Kudus Regency


Kudus is a regency in Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Kudus. It covers 425.15 km2 and is thus the smallest regency on Java Island in area, and it had a population of 777,437 at the 2010 Census and 849,184 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 883,322. It is located northeast of Semarang, the capital of Central Java.
WWW Official Site

Geography

Regency Area Boundaries

The administrative boundaries of Kudus Regency include:
Most of the Kudus Regency area is lowland. In part of the northern region stands a mountain, namely Mount Muria, with the peaks Puncak Songolikur (Saptorenggo Peak), Puncak Rahtawu (Rahtawu Peak), and Puncak Argojembangan (Argojembangan Peak). The largest river is the Kali Serang which flows to the west, bordering Kudus Regency with Demak Regency. Kudus is divided by the Gelis River in the middle, with the two sections being known by the terms Kudus West and Kudus East. Kudus Regency is the regency with the smallest area in Central Java, but is the richest regency in Central Java with per capita income reaching more than IDR 123 million.

History

The town of Kudus was something of an important Islamic holy city in the sixteenth century. It is the only place in Java that has permanently acquired an Arabic name. Sunan Kudus, one of the nine Wali Sanga, was said to have been the fifth imam of the mosque of Demak and a major leader of the 1527 campaign against 'Majapahit', before moving to Kudus.
The Mosque of Kudus which dates from this period, remains a local landmark to this day. It is notable for both its perseverance of pre-Islamic architectural forms such as Old Javanese split doorways and Hindu-Buddhist influenced Majapahit-style brickwork, and for its name al-Manar or al-Aqsa. The date AH 956 is inscribed over the mihrab.

Administrative districts

The Regency comprises nine districts, tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024. The table also includes the number of administrative villages in each district, and its post code.
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
code
33.19.01Kaliwungu32.7191,174103,293108,764Kedungdowo1559332
33.19.02Kota Kudus 10.4792,77689,48089,775Purwosari25 59311
-59319
33.19.03Jati26.3099,466108,819113,043Tanjung Karang1459341
-59349
33.19.04Undaan 71.7769,07376,12879,991Undaan Kidul1559372
33.19.05Mejobo36.7769,75477,43490,895Jepang1159381
33.19.06Jekulo82.9298,741108,658113,132Klaling1259382
33.19.07Bae23.3266,33373,90377,315Bae1059321
-59327
33.19.08Gebog55.0693,915104,313108,999Gondosari1159333
33.19.09Dawe85.8496,205106,685111,408Piji1859353
Totals425.15777,437849,184883,322Kudus 132

Note: comprises 9 urban kelurahan and 16 rural desa.
Undaan District consists of a large southwards salient away from the rest of the Regency.

Kudus town

The town of Kudus, including those parts of the regency who form part of the urban area, had a population of 358,335 at the 1990 Census. Although most residents of Kudus are Javanese, there is an Indonesian Chinese minority in the town centre, as well as an Arab neighborhood, Kudus Kulon, to the west of the town centre.
The town is considered to be the "birthplace" of the kretek clove cigarette, which is by far the most widely smoked form of tobacco in the country, and it remains a major centre for their manufacture.
Haji Jamahri, a resident of the town, invented them in the 1880s.
A festival named Dandangan is held for about one whole month before Ramadhan, Muslim's fasting month in Kudus Kulon.

Anti-nuclear movement

On June 12, 2007, about 5,000 people gathered peacefully to protest against Jakarta's plan to build 4 nuclear reactors in the region. The movement included local residents, activists, artists, students and public officials, parliament members, military commandants and police chiefs. This movement has been part of a series of responses emerging from all sides of the Indonesian society against the use of nuclear technology for energy production.

Notable people