Bondowoso Regency

Bondowoso Regency is a landlocked regency in East Java, Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,560.10 km², and had a population of 736,772 at the 2010 Census and 776,151 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 788,007. The most common languages are Madurese and Javanese, although Madurese is the majority. The nearest large city is Surabaya, approximately five hour's drive away.
The administrative centre of the regency is the provincial town of Bondowoso, after which the regency is named. Common in most provincial towns is a park in the city centre, called "Alun-Alun"; Bondowoso is no exception. In the backdrop of the park is a view of a mountain.
Tourist spots include Kawah Ijen, a crater lake. Kawah Ijen is managed jointly by two local governments, Bondowoso Regency and Banyuwangi Regency. A hike or climb to the crater takes around 1–2 hours. In addition to the crater, other tourist destinations in Bondowoso are Tancak Kembar in Pakem and Air Terjun Belawan Sempol. Other spots are Gunung Merapi and waterfalls.
Bondowoso town is known for its dessert, "tape", to the extent that it is named "Tape city". Tape is made from cassava wrapped inside banana leaves to be fermented with fermentation starter which contains yeast, mold, and bacteria
There has been an Arabic community living in the area for some time, since before the Dutch occupation. They live in an area called "Kampung Arab" on Imam Bonjol Street.

Administrative districts

The Regency is divided into twenty-three districts, tabulated below with their areas and their population totals from the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid-2024. The former Sempol District, in the far southeast of the regency, which contains the crater lake of Kawah Ijen, has been renamed Ijen District; unlike the rest of the regency, which lies on the other side of the Ijen Mountain Range, it drains towards the Bali Strait. The table also includes the locations of the district headquarters the number of administrative villages in each district, and its postcodes.

Kode Wilayah	Name of District	Area in km²	Pop'n Census 2010	Pop'n Census 2020	Pop'n Estimate mid 2024	Admin centre	No. of villages	Post codes
35.11.01	Maesan	56.08	45,824	48,076	49,212	Maesan	12	68262
35.11.06	Grujugan	74.45	34,381	37,114	38,165	Taman	11	68261
35.11.02	Tamanan	28.15	35,621	38,414	39,535	Tamanan	9	68263
35.11.23	Jambesari Darus Sholah	30.11	33,723	36,848	36,076	Jambesari	9	68261 & 68263
35.11.05	Pujer	39.89	37,600	40,226	40,594	Kejayan	11	68271
35.11.03	Tlogosari	110.92	44,033	45,704	47,078	Pakisan	10	68272
35.11.04	Sukosari	23.17	14,987	15,527	15,553	Sukosari Lor	4	68287
35.11.18	Sumber Wringin	137.95	32,945	34,231	35,127	Sumber Wringin	6	68289
35.11.10	Tapen	57.04	33,072	34,040	34,003	Tapen	9	68283
35.11.09	Wonosari	42.28	38,498	39,762	40,764	Wonosari	12	68282
35.11.08	Tenggarang	25.80	39,874	42,639	43,973	Tenggarang	12	68281
35.11.11	Bondowoso	23.16	70,963	76,422	76,805	Dabasah	11	68211 - 68219
35.11.07	Curahdami	50.29	31,376	33,140	34,889	Curahdami	12	68250
35.11.20	Binakal	39.04	15,173	17,030	17,066	Binakal	8	68251
35.11.17	Pakem	62.08	21,352	23,108	23,362	Patemon	8	68253
35.11.12	Wringin	58.01	39,423	40,076	40,755	Wringin	13	68252
35.11.13	Tegalampel	37.03	24,483	26,161	26,571	Sekarputih	8	68292
35.11.21	Taman Krocok	53.00	16,237	16,711	16,654	Taman Krocok	7	68291
35.11.14	Klabang	91.20	18,413	18,378	18,688	Klabang	11	68284
35.11.19	Ijen	207.20	11,252	11,896	12,030	Ijen	6	68288
35.11.22	Botolinggo	127.41	28,801	29,937	29,110	Lumutan	8	68284 - 68285
35.11.16	Prajekan	56.65	25,116	25,581	25,644	Prajekan Lor	7	68285
35.11.15	Cermee	129.20	43,625	45,892	46,353	Cernee	15	68286
	Totals	1,560.10	736,772	776,151	788,007	Bondowoso	219

Notes: except for the desa of Pengarang, which has a postcode of 68271. including one kelurahan. comprises 7 kelurahan and 4 desa. except for the desa of Grujugan, which has a postcode of 68261.

Megalithic artifacts

There are more than 1000 megalithic artifacts found in the villages around Bondowoso, such as menhirs, sarcophagi, statues, dolmens, and caves. A common megalith type found in Indonesia is the batu kenong with a shape resembling a local musical instrument. The Bondowoso Regency contains up to 400 batu kenong, the highest concentration in Indonesia. An easily accessible location with a wide variety of megaliths is the Pekauman Site at kilometer 8 on the Jember-Bondowoso road.

Climate

Bondowoso has a tropical monsoon climate with moderate to little rainfall from May to October and heavy to very heavy rainfall from November to April.