Meranti Islands Regency Explained

Official Name:Meranti Islands Regency
Native Name:Kabupaten Kepulauan Meranti
Native Name Lang:id
Type:Regency
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Indonesia
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Riau
Seat Type:Regency seat
Seat:Selat Panjang
Leader Title:Regent
Leader Name:Muhammad Adil
Area Total Km2:3623.93
Population As Of:mid 2023 estimate
Population Total:211771
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Footnotes:[1]
Timezone1:WIB
Utc Offset1:+7
Website:www.merantikab.go.id

Meranti Islands (Kepulauan Meranti) is an archipelago, most of which forms a regency (kabupaten) of Riau Province and lies off the eastern coast of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It was created on 19 December 2008 by the separating of these large islands from the mainly mainland regency of Bengkalis. The regency comprises the islands of Tebing Tinggi, Rangsang, Padang, and Merbau, together with minor offshore islands, but does not include Bengkalis Island to the north, which is geographically part of the archipelago but remains within Bengkalis Regency. The principal town is Selat Panjang (also written as Selatpanjang) on Tebing Tinggi Island. The regency covers an area of 3,623.93 km2 and had a population of 176,290 at the 2010 Census[2] and 206,116 at the 2020 Census;[3] the official estimate as of mid-2023 was 211,771 (comprising 109,080 males and 102,690 females).[4]

Administrative districts

When created in 2008, the regency was divided into five districts (kecamatan), listed below with their populations at the 2010 Census:[5]

Name of
District
(kecamatan)
English name Pop'n
Census
2010
Tebing Tinggi Barat Western Tebing Tinggi Island 15,260
Tebing Tinggi (Eastern) Tebing Tinggi Island 65,748
Rangsang (Eastern) Rangsang Island 26,526
Rangsang Barat Western Rangsang Island 24,926
Merbau Merbau and Padang Islands 44,030

On 26 January 2011, the regency was re-divided into nine districts. The additional four districts are Tebing Tinggi Timur (East Tebing Tinggi Island, leaving the residual area of Tebing Tinggi District to cover the town of Selat Panjang), Rangsang Pesisir (Coastal Rangsang), Pulau Merbau (Merbau Island, leaving the residual area of Merbau District to cover the southern part of Padang Island) and Tasik Putri Puyu (covering the northern part of Padang Island). The areas and the populations of the nine districts at the 2020 Census,[6] together with the official estimates as of mid-2023,[7] are as follows. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 96 rural desa and 5 urban kelurahan), and its postcode.

Kode
Wilayah
Name of
District
(kecamatan)
Area
in
km2
Pop'n
2020
Census
Pop'n
mid 2023
Estimate
Admin
centre
No.
of
villages
Post
code
14.10.04 Tebing Tinggi Barat 489.4618,38219,500Alai14 28758
14.10.01 Tebing Tinggi (town)89.3867,21966,400Selat Panjang9 (a) 28753
14.10.07 Tebing Tinggi Timur 800.4713,29314,200Sungai Tohor10 28754
14.10.03 Rangsang 420.7320,12320,800Tanjung Samak14 28755
14.10.09 Rangsang Pesisir
(Coastal Rangsang)
371.3518,85319,800Telesung11 28757
14.10.02 Rangsang Barat 116.3819,48820,300Bantar12 28756
14.10.05 Merbau 553.8215,30515,900Teluk Belitung10 (b) 28752
14.10.06 Pulau Merbau 216.1415,82416,900Semukut11 28750
14.10.08 Tasik Putri Puyu 556.2217,62918,100Bandul10 28751
Totals 3,623.93206,116211,771Selatpanjang101

Notes: (a) comprising 4 kelurahan (Selat Panjang Barat, Selat Panjang Kota, Selat Panjang Selatan and Selat Panjang Timur) and 5 desa.
(b) including one kelurahan - Teluk Belitung.

1°N 144°W

Notes and References

  1. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Kepulauan Meranti Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1410)
  2. Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  3. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  4. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Kepulauan Meranti Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1410)
  5. Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  6. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  7. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Kepulauan Meranti Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1410)