Banda Aceh ( ; , Jawoe: ) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of . The city covers an area of and had a population of 223,446 people at the 2010 Census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. rising to 252,899 at the 2020 Census.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. The official estimate as of 2025 was 267,962 (comprising 134,451 males and 133,511 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kota Banda Aceh Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1101001.1171)
Banda Aceh is located on the northwestern tip of Indonesia at the mouth of the Aceh River. Banda Aceh itself is a semi-enclave within Aceh Besar Regency, as Banda Aceh is surrounded by Aceh Besar to the south, east, and west, while it borders with the Andaman Sea to the north-west. Many suburbs of the city have developed in adjacent districts of Acah Besar Regency beyond the city limits.
The city was originally established as Bandar Aceh Darussalam and served as the capital and hub for the Sultanate of Aceh upon its foundation in the late 15th century. Later its name was changed to Bandar Aceh Darussalam, and thereafter became popularly known as Banda Aceh. The first part of the name comes from the Persian () meaning "port" or "haven". The city is also dubbed the "port to Mecca," or the "porch of Mecca" () in reference to the days when hajj pilgrims travelled by sea from Indonesia and would make a stopover in the city before continuing their journey to Mecca.
Banda Aceh was long at the center of protracted conflicts between the Acehnese and foreign powers, including the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Japanese, and the Indonesian government. The city rose to international prominence in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December 2004, which struck off the western coast of Sumatra. Banda Aceh was the closest major city to the earthquake's epicenter, which lay off the coast.John Pike, 'Banda Aceh' , accessed 23 January 2011. It suffered great damage in the earthquake and further damage when a tsunami struck shortly afterwards. Around 60,000 people in the city died as a result and many more were injured.Jayasuriya, Sisira and Peter McCawley in collaboration with Bhanupong Nidhiprabha, Budy P. Resosudarmo and Dushni Weerakoon, The Asian Tsunami: Aid and Reconstruction After a Disaster , Cheltenham UK and Northampton MA US: Edward Elgar and Asian Development Bank Institute, 2010.Jayasuriya and McCawley, ibid.
The aftermath of the tsunami saw a cessation of conflict between the government and the Free Aceh Movement, as well as an increase in domestic and international aid. Consequently, the city itself has seen major modernization and reconstruction over the past two decades.
History Banda Aceh, situated at the tip of Sumatra, has long been a strategic transportation and trading hub in the eastern Indian Ocean. Its first mention in western accounts comes from 1292 when Marco Polo and his expedition visited the city, referred to as 'Lambri' from Lamuri Kingdom which previously existed there and noted as the logical first port of call for travellers from Arabia and India to Indonesia. Ibn Battuta also reported visiting the city in the mid-14th century when under the control of the trading kingdom of Samudera Pasai, the then-dominant entity in northern Sumatra. However the Pasai began to collapse under pressure from declining economic conditions and the Portuguese, who occupied much of the area after occupying Malacca in the early 16th century. Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah, ruler of the newly founded Sultanate of Aceh, aggressively expanded in the area in the 1520s and established sultanate was built on the remains of the Pasai and other extinct kingdoms in the area, and made Banda Aceh the capital, naming it for himself as Kutaraja or 'City of the King'.
After a long period of rule by the sultanate, Aceh began to come into conflict with the Dutch and the British in the second half of the 18th century. At the end of the 18th century, the territory of Aceh in the Malay Peninsula, namely Kedah and Pulau Pinang, were seized by the British. In 1871, the Dutch began to threaten Aceh, and on 26 March 1873, the Dutch formally declared war on Aceh. The Dutch bombarded the capital in that year and sought to capture the sultan's palace in the city to bring about a capitulation of the Acehnese. Significant support from the British in the region led the modernization and fortification of the city, and while coastal areas were lost the Dutch underestimated the city's defenses. The Dutch expedition commander General Johan Köhler was killed in a skirmish around the city, leading to the failure of the first expedition. A second expedition was mounted by the Dutch within months and was successful in overwhelming the city. The Dutch moved into the capital in January 1874 believing the Acehnese to have surrendered; however, the conflict moved into the countryside, and the Acehnese continued to actively oppose Dutch rule.
After it entered the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on 28 December 1962, the name of the city was changed back to Banda Aceh by the Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Autonomy on 9 May 1963.
2004 Aceh Tsunami On 26 December 2004, the city was hit by a tsunami caused by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean. The disaster killed 167,000 inhabitants and destroyed more than 60% of the city's buildings. Based on the statistical data issued by the City Government of Banda Aceh, Banda Aceh had 248,727 inhabitants in May 2012, while the Indonesian national census of 2020 showed a population of 252,899. The official estimate as of mid-2025 was 267,962.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kota Banda Aceh Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1101001.1171)
2023 Rohingya Protests On 27 December 2023, hundreds of students from various universities in Aceh, such as: Abulyatama University, Bina Bangsa Getsempena University, and University of Muhammadiyah Aceh, stormed a shelter for Rohingya refugees and forced them out of a convention centre in the city of Banda Aceh, demanding they be deported. The students also seen kicking the belongings of the Rohingya men, women, and children who seated on the floor and crying in fear. They burned tyres and chanting "Kick them out" and "Reject Rohingya in Aceh".
Religion The religion of the majority of the population is Islam, with minorities including Buddhists, Christians (both Protestant and Catholic), and Hindus.
Banda Aceh is home to four long-standing churches: the Hati Kudus Catholic Church, Western Indonesian Protestant Church (GPIB), Methodist Church (GMI), and the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP). There are 93 mosques and 112 mushollas (Places for islamic prayer.) There is a Buddhist temple and a Hindu temple in the city.
The Hindu community consists of both Balinese Hindus and Tamil Hindus who originate from southern India.
There is a type of police in Indonesia called the religious police; they enforce Islamic laws in the Islamic majority province. They are known for being very strict.
Climate Banda Aceh features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification, with near-constant average temperatures. The city's annual average temperature is . However, the city features wetter and drier seasons, with summer (June through August) being the driest season of the year. Both the hottest and coldest temperatures are recorded during summer. Late fall and early winter (October to December) is the rainiest time in Banda Aceh. Like other cities with a tropical rainforest climate, Banda Aceh does not have a true dry season, with the driest month averaging of precipitation. On average, the city experiences a little less than of precipitation annually.
Administrative districts
Banda Aceh is divided into nine districts (), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid 2025.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kota Banda Aceh Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1101001.1171) The table also includes the numbers of urban villages (gampong) in each district, and its postal codes.
Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict(kecamatan) Area in km2 Pop'n at 2010 Census Pop'n at 2020 Census Pop'n mid 2025 Estimate No. ofvillages Post codes 11.71.03 Meuraxa Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Meuraxa Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171010) 7.2616,48426,86126,50916 23232 - 23234 11.71.08 Jaya Baru Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Jaya Baru Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171011) 3.7822,03125,93927,8629 23230 - 23236 11.71.07 Banda Raya Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Banda Raya Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171012) 4.7920,89125,22827,26110 23238 - 23239 11.71.01 Baiturrahman Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Baiturrahman Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171020) 4.5430,37732,51334,89110 23241 - 23245 11.71.05 Lueng Bata Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Lueng Bata Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171021) 5.3423,59224,33626,3929 23244 - 23249 11.71.02 Kuta Alam Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Kuta Alam Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171030) 10.2142,21742,50545,86111 23126 - 23127 11.71.06 Kuta Raja Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Kuta Raja Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171031) 5.2110,43315,29115,2856 23128 - 23142 11.71.04 Syiah Kuala (a)Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Syiah Kuala Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171040) 14.2434,85032,96935,33610 23111 - 23116 11.71.09 Ulee Kareng Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Ulee Kareng Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1171041) 6.1522,57127,25728,5659 23117 - 23119 Totals61.36223,446252,899267,96290
Notes: (a) Kuta Raja, Syiah Kuala and Ulee Kareng Districts lie on the east bank of the Aceh River, while the other six Districts are on the west bank. The coastal district of Syiah Kuala actually extends further east still, crossing the wide Lamnyong River to include the villages (gampong) of Kopelma Darussalam and Rukok which adjoin the suburbs of Baitussalam and Darussalam east of the city in Baitussalam and Darussalam Districts of Aceh Besar Regency. Note that many suburbs of Bandar Aceh lie outside the city's official boundaries, in adjacent districts of Aceh Besar Regency, notably to the south in Darul Imarah, Ingin Jaya (which is divided by the Aceh River into two portions) and Krueng Barona Jaya Districts (with a combined population of 118,792 in mid 2025), but also partly in Peukan Bada District to the west and in Baitussalam and Darussalam Districts to the east of the city, all now forming part of the built-up area.
Tourism As the capital of the Aceh province, Banda Aceh is home to many landmarks important to the history of the Acehnese people and the sultanates.
The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque was originally built during the sultanate of Iskandar Muda (1607–1636). It was rebuilt in 1875 after it was burnt down in the Aceh war. It has seven domes and four smaller towers along with the main tower. The mosque can accommodate up to 9,000 people. Gunongan Historical Park is a private playground and bathing place, built by Sultan Iskandar Muda, dedicated to his wife Putroe Phang. Gunongan was part of royal garden complex Taman Sari.