in large numbers nearly everywhere in the area. The first Reformasi-era president of Indonesia, B.J. Habibie, is of paternal Bugis descent and was born and raised in South Sulawesi. Another notable ethnic group is the Torajas, whose traditional tongkonan houses and floating burials are known throughout the country. Unlike the Muslim Makassarese and Bugis, most Torajas are Christians.
30. Southeast Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tenggara)
Capital: Manado
Other autonomous cities: Bitung, Kotamobagu, Tomohon
Area: 13,851 km2
Population: 2,621,923 (24th)
The northern panhandle of Sulawesi is home of the Minahasa, who are linguistically related to peoples from the Philippine archipelago. The Dutch proselytized the Minahasa to Protestantism, and even to this day, in contrast to other Indonesians, most Minahasans have a neutral-to-positive view on Dutch colonization (this kind of Stockholm Syndrome has been studied by ethnologists as a Stranger King concept). Combined with the central government's strict centralization during the republic's early years, this kind of thinking was responsible for the outbreak of the Permesta rebellion in the late 1950s, which sought autonomy and later outright independence for Sulawesi. The province also includes Sangihe and Talaud island arcs to the north, off the coast of the Philippines. A tourist attraction is Bunaken island off Manado's coast, whose outlying coral reefs are a popular diving spot.
26. Gorontalo
Capital: Gorontalo
Area: 11,257 km2
Population: 1,171,681 (33rd)
Gorontalo was carved from North Sulawesi in 2000, mainly for cultural and religious reasons, as Gorontalo's major religion is Islam, of which it has been a devout adherent since years before the Dutch conquest. It's still among the poorest provinces in Indonesia, although things are slowly changing in recent years with the development of its fisheries and agricultural potential. 27. Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah)
Capital: Palu
Area: 61,841 km2
Population: 2,985,734 (21st)
A very diverse province with a colorful history, it's mostly remembered today for its recent turbulent religious tensions, be it the interreligious squabbles between the Muslim majority and its Christian minority or the subversive actions of Mujahideen Indonesia Timur, which led to a military pacification in the Poso region. As with Aceh, things seem to die down somewhat after a calamity struck the region's population irrespective of anyone's identity: the 2018 Palu earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 4,000 people. Economically, it's best remembered for growing chocolate (Indonesia is the world's third-largest exporter of cocoa beans).
28. West Sulawesi (Sulawesi Barat)
Capital: Mamuju
Area: 16,787 km2
Population: 1,419,229 (29th)
The newest province in Sulawesi. Still a very rural area, it doesn't even have an autonomous city of its own. The major ethnic group in the province is the Mandar, who can be considered the rustic cousins of the Makassarese and Bugis (see below). 29. South Sulawesi (Sulawesi Selatan)
Capital: Makassar
Other autonomous cities: Palopo, Parepare
Area: 46,717 km2
Population: 9,073,509 (7th)
By far the most populous province in Sulawesi. Makassar, while only the eighth largest in Indonesia, is the largest city in Eastern Indonesia by a wide margin; the next largest, Samarinda, has 800,000 less people than Makassar. Its concentration of high-rises and factories are much more reminiscent of Java than anything from the east. It also contains the only Top 10 university outside Java: the Hasanuddin University. It is therefore not surprising that Eastern Indonesians who want to move up the social ladder mainly get their bearings first in Makassar, before going to Java or elsewhere. The Makassarese and the Bugis, two related seafaring ethnic groups, dominate the southern half of the province. As they are located in the middle of the archipelago, they used to serve as mediators during the spice trade. The Makassarese made contact with the Aboriginal Australians in the early 18th century while they were collecting sea cucumbers and established a sultanate centered in Gowa. The Bugis, meanwhile, dispersed throughout the archipelago and today can be found in large numbers nearly everywhere in the area. The first Reformasi-era president of Indonesia, B.J. Habibie, is of paternal Bugis descent and was born and raised in South Sulawesi. Another notable ethnic group is the Torajas, whose traditional tongkonan houses and floating burials are known throughout the country. Unlike the Muslim Makassarese and Bugis, most Torajas are Christians.
30. Southeast Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tenggara)
Capital: Kendari
Other autonomous city: Baubau
Area: 38,067 km2
Population: 2,624,875 (23rd)
Mainly known throughout the nation for Wakatobi National Park, whose reefs and mangrove forests are slowly rivaling Bunaken in the north of the island. A less well-known fact is that it was once a seat of the Buton Sultanate, located on the island of the same name, whose influence is almost certainly why the province is highly Muslim by Sulawesi standards (aside from Gorontalo, which was partly created for religious reasons). Maluku Islands (Kepulauan Maluku)
31. North Maluku (Maluku Utara)
32. Maluku
Capital: Sofifi
Autonomous cities: Ternate, Tidore Kepulauan
Area: 31,982 km2
Population: 1,282,937 (32nd)
A collection of islands in between Sulawesi and New Guinea, the largest of which is Halmahera. Carved from Maluku in 1999 to reduce religious tensions at that time, North Maluku was the location of four rivaling sultanates which were the kingdoms that the name Maluku (Arabic for king) originally referred to: Ternate, Tidore, Bacan, and Jailolo. They controlled the spice trade and had extensive contacts with the Europeans, in particular the Portuguese. The largest city, and honestly the only real one, in the province remains Ternate, which, like Ambon/Seram, is not located on Halmahera, but is an island of its own. Like North Kalimantan and West Papua, the provincial capital is neither the largest city nor an autonomous one, and was selected because it is located on the largest island. Sofifi has few residents who actually live there, as most people prefer to move back to Ternate (which is located just across the sea) at the end of each day. Meanwhile, Tidore is now mostly remembered for being the scenery adorning the old 1,000 rupiah banknote circulated in the early 2000s. 32. Maluku
Capital: Ambon
Other autonomous city: Tual
Area: 46,914 km2
Population: 1,848,923 (27th)
Older name Moluccas, the Maluku islands were the center of the world's spice trade during the medieval and early modern period. Even to this day, it is still a center of clove and nutmeg production, both endemic to the area. Note that Ambon is not located on the largest island, Seram, but instead on an island of its own, much smaller than Seram but more populous. The Ambonese speak a dialect of Malay that's been stereotyped so often in the media for its unique vocabulary and way of talking. Sadly, like Central Sulawesi, it also never lives down its bloody Muslim-Christian sectarian conflict as Suharto's regime fell apart in the late 1990s, forcing many people to migrate to other islands and grinding its activities to a halt. New Guinea (Papua)
33. Southwest Papua (Papua Barat Daya)
34. West Papua (Papua Barat)
35. Central Papua (Papua Tengah)
36. Papua
Until 2022, it was the largest province of Indonesia by far, covering all of Indonesian New Guinea east of the Bird's Head peninsula, as well as the islands of Biak, Numfor, Supiori, and the Yapen Islands archipelago to the north of Cenderawasih Bay. Three provinces have since been carved from it, however, and it is now the eighth largest. As a whole, Papua is known for its linguistic diversity, its exorbitant living costs (everything is four times costlier than in Java), its racially different and allegedly "African-like" people, their way of life and its biodiversity.
Jayapura, the capital, is the easternmost major settlement in Indonesia.
37. Highland Papua (Papua Pegunungan)
38. South Papua (Papua Selatan)
Capital: Sorong
Area: 39,167 km2
Population: 591,069 (36th)
The newest province in Indonesia, it was created from the northwestern half of West Papua in December 2022, centered around Sorong and the Raja Ampat Islands. The latter are internationally known for its marine biodiversity and landscape. 34. West Papua (Papua Barat)
Capital: Manokwari
Area: 64,134 km2
Population: 542,929 (37th)
Not to be confused with the internationally recognized title to designate Indonesian New Guinea, it was created from Papua's Bird's Head peninsula in 2001, although it retained its mother province's special status. The province is a bit more developed than Papua, though still less than those outside of New Guinea. 35. Central Papua (Papua Tengah)
Capital: Nabire
Other autonomous city: Timika
Area: 60,491 km2
Population: 1,391,123 (30th)
A province carved from Papua in 2022 from the areas surrounding the coastal city of Nabire, bordering Cendrawasih Bay in the "neck" of New Guinea, midway between Jayapura and Manokwari. It also includes parts of the New Guinea highlands (including the glacier-covered Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in Indonesia). Grasberg Mine, one of the largest gold and copper mining centers in the world, is located on the western foothills of Puncak Jaya. It is operated by Freeport Indonesia, a branch of the American gold producer. 36. Papua
Capital: Jayapura
Other autonomous city: Biak, Serui
Area: 81,049 km2
Population: 1,008,086 (34th)
Unlike other islands in the country, Papua was only decolonized by the Dutch in 1962. Following a year-long UN mandate period, it was given to Indonesia, under the logic since it was also a former Dutch colony, with the transfer confirmed in a hotly-contested 1969 referendum. Some Papuans dispute this, claiming that it was illegally annexed, and are campaigning, sometimes violently, for its independence. The most we can say on this is that the topic of Papua is something that the government is sensitive about, which is why journalists are forbidden from entering the island without consent. Until 2022, it was the largest province of Indonesia by far, covering all of Indonesian New Guinea east of the Bird's Head peninsula, as well as the islands of Biak, Numfor, Supiori, and the Yapen Islands archipelago to the north of Cenderawasih Bay. Three provinces have since been carved from it, however, and it is now the eighth largest. As a whole, Papua is known for its linguistic diversity, its exorbitant living costs (everything is four times costlier than in Java), its racially different and allegedly "African-like" people, their way of life and its biodiversity.
Jayapura, the capital, is the easternmost major settlement in Indonesia.
37. Highland Papua (Papua Pegunungan)
Capital: Wamena
Area: 53,392 km2
Population: 1,390,821 (31st)
A province carved from Papua in 2022, it is located in the inner reaches of the New Guinea highlands. It is also the first Indonesian province that does not have a coastline. 38. South Papua (Papua Selatan)
Capital: Merauke
Area: 117,833 km2
Population: 513,617 (38th)
A province carved from Papua in 2022, located in southern New Guinea. It is currently Indonesia's least populous province. Its capital, Merauke, is the southeasternmost major settlement in the country, and is popularly known for being mentioned in a patriotic song that describes the country's territorial extent. Near Merauke is the Wasur National Park, a mostly undisturbed wetland area that has been described as the "Serengeti of Papua". 