Banda Aceh

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Banda Aceh
—  City  —
Banda Aceh Location of the city in northern Sumatra before the tsunami
Banda Aceh Location of the city in Indonesia
Coordinates: 5°33′0″N 95°19′0″ECoordinates: 5°33′0″N 95°19′0″E
Country	Indonesia
Province	Aceh
City	1956
Government
- Mayor	Mawardi Nurdin
Population (2000)
- Total	219,070
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Website	http://www.bandaacehkota.go.id/

Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra, with an elevation of 35 meters. The city regency covers an area of 64 square kilometres and according to the 2000 census had a population of 219,070 people.^[1] Banda Aceh is located at the northwestern tip of Indonesia at the mouth of the River Krueng Aceh.
The city was originally named Kutaraja, and determined as the provincial capital in 1956.^[2] Kuta Raja means "City of the King", in reference to the founding of the Aceh Sultanate from Champa origins. Later its name was changed to Bandar Aceh Darussalam or popularly known as Bandar Aceh, with the first part of the name coming from the Persian bandar (بندر) meaning "port" or "haven". Today the city is spelled Banda Aceh with the lost of "r" in "Bandar". The city is also dubbed to as the "port to Mecca", and Aceh is also referred to as the "porch of Mecca" (Indonesian: Serambi Mekkah), since in the past during the days when the hajj pilgrims travelled by sea, the hajj pilgrim from all over Indonesian archipelago traditionally always make a stop over in the city before continuing their journey to Mecca. It is also known that earliest Southeast Asian Islamic sultanates — such as Samudra Pasai — were first established in Aceh, which means Islam first arrived in Aceh before spreading throughout Southeast Asia.
Banda Aceh was not frequently the subject of international discussion until December 26, 2004, the day the Indian Ocean earthquake struck off the western coast of Sumatra. Banda Aceh was the closest major city to the earthquake's epicenter, and suffered further damage when a tsunami struck shortly afterward. It was the worst hit area out of all the locations hit. 167,000 people died and many more were injured.^[3] The tsunamis resulted from an earthquake of magnitude 9.3 and struck at about 6:58am.^{[citation needed]} The epicenter was about 155 miles off the coast of Banda Aceh.^[4]
The elected mayor and vice-mayor of Banda Aceh are Mawardi Nurdin and Illiza Saaduddin.^{[citation needed]}

Contents [hide] 1 Administrative divisions 2 Transportation 3 Climate 4 Landmarks 4.1 Baiturrahman Grand Mosque 4.2 Tsunami-related Sites 4.3 Hermes Palace Hotel 5 Beaches 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Administrative divisions

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010)

The city is divided administratively into 9 subdistricts (kecamatan):

1. Baiturrahman
2. Bandar Raya
3. Jaya Baru
4. Kuta Alam
5. Kuta Raja
6. Lueng Bata
7. Meuraksa
8. Syiah Kuala
9. Ulee Kareng

[edit] Transportation

Sultan Iskandarmuda Airport is located near the city of Banda Aceh. Two main highways run out of Banda Aceh to the south. One runs down the eastern side of the province through main towns such as Bireuen and Lhokseumawe to Medan, the large capital of the province of North Sumatra. The other highway runs down the western side of the province through lesser-populated areas to the towns of Calang, Meulaboh, and Singkil.

[edit] Climate

Banda Aceh features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification, with near constant average temperatures. The city annual average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius and most days in Banda Aceh hovers around this mark. However, the city features wetter and drier seasons, with June through August being the driest months of the year. Like all cities with a tropical rainforest climate, Banda Aceh does not have a true dry season month; a month where less than 60 mm of precipitation falls on average. The city experiences on average a little less than 2000 mm of precipitation annually.

[hide]Climate data for Banda Aceh
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Daily mean °C (°F)	27.01 (80.62)	26.88 (80.38)	27.02 (80.64)	27.30 (81.14)	27.89 (82.2)	27.99 (82.38)	27.76 (81.97)	27.76 (81.97)	27.12 (80.82)	26.72 (80.1)	26.54 (79.77)	26.86 (80.35)	27.238 (81.028)
Precipitation mm (inches)	256 (10.08)	114 (4.49)	117 (4.61)	139 (5.47)	143 (5.63)	84 (3.31)	95 (3.74)	90 (3.54)	161 (6.34)	200 (7.87)	225 (8.86)	321 (12.64)	1,945 (76.57)
Avg. rainy days	8.5	5.9	7.8	8.8	12.4	10.3	9.2	10.6	12.5	15.5	14.3	12.7	128.5
Source: [5]

[edit] Landmarks

[edit] Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

The Grand Mosque, located in the heart of Banda Aceh, is one of the most famous landmarks in the city. The original mosque was built around the 12th century during the Sultanate of Iskandar Muda (1607-1636). It was rebuilt in 1875 after it was burnt down in the Aceh war. The architecture and interior design of the mosque is notable for having seven domes and four smaller towers along with a main tower. The mosque can accommodate up to 9,000 people.

Grand Mosque of Banda Aceh

[edit] Tsunami-related Sites

A number of places near to the centre of Banda Aceh have been established as reminders of, and to provide information about, the impact of the December 2004 tsunami in the city. These include several mass burial centres, such as the graves at Ulee Lee, several places where boats were carried several kilometers inland by the tsunami (PLTD Apung, or the "Floating Diesel Plant", and the "Foating Boat on the Roof"), and the Tsunami museum.

[edit] Hermes Palace Hotel

The Hermes Palace Hotel was established in 2006 and is the first international four-star hotel in Banda Aceh.^[6]

[edit] Beaches

Surrounding Banda Aceh there are 3 beaches which may accessed in 15 to 20 minutes by vehicles, they are:^[7]

• Ujung Batee Beach, black sand beach and calm waves, suitable for smimming and kids activities
• Lok Nga Beach, the most developed beach, visited by local and foreign tourist, suitable for surfing and watching sunset
• Lampuuk Beach, very quiet, dangerous for smimming, has cliff and good scenery

[edit] References

1. ^ Seta,William J. Atlas Lengkap Indonesia dan Dunia (untuk SD, SMP, SMU, dan Umum). Pustaka Widyatama. p. 7. ISBN 9796102323.
2. ^ Government of Indonesia (25 October 1956), UU 24/1956, Establishment of Regional Autonomy in the Province of Aceh and Replacement of Regulation about the Establishment of the Province of North Sumatra, Indonesia Ministry of Justice and Law, UU 24/1956, retrieved 2007-09-02
3. ^ 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 USA: Edward Elgar and Asian Development Bank Institute, 2010.
4. ^ John Pike. "Banda Aceh". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
5. ^ "Banda Aceh, Indonesia - Solar energy and surface meteorology". August 2011.
6. ^ "Hermes Palace Hotel Banda Aceh". Hermespalacehotel.com. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
7. ^ http://www.waspada.co.id/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=190150:menikmati-hembusan-keindahan-pantai-aceh&catid=66:pariwisata&Itemid=50

• Dallal, Tamalyn. 40 Days & 1001 Nights: One Woman's Dance Through Life in the Islamic World..., 2007. ISBN 0979515505 (book). The first part of the journey through the Islamic world goes through Banda Aceh and describes everyday life of the people in this part of Indonesia.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Banda Aceh

• Official site
• Aceh.net Visit Aceh: Eco and Islamic Tourism, Cultural Information, Investment and highlights of directory