Tulang Bawang Regency 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 ...
(''kabupaten'') of
Lampung
Lampung, officially the Province of Lampung (; ), is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, and a longer border with the provi ...
Province,
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
,
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, ...
. The regency was created on 3 January 1997 from the eastern half of
North Lampung Regency
North Lampung Regency (''Kabupaten Lampung Utara'') is an inland regency (''kabupaten'') of Lampung Province, Sumatra, in Indonesia. As originally created, it covered a much larger share (over 53%) of the land area of Lampung Province, but on 16 A ...
; when created, it originally covered a much wider area, but on 29 October 2008 the seven northern districts were separated off to form a new
Mesuji Regency
Mesuji Regency is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Lampung Province, on Sumatra island, Indonesia. It was created on 29 October 2008 from what were previously the most northern districts of Tulang Bawang Regency. It has an area of 2,200.51 km2 a ...
, and the eight western districts were also separated off to form a new
West Tulang Bawang Regency. It now has an area of and had a population of 397,906 at the 2010 Census
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and 430,021 at the 2020 Census;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 440,040.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Tulang Bawang Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1808)] The
regency seat
A regency seat () is a capital or seat of government of a regency in Indonesia. It is roughly equivalent of county seat in the United States or county town in the United Kingdom. Legally, regency seats are not administrative subdivisions of Ind ...
is the town of
Menggala
Menggala is a subdistrict and a town in Tulang Bawang Regency, at the southeastern portion of Sumatra. It is the seat of the regency, with a population of about 51,574 in mid 2022. Menggala administratively covers an area of 344 square kilometers. ...
, located about from the provincial capital of
Bandar Lampung
Bandar Lampung ( Lampungese: ''Kutak Bandarlampung''; formerly Dutch: ''Oosthaven'', ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Lampung. Located on the southern tip of Sumatra, Bandar Lampung was originally called Tanjungka ...
. The regency takes its name from the
Tulang Bawang River
The Tulang Bawang River ( Lampungnese: ''Way Tulang Bawang'') is a river which mostly flows in Lampung, Indonesia. The river lends its name to the Tulang Bawang Regency, where it reaches the Java Sea and the West Tulang Bawang Regency. It also fl ...
which flows through the province.
Administrative districts
The Regency comprises fifteen districts (''kecamatan'') which are listed below with their areas 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 Tulang Bawang Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1808)] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of
administrative village
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 ...
s in each district (a total of 147 rural ''desa'' and 4 urban ''kelurahan'' - the latter all in Menggala District), and its post code.
History

Early Islamization of Lampung from the 13th century from Pasai is evidenced by the tombstone of Malik Al Saleh written in 1297 and the Batu Brak Site at Hanibung in 688 Hijriyah.
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
was brought by the four sons of Sultan Ratu Ngegalang Paksi. The arrival of the four pious people is a setback from the Sekala Brak kuno with the last king, queen sekekhummong (Sekerummong), the Buay Tumi tribe, who is Hindu Birawa and animist. This momentum is at the same time a milestone in the establishment of Kepaksian Paksi Pak Sekala Brak or Kepaksian Sekala Brak which is based on Islamic religious values. The four sons of Umpu Ratu Ngegalang Paksi are Sultan Ratu Buay Pernong, Umpu Nyerupa, Umpu Belunguh, Umpu Bejalan Diway. The spread of Islam throughout the land of Lampung from the 15th century started from
West Lampung Regency
West Lampung Regency is a landlocked regency of Lampung Province, in the south of Sumatra, Indonesia. It was originally created on 16 August 1991 by splitting off the western districts of the existing North Lampung Regency; and until 2012 it had ...
. In 1525 Islam also entered through Labuhan Maringgai from Banten and Palembang. The entry of Islam in Tulang Bawang since the 16th century from the village of Pagar the god of the Penggala Tulang Bawang area was brought Islamic traders.
The spread of the Lampung tribe began in the 13th century AD following the marriage of the only daughter Queen sekekhummong, namely Sindi La Lalula in Islam, with the descendants of Kepaksian Pernong who settled in Batu Brak, together with Putri Indar Wati (Sibulan), who opened a new village in the area of Tulang Bawang Regency.
Tulang Bawang Regency was inaugurated by the Minister of Home Affairs on 20 March 1997, as a follow-up to Law no. 2 of 1997 which had provided for the establishment of both the Tulang Bawang Regency and the Tanggamus Regency.
Economy
Major crops include
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)βor, much l ...
,
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' Γ ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
** Orange juice
*Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...
(a growing sector),
corn
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
,
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
,
soy bean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed.
Soy is a key source of f ...
and
zallaca palm fruit. As of 2010, the area under plantation in the regency is , mainly
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds.
Types of polyisoprene ...
,
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
,
oil palm
''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms, called oil palms, containing two species, native to Africa and the Americas. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil.
Description
Mature palms are single-stemmed, and can gro ...
and
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2β6 m (6β20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
.
It is particularly known though for its shrimp industry.
References
{{Authority control
States and territories established in 1997