Cirebon Regency is a regency (kabupaten) of West Java Province of Indonesia. The town of Sumber is its regency seat. It covers 1,075.16 km2 and had a population of 2,068,116 at the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 2,270,621 at the 2020 census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 2,413,814 (comprising 1,221,080 males and 1,192,734 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Cirebon Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3209) These area and population figures exclude those of Cirebon City, which is a separate administration, although totally surrounded by the regency on its landward side.
The Cirebon region is renowned for the production of various types of mangoes. There are plans to support the expansion of mango production in the region both for export as well as for the domestic market. Mango production is currently concentrated in just a few parts of the regency. Local farmers and officials believe there is considerable potential to expand production to other nearby parts of the locality.Nana Rukmana and Hyginus Hardoyo, 'In Cirebon, the road to wealth may be paved with mangoes', The Jakarta Post, 21 November 2012 and Nana Rukmana, 'Cirebon to expand mango groves by 10,000 hectares', The Jakarta Post, 3 August 2012.
Etymology Being on the border of Sundanese (i.e., West Java) and Javanese (i.e., Central Java) cultural regions, many of Cirebon's residents speak a dialect that is a mix of Sundanese and Javanese, known as the Jawareh dialect, and it is thought that the word "Cirebon" derives from the Javanese word, caruban, meaning "mixed", a reference to the city's mix of Sundanese, Javanese, Chinese, and Arabic cultural elements. Alternatively, it could be derived from the Sundanese words of "Ci" (water or river) and "Rebon" ("shrimp"). (Indeed, the main production of the city is fishery including shrimps).
History
According to the manuscript Purwaka Caruban Nagari, in 15th century Cirebon started as a small fishing village named Muara Jati. At that time the port of Muara Jati already attracted foreign traders. The port master at that time is Ki Gedeng Alang-Alang whose appointed by the king of Galuh kingdom located inland in Kawali, Ciamis. He moved the port to Lemahwungkuk, 5 kilometres southward. As the new settlement leader, Ki Gedeng Alang-Alang was bestowed the title "Kuwu Cerbon" (Cerbon village leader).
A 15th century prince from Pajajaran, Prince Walangsungsang, converted to Islam, and was appointed as the Adipati (Duke) of Cirebon with the title Cakrabumi. He established the new kingdom of Cirebon and declared independence from Sunda and Galuh. The establishment of Cirebon Sultanate marked the first Islamic rule in Western Java, that grew from modest fishing village of Muara Jati to a busy port of Java northern coast. Cirebon grew as one of the independent sultanates under the leadership of Sunan Gunungjati, in the early 16th century.
After the Sunda Kingdom collapsed, The Sultanates of Banten and Mataram fought control over Cirebon, which declared its allegiance to Sultan Agung of Mataram. But the latter's grandson Amangkurat II ceded the city to the Dutch in 1677. A treaty in 1705 saw the Cirebon area west of Cisanggarung River became a Dutch protectorate jointly administered by three sultans whose courts rivalled those of Central Java. The Dutch authorities later established the Cirebon Residence (Residentie Tjirebon) which composed of present-day Cirebon, Indramayu, and Kuningan.
During the time of the Dutch "Culture System" a flourishing trade in colonial cash crops attracted many Chinese entrepreneurs and the Chinese influence is still evident in the batik for which Cirebon is famous. Cirebon suffered a famine in 1844, apparently triggered by a combination of drought and the shift from subsistence agriculture to cash crops, particularly indigo and sugarcane.
Campaign for Cirebon Province Some of the local political elite in Cirebon and surrounding regencies have campaigned for Cirebon city, together with the regencies of Cirebon, Indramayu, Kuningan and Majalengka to be established as a new province (Provinsi Rebana) - in the same way as Banten Province was formed in 2000 by splitting it away from West Java.Arya Dipa, Council urged to endorse formation of Cirebon province', The Jakarta Post, 31 May 2012. To be a new province it is required that it should be proposed by at least three regencies. Leaders from four of these administrations have given their consent, but Majalengka Regency has turned down the idea and indicated that it would prefer to stay part of West Java. However, the lack of support from the Majalengka area does not preclude Cirebon city and the other three regencies from continuing to promote the idea.
The potential size and population of this possible Province would be as follows:
Name Capital Area in km2 Pop'n 2010 census Pop'n 2020 census Pop'n mid 2025estimateBadan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2025. Cirebon City Cirebon Cirebon Regency Sumber Indramayu Regency Indramayu Kuningan Regency Kuningan Majalengka Regency Majalengka Totals
Geography Cirebon Regency is bordered by the Java Sea to the north-east, Indramayu Regency to the north, Majalengka Regency to the west, Kuningan Regency to the south, and Brebes Regency (in Central Java Province) to the southeast. A small landing site "Penggung" also serves the TNI-AU. The city lies on Jalur Pantura (Pantai Utara Jawa), a major road on the northern coast of Java that stretches from Anyer, passes through Jakarta, and ends at Surabaya.
Administrative divisions
Cirebon Regency (excluding Cirebon City) is divided into forty districts (kecamatan), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 census and the 2020 census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2025.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Cirebon Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3209) The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 412 rural desa and 12 urban kelurahan, the latter all being in Sumber District), and their post codes.
Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict(kecamatan) Area in km2 Pop'n 2010census Pop'n 2020census Pop'n mid 2025estimate AdmincentreNo.ofvillagesPostcode 32.09.01 Waled 29.64 52,659 56,013 58,560Waled Kota 12 45180 32.09.32 Pasaleman 39.53 24,968 26,528 27,719Pasaleman 7 45187 32.09.02 Ciledug 13.79 42,174 45,601 48,054Ciledug Kulon 10 45188 32.09.33 Pabuaran 9.66 33,696 36,760 38,905Pabuaran Lor 7 45194 32.09.03 Losari 48.00 54,101 62,351 67,765Panggangsari 10 45192 32.09.04 Pabedilan 25.96 51,475 58,198 62,667Pabedilan Kidul 13 45193 32.09.05 Babakan 22.18 62,312 71,288 77,203Babakan Gebang 14 45191 32.09.30 Gebang 35.77 57,605 67,861 74,540Gebang 13 45190 32.09.06 Karangsembung 17.12 34,450 36,491 38,073Karangsuwung 8 45186 32.09.34 Karangwareng 27.21 26,563 28,547 29,994Kubangdeleg 9 45184 32.09.07 Lemahabang 22.60 50,751 55,569 58,915Lemahabang 13 45183 32.09.08 Susukan Lebak 20.02 37,010 41,147 43,948Susukan Agung 13 45185 32.09.09 Sedong 34.63 39,429 42,302 44,410Panongan 10 45189 32.09.10 Astanajapura 27.15 75,737 79,884 83,176Buntet 11 45181 32.09.11 Pangenan 37.66 43,001 46,870 49,583Pangenan 9 45182 32.09.12 Mundu 29.15 73,591 81,221 86,444Luwung 12 45173 32.09.13 Beber 25.46 36,521 44,203 49,193Halimpu 10 45172 32.09.38 Greged 31.80 51,073 56,812 60,695Nanggela 10 45170 Total South & East 497.33 847,116 937,646 999,844 191 32.09.14 Talun 21.29 62,819 71,464 77,182Kecomberan 11 45171 32.09.15 Sumber 27.08 80,959 96,725 106,970Sumber 14 (a) 45611 - 45613 32.09.16 Dukupuntang 39.05 60,356 64,980 68,333Dukupuntang 13 45652 32.09.17 Palimanan 18.61 55,609 61,933 66,205Palimanan Timur 12 45160 32.09.18 Plumbon 19.25 73,416 82,323 88,292Plumbon 15 45158 32.09.31 Depok 16.18 57,071 66,246 72,248Depok 12 45155 32.09.19 Weru 9.87 64,213 69,942 73,966Setu Kulon 9 45159 32.09.36 Plered 12.31 51,092 55,102 57,994Kaliwulu 10 45154 32.09.35 Tengahtani 9.85 40,381 45,435 48,810Dawuan 8 45168 32.09.20 Kedawung 10.71 62,245 60,933 61,829Kalikoa 8 45153 32.09.21 Gunungjati 19.56 77,918 82,442 85,970Klayan 13 45151 32.09.22 Kapetakan 67.00 51,601 60,975 67,076Kapetakan 9 45152 32.09.39 Suranenggala 29.41 41,386 46,081 49,294Karangreja 11 45150 32.09.23 Klangenan 20.59 51,028 52,948 54,695Jemaras Kidul 9 45157 32.09.40 Jamblang 16.72 35,240 38,236 40,360Wangunharja 8 45156 32.09.24 Arjawinangun 24.51 62,813 70,730 76,013Arjawinangun 11 45162 32.09.25 Panguragan 22.31 42,637 43,208 44,126Panguragan Kulon 9 45163 32.09.26 Ciwaringin 19.05 38,107 38,381 39,080Ciwaringin 8 45167 32.09.37 Gempol 30.61 43,266 46,230 48,438Gempol 8 45161 32.09.27 Susukan 51.42 62,329 68,394 72,589Bojong Kulon 12 45166 32.09.28 Gegesik 63.47 69,598 69,355 70,374Gegesik Lor 14 45164 32.09.29 Kaliwedi 28.987 35,996 40,912 44,166Kaliwedi Kidul 9 45165 Total North & West 577.83 1,240,069 1,332,985 1,413,970 233
Note: (a) comprises the 12 kelurahan (Babakan, Gegunung, Kaliwadas, Kemantren, Kenanga, Pasalakan, Pejambon, Perbutulan, Sendang, Sumber, Tukmudal and Watubelah) and 2 desa.
The city of Cirebon virtually splits the Regency geographically into two parts, and proposals have been made to split the 18 south-eastern districts off as a separate regency. These eighteen districts in the first half of the table lie to the south and east of the city, and constitute the 'candidate' or planned separate regency (calon daerah baru) of East Cirebon (Kabupaten Cirebon Timur). The twenty-two districts in the second half of the table are situated to the north and west of the city, and constitute the 'core territory' or intended residual part of the regency (daerah induk).
Demographics The city's population was 298,224 at the census of 2010 and 333,303 at the census of 2020. The official estimate as at mid 2024 was 344,851. As with other coastal cities in Indonesia, a large population of ethnic Chinese has flocked into the city as a result of long-term Chinese immigration since the 17th century. Significant suburbs lie within densely populated Cirebon Regency, and the official metropolitan area encompasses this entire regency as well as the city. As many people in Indonesia still go by one name as in Indonesian tradition, the country is facing a major overhaul of its identification cards (E-KTP), new data is challenging 2010 population census figures, however the accuracy vis-a-vis the census remains unknown.
Administrative division Area (km2) Pop'n 2010 census Pop'n 2020 census Pop'n mid 2024estimate Pop'n densitymid 2024 (per km2) Cirebon City 39.48 298,224 333,303 344,851 8,735 Cirebon Regency 1,076.76 2,068,116 2,270,621 2,387,961 2,218 Metropolitan area 1,116.24 2,366,340 2,603,924 2,732,812 2,448
sources: (Budan Pusat Statistik 2010 and 2020 censuses of Indonesia) https://web.archive.org/web/20120628013636/http://www.bps.go.id/aboutus.php?sp=0&kota=32 Tabel Hasil Sensus Penduduk 2010 Provinsi JAWA BARAT https://web.archive.org/web/20131014170450/http://www.jabarprov.go.id/index.php/subMenu/75 Sumber : Database SIAK Provinsi Jawa Barat Tahun 2011
Although surrounded by Sundanese-speaking areas in West Java, linguists have stated that Cirebon (and the historically related region of Serang city in Banten Province) is inside its own Cirebonese language area. In addition, this is supported by a large portion of the Cirebon people referring to themselves as "Wong Cirebon" ("Cirebonese people"), and to their language as "Basa Cirebon" ("Cirebonese"). Cirebonese language is related to Javanese and Banyumasan with dialects such as the Jawareh, Plered, and Dermayon dialects. A portion of people in eastern Cirebon identified themselves as either Javanese or Banyumasan, while people lived in the border region with the Kuningan and Majalengka Regencies identified themselves as Sundanese.
Economy