Magelang () is a
regency
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
in
Central Java
Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, famous for its 9th century Buddhist
temple of Borobudur. Its capital is
Mungkid. It covers an area of 1,129.98 km
2 and had a population of 1,181,723 at the 2010 Census
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and 1,299,859 at the 2020 Census;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 1,341,447 (comprising 674,347 males and 667,100 females).
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Magelang Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3308)] These figures exclude the autonomous city of
Magelang
Magelang () is one of six cities in Central Java, the Central Java Province of Indonesia that are administratively independent of the regencies in which they lie geographically. Each of these cities is governed by a mayor rather than a Subdivi ...
, which is separately administered but is geographically enclaved within the regency, which borders
Temanggung Regency
Temanggung Regency () is an inland Regencies of Indonesia, regency in the Central Java Province of Indonesia. It covers a land area of 870.65 km2 and had a population of 708,546 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 790, ...
to the north,
Semarang Regency to the northeast,
Boyolali Regency
Boyolali () is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency () in the eastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,096.61 km2, and had a population of 930,531 at the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 1,062 ...
to the east, the
Special Region of Yogyakarta
The Special Region of Yogyakarta is a province-level special region of Indonesia in southern Java. It is a semi-enclave that is surrounded by on the landward side by Central Java Province to the west, north, and east, but has a long coastline ...
to the south and southeast,
Purworejo Regency
Purworejo is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency (; ) in the southern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,081.45 km2 and had a population of 695,427 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 76 ...
to the southwest, and
Wonosobo Regency to the west.
History
The history of this regency is tied with the history of the city of Magelang. In 1812, Lieutenant-Governor
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles appointed
Ngabel Danuningrat as the first regent of Magelang. This was a consequence of a treaty between England and
Yogyakarta Sultanate
The Sultanate of Yogyakarta, officially the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat ( ; ), is a Javanese monarchy in Yogyakarta Special Region, in the Republic of Indonesia. The current head of the sultanate is Hamengkubuwono X.
Yogyakart ...
on 1 August 1812 that hands over control of the Kedu region to England. As directed by his teacher, he chose an area between the Mantiasih and Gelangan village as the capital.
In 1930, a new regent was appointed, named
Ngabei Danukusumo, replacing the Danuningrat dynasty who held the regent position before, and Magelang became a ''
gemeente'', together with the city of
Semarang
Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...
,
Salatiga
Salatiga () is a Cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java province, Indonesia. It covers an area of and had a population of 192,322 at the 2020 Indonesian census, 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as at m ...
, and
Pekalongan
Pekalongan () is a city of Central Java, Indonesia. It was formerly the seat of Pekalongan Regency on the northern coast of the province, but is now an independent municipality within the province. It covers a land area of 45.25 km2 and had a p ...
. The mayor position was only appointed in 1924. But, the city of Magelang was still the office of the regent. As a result, there are several regional leaders in the city of Magelang.
In 1948, the position of the regency was strengthened through UU No. 2 1948, with Magelang City being the capital. In 1950, based on UU No. 13 1950, the city was declared independent of the regency and given the right to manage its own matters, so there was a need to move the capital. There were two contenders for the capital city of Magelang Regency, namely
Grabag and
Muntilan
Muntilan is an administrative district ( ''kecamatan'') in the Magelang Regency, Central Java. Muntilan is about 15 km south of Magelang, 10 km from Mungkid, 25 km north of Yogyakarta, and 90 km from the main town of Semarang located on the no ...
, but they were rejected. On 22 March 1984, the southern
Mertoyudan district and the northern
Mungkid district were officially chosen as the location for the capital by the governor of
Central Java
Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...
, under the name of Mungkid City.
Geography
Magelang Regency is located on a plateau, which is shaped like a basin, surrounded by mountains, such as
Mount Merbabu and
Mount Merapi
Mount Merapi (, ) is an active stratovolcano located on the border between the province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. It is loc ...
. Many water sources originate from the mountains. Progo River and Elo River passes through the regency. Most of the area in the regency is either hilly or steep, with little flat area.
Geology
The southwestern part of the regency (Salaman and southern Borobudur district) has
breccia
Breccia ( , ; ) is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or Rock (geology), rocks cementation (geology), cemented together by a fine-grained matrix (geology), matrix.
The word has its origins in the Italian language ...
,
andesite
Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomina ...
,
dacite
Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. ...
s,
tuff
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...
s, and
agglomerate stones, which are part of the Old Andesite Formation. Rocks from volcanoes around the regency form the Magelang plain as fertile alluvial sediment soil. In the middle of the regency, the ground is made of sediment/alluvial soil, which is weathered from rocks. Meanwhile, the ground in the slopes and foothills of the mountains are from volcanic sediments.
Climate
Magelang Regency has an average temperature of , with humidity at 82%, and an average of rainfall per year. Magelang Regency also has an average of 121 rainy days/year and an average wind speed of .
Administrative districts
Magelang Regency is divided into twenty-one
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
(''kecamatan'').''
'' The districts are tabulated below with their areas
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Magelang Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3308)] and their populations at the 2010 Census
and the 2020 Census,
together with the official estimates as at mid 2024.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Magelang Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3308)] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of
villages
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...
in each district – totalling 367
rural villages (''desa'') and five
urban villages (''kelurahan'') -together with the district postcodes.
Notes: (a) except the ''desa'' of Sidosari (with a postcode of 56126). (b) except the ''desa'' of Tegalarum (with a postcode of 56413).
(c) including one ''kelurahan'' (the district administrative centre). (d) including 2 ''kelurahan'' (Mendut and Sawitan).
(e) except the ''desa'' of Wonolelo (with a postcode of 56411). (f) including one ''kelurahan'' (Sumberrejo).
(g) except the ''desa'' of Pandansari (with a postcode of 56414). (h) except the ''desa'' of Balerejo (with a postcode of 56411).
Demographics
Magelang Regency had a population of 1,299,859 at the 2020 Census,
which was an increase of 118,136 since the 2010 census.
This rose to 1,341,447 in mid 2024.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Magelang Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3308)] The gender ratio in mid 2024 was 101.086 (males per 100 females).
References
{{Coord, 7.4275, S, 110.1619, E, source:wikidata, display=title