West Kutai Regency
regency in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia
West Kutai Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Kutai Barat) is a regency (kabupaten) in the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan. It previously covered a much greater area, with a population of 165,091 at the 2010 Census, but on 11 January 2013 the five northernmost districts were split off to form a new Mahakam Ulu Regency; the residual area of West Kutai Regency is 20,381.61 km2, and it had a population of 140,097 at the 2010 Census, and 165,938 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 188,163 (comprising 98,861 males and 89,302 females). The town of Sendawar is the administrative capital.
History
The regency was split off from Kutai Regency officially on 4 October 1999, with Rama Alexander Asia becoming its first regent.
Administrative districts
Following the removal of the northern five districts in December 2012 to form the new Mahakam Ulu Regency, the residual West Kutai Regency is divided into sixteen districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their 2010 and 2020 Census populations, together with the official estimates as at mid 2025. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages (totaling 190 rural kampung or desa, and 4 urban kelurahan) in each district, and its postal codes.
Notes: (a) includes 2 kelurahan - Barong Tongkok and Simpang Raya. (b) includes 2 kelurahan - Melak Ilir and Melak Ulu. (c) except the four villages of Abit, Muara Jawaq, Rembayan and Tondah (which share a postcode of 75774). (d) includes the riverine island of Pulau Kualan.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “West Kutai Regency” is regency in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through West, Kutai and Regency, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “regency in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14489. VIAF identifies the subject as 250907565. The Library of Congress control number is n2011203696. Authority coordinates are -0.512, 115.777. 4 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2010, 2013, 2020 and 2025.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “West Kutai Regency”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow West Kutai Regency primary sources, West Kutai Regency archive and West research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “West Kutai Regency” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.