Kudus Regency

Geography

Regency Area Boundaries

The administrative boundaries of Kudus Regency include:

• North = Jepara Regency
• South = Grobogan Regency and Demak Regency
• West = Demak Regency
• East = Pati Regency

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) (1,602 m above sea level), Puncak Rahtawu (Rahtawu Peak) (1,522 m above sea level), and Puncak Argojembangan (Argojembangan Peak) (1,410 m above sea level). 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 ('al-Quds', Jerusalem). Sunan Kudus, one of the nine Wali Sanga, was said to have been the fifth imam (head) of the mosque of Demak and a major leader of the 1527 campaign against 'Majapahit', before moving to Kudus.

The Mosque of Kudus (Masjid Menara) 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 (AD 1549) is inscribed over the mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca).

Administrative districts

The Regency comprises nine districts (kecamatan), 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 (totaling 123 rural desa and 9 urban kelurahan - the latter all in Kudus town District), and its post code.

Note: (a) comprises 9 urban kelurahan (Kajeksan, Kerjasan, Mlati Kidul, Mlati Norowito, Panjunan, Purwosari, Sunggingan, Wergu Kulon and Wergu Wetan) and 16 rural desa. (b) 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 (the surrounding Kaliwungu, Jati, Gebog and Bae Districts), 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

• Hariyanto Arbi, badminton player
• Hermawan Susanto, badminton player
• Liem Swie King, badminton player
• Eddy Hartono, badminton player
• Sudono Salim, businessman
• Anthoni Salim, businessman
• Robert Budi Hartono, businessman
• Michael Bambang Hartono, businessman
• Julie van der Veen, Dutch visual artist
• Sastromoeljono, former governor of Jakarta

References

References

1. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Kudus Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319)
2. Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
3. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
4. Schoppert, P., Damais, S., ''Java Style'', 1997, Didier Millet, Paris, 207 pages, {{ISBN. 962-593-232-1
5. Ricklefs, M.C.. (1991). "A History of Modern Indonesia since c.1300, 2nd Edition". MacMillan.
6. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Kaliwungu Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319010)
7. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Kota Kudus Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319020)
8. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Jati Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319030)
9. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Undaan Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319040)
10. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Mejobo Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319050)
11. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Jekulo Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319060)
12. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Bae Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319070)
13. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Gebog Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319080)
14. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Dawe Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3319090)
15. Robert Cribb, ''Historical Atlas of Indonesia'' (University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 2000). {{ISBN. 978-0-8248-2111-1.