Subdivisions of Indonesia


is divided into provinces. Provinces are made up of regencies and cities. Provinces, regencies and cities have their own local governments and parliamentary bodies.
Since the enactment of Act Number 22 of 1999 on Local Government, local governments now play a greater role in administering their areas. Foreign policy, defence, system of law, and monetary policy, however, remain the domain of the national government. Since 2005, heads of local government have been directly elected by popular election.

First level

A province is headed by a governor. Each province has its own regional assembly, called Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah. Governors and representative members are elected by popular vote for five-year terms.
Indonesia is divided into 34 provinces. Eight provinces have been created since 2000. Five provinces have special status:

Second level

and city, collectively known as daerah tingkat II, is a local level of government beneath the provincial level. However, they enjoy greater decentralisation of affairs than the provincial body, such as provision of public schools and public health facilities.
Both regency and city are at the same level, having their own local government and legislative body. The difference between a regency and a city lies in differing demographics, size and economics.
Generally the regency has a larger area than the city, and the city has non-agricultural economic activities. A regency is headed by a regent, and a city is headed by a mayor. The regent or mayor and the representative council members are elected by popular vote for a term of 5 years.

Third level

Regencies and cities are divided into districts, which have several variations of terms:
Districts are divided into desa or kelurahan. Both desa and kelurahan are of a similar division level, but a desa enjoys more power in local matters than a kelurahan. An exception is Aceh, where districts are divided into mukim before being subdivided further into gampong.

''Desa''

In Indonesian, as in English, a village has rural connotations. In the context of administrative divisions, a desa can be defined as a body which has authority over the local people in accordance with acknowledged local traditions of the area. A desa is headed by a "head of village", who is elected by popular vote.
Most Indonesian villages use the term "desa", but other terms are used in some regions:
Although desa and kelurahan are part of a district, a kelurahan has less autonomy than a desa. A kelurahan is headed by a lurah. Lurahs are civil servants, directly responsible to their camats.

Statistics

The following table lists the number of current provinces, regencies and cities in Indonesia.
LevelType Type Head of government Head of government Number
IProvinsiProvinceGubernurGovernor34
IIKabupatenRegencyBupatiRegent416
IIKotaCityWali KotaMayor98
IIIKecamatan, distrik, kapanewon, or kemantrenDistrictCamat, kepala distrik, panewu, or mantri pamong prajaHead of district7,024
IVDesa or kelurahanVillage/subdistrictKepala desa or lurahHead of village/subdistrict81,626