Langsa

Langsa (Indonesian: Kota Langsa, Jawi: لڠسا‎), is a city in Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. Apart from a small seacoast to the northeast, it borders Manyak Payed District of Aceh Tamiang Regency to the east and is otherwise surrounded by Birem Bayeun District of Aceh Timur Regency (of which the city was formerly a part until 2001) to the north, west and south. The city covers an area of 239.83 square kilometres and had a population of 148,945 at the 2010 Census^[2] (compared with 117,256 at the previous 2000 Census); this grew to 185,971 at the 2020 Census,^[3] and the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 186,958.^[1]

Langsa
City
City of Langsa Kota Langsa
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	لڠسا
Bale Juang Museum in Langsa
Flag Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Indonesian: Terwujudnya Masyarakat yang Aman, Damai, Bermartabat, Maju, Sejahtera, dan Islami English: Realization of a Safe Community, Peace, Dignity, Progress, Prosperity with islamic values
Location within Aceh
Langsa Location in Aceh, Northern Sumatra, Sumatra and Indonesia Show map of Aceh Langsa Langsa (Northern Sumatra) Show map of Northern Sumatra Langsa Langsa (Sumatra) Show map of Sumatra Langsa Langsa (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 4°28′48″N 97°57′48″E
Country	Indonesia
Region	Sumatra
Province	Aceh
City Established	17 October 2001
Government
• Mayor	Jeffry Sentana Putra [id]
• Vice Mayor	Muhammad Haikal Alfisyahrin [id]
Area
• Total	239.83 km2 (92.60 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2023 estimate)
• Total	186,958
• Density	780/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
	[1]
Time zone	UTC+7 (IWST)
Area code	(+62) 641
Website	langsakota.go.id

Langsa is located 440 kilometres (273 miles) from the city of Banda Aceh, the province's capital. Langsa is close to its province's southern border and is 167 kilometres (103 miles) from Medan, the capital city of North Sumatra. This makes Langsa a strategic city for trade and traffic between the two provinces.^[4]

There are several universities in the city of Langsa both state and private universities. Among them are Samudra University and IAIN Zawiyah Cot Kala, Campus LP3I. The city hosts several schools of nursing and midwifery, including the Academy of Nursing of "Harapan Ibu", the Academy of Nursing "Yayasan Cut Nyak Dhien" and the Academy of Nursing "UMMI".

History

Darul Islam Rebellion

On 21 September 1953, Darul Islam forces invaded Langsa. They attacked Military Police and the Mobile Brigade barracks. The Indonesian National Armed Forces repelled this Darul Islam attack after receiving reinforcement troops from Medan.^[5]

Administrative districts

The city is divided into five districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with areas and their population at the 2010^[2] and 2020^[3] Censuses, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.^[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each village (urban gampong), and its postal codes.

Kode Wilayah	Name of District (kecamatan)	Area in km2	Pop'n Census 2010	Pop'n Census 2020	Pop'n Estimate mid 2023	Admin centre	No. of villages	Post codes
11.74.01	Langsa Timur[6] (East Langsa)	78.23	13,818	16,627	17,561	Seunebuk Antara	16	24411
11.74.04	Langsa Lama [7]	45.05	26,877	33,231	33,690	Meurandeh	15	24411 & 24416
11.74.02	Langsa Barat [8] (West Langsa)	48.78	30,583	39,553	39,470	Matang Seulimeng	13	24410, 24413, 24414 & 24415
11.74.05	Langsa Baro [9]	61.68	41,804	55,824	56,560	Geudubang Aceh	12	24415
11.73.03	Langsa Kota [10] (Langsa Town)	6.09	35,863	40,736	39,677	Gampong Teungoh	10	24410, 24412, 24414 & 24416
	Totals	239.83	148,945	185,971	186,958		66

Note that the most westerly district of Langsa is Langsa Baro District, while Langsa Barat District is actually the most northerly, and Langsa Lama District lies to the south of Langsa Kota (Langsa Town).

Climate

Langsa has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with moderate rainfall from February to April and heavy rainfall in the remaining months.

Climate data for Langsa
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	31.0 (87.8)	32.0 (89.6)	32.4 (90.3)	32.5 (90.5)	32.5 (90.5)	32.4 (90.3)	32.1 (89.8)	32.0 (89.6)	31.3 (88.3)	31.1 (88.0)	30.6 (87.1)	30.7 (87.3)	31.7 (89.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	26.6 (79.9)	27.1 (80.8)	27.4 (81.3)	27.7 (81.9)	27.8 (82.0)	27.6 (81.7)	27.2 (81.0)	27.2 (81.0)	26.9 (80.4)	26.9 (80.4)	26.5 (79.7)	26.6 (79.9)	27.1 (80.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	22.2 (72.0)	22.2 (72.0)	22.4 (72.3)	23.0 (73.4)	23.1 (73.6)	22.8 (73.0)	22.3 (72.1)	22.4 (72.3)	22.6 (72.7)	22.8 (73.0)	22.5 (72.5)	22.5 (72.5)	22.6 (72.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	149 (5.9)	83 (3.3)	85 (3.3)	94 (3.7)	179 (7.0)	140 (5.5)	160 (6.3)	200 (7.9)	233 (9.2)	242 (9.5)	237 (9.3)	275 (10.8)	2,077 (81.7)
Source: Climate-Data.org[11]

Population

Acehnese speakers.

Langsa's population is mainly made up of people of Acehnese, Malay, Javanese, Chinese, and Batak ethnicities. Acehnese is the main language used by people who consider themselves as of Acehnese ethnicity, but the Indonesian language is the official language.

Islam is the religion of the majority in Aceh, including Langsa, but other religions exist, such as Christianity and Buddhism. Buddhism is common among Langsa's ethnically Chinese population.

People from Langsa

• Jessica Mila
• Kivlan Zen
• Jusman Syafii Djamal
• Johannes Antonius Franciscus Roelen
• Peter Kuiper
• Jalwandi Jamal