City status in Indonesia

In Indonesian law, the term "city" (kota) is generally defined as the second-level administrative subdivision of the Republic of Indonesia, an equivalent to regency (kabupaten). The difference between a city and a regency is that a city has non-agricultural economic activities and a dense urban population, while a regency comprises predominantly rural areas and is larger in area than a city. However, Indonesia historically had several classifications of cities.

According to Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, the official dictionary of the Indonesian language, a city (kota) is "a densely populated area with high density and modern facilities and most of the population works outside of agriculture."

Cities are divided into districts (Kecamatan, Distrik in Papua region, or Kemantren in Yogyakarta).

Historical classification

Gemeente

During the Dutch East Indies period, a city was governed as gemeente, or municipality, since the decentralisation law in 1903. The gemeente was a third-level subdivision, below residentie (residency) and gouvernement (governorate) or provincie (province).

Kota besar and kota kecil

The terms kota besar (big city), and kota kecil (small city or town), were used since the implementation of the Act Number 22 of 1948. Kota Besar was an urban equivalent of kabupaten (regency), which was the country's second level subdivision, just below province. Kota kecil, used for a small urban area, was the third-level division below regency and province.

Kotaraya, kotamadya, and kotapraja

According to the Act Number 18 of 1965, cities in Indonesia were classified into three: kotaraya (great city, first-level subdivision), kotamadya (medium city, second-level subdivision), and kotapraja (small city or town, third-level subdivision).