Demak (Javanese: ꦢꦼꦩꦏ꧀) is a regency located in the Indonesian province of Central Java, on the northern coast of the island. It is bordered by Jepara Regency and the Java Sea to the north, Kudus and Grobogan Regencies to the east, Grobogan and Semarang Regencies to the south, while to the west are Semarang Regency and the city of Semarang, to which the districts of Mranggen and Sayung within Demak Regency are essentially suburban. The regency covers an area of 995.32 km2 (384.30 sq mi) and had a population of 1,055,579 at the 2010 Census[3] and 1,203,956 at the 2020 Census;[4] the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 1,223,217 (comprising 617,297 males and 605,920 females).[2] It was originally the centre of the Demak Sultanate, once a dominant power in the region. Due to its strong relation with the spread of Islam in Java and the Wali Sanga, it is sometimes referred to with the nickname Kota Wali.
The area was a part of the Majapahit Empire during its zenith around the 14th century. The city itself was founded sometime in the late fifteenth century, possibly by a Chinese whose descendant later became the Sultans of Demak. The first Sultan was known as Raden Patah, who was a vassal of Majapahit until 1478.[5] The city was founded as a seaport, next to the now-nonexistent Muria Palaeostrait separating Java from Muria Island (now Mount Muria), although silting has now entirely turned the waterway into land.[6] The Sultanate expanded in the expense of the declining Majapahit and its fragments, conquering the coastal region of Tuban around 1527 and reaching inland areas as far as Malang by 1546.[5] As the capital, the city became an important center for trade and the spread of Islam across the island, and a base of the semi-apocryphal Wali Sanga. Upon the decline of the Sultanate, the region was conquered in turn by the Pajang and Mataram Sultanates.[7] The seaport began to silt sometime in the 17th century, diminishing the region's importance as a seaport.
Semarang Residency in 1889. Demak is the area with the coastline facing northwest towards the Java Sea.
Dutch East Indies Era
Direct VOC presence in Java started upon their capture of Jayakarta (now Jakarta, then Batavia) on 1619. In the 18th century, a massacre of ethnic Chinese in Batavia triggered a war between VOC and Mataram, resulting in the latter's defeat and cession of the north coast of Java, including Demak, to VOC.[8] Upon the latter's dissolution on late 1799, administration of the area along with the rest of VOC's territory was transferred to the Dutch Government while Mataram was reduced to several fragmented states in the south coast of Java, including Yogyakarta and Surakarta.
In 2014, the gross regional domestic product of the regency was Rp 14.078 trillion (US$1.133 billion) or Rp 12.73 million per capita (US$1025),[10]: 369 with the agriculture and manufacturing sectors being the largest contributors. Rice is the most important agricultural produce, with 608,532 tons harvested in 2016 from 69,975 hectares (172,910 acres) of cultivated land.[10]: 212
A 300-hectare (740-acre) industrial park is currently under construction, aimed to boost investment in the regency.[11]
Administrative districts
The Regency comprises fourteen districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census[3] and the 2020 Census,[4] together with the official estimates as at mid 2022.[2] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 243 rural desa and 6 urban kelurahan - the latter all in Demak District), and its post code.
Name of District (kecamatan)
Area in km2
Pop'n Census 2010
Pop'n Census 2020
Pop'n Estimate mid 2022
Admin centre
No. of villages
Post code
Mranggen
77.59
157,143
175,722
177,837
Mranggen
19
59567
Karangawen
81.71
82,814
94,653
96,198
Karangawen
12
59566
Guntur
64.28
72,312
86,122
88,228
Guntur
20
59565
Sayung
85.97
96,758
105,712
106,503
Sayung
20
59563
Karangtengah
56.44
59,075
68,781
70,154
Karangtengah
17
59561
Bonang
87.06
95,796
106,712
107,915
Bonang
21
59552 (a)
Demak
63.05
98,127
110,165
111,576
Demak
19
59511 -59517
Wonosalam
62.79
71,485
84,662
86,638
Wonosalam
21
59571
Dempet
63.94
51,092
59,689
60,921
Dempet
16
59573
Kebonagung
44.46
37,649
41,560
41,955
Kebonagung
14
59583
Gajah
53.73
43,014
51,735
53,101
Gajah
18
59581
Karanganyar
69.87
68,182
77,535
78,723
Karanganyar
17
59582
Mijen
55.00
50,305
58,287
59,395
Mijen
15
59584
Wedung
129.42
71,827
82,621
84,073
Wedung
20
59554
Totals
995.32
1,055,579
1,203,956
1,223,217
Demak
249
Note: (a) except for desa of Kembangan, which has a post code of 59511.
The first five districts listed above are situated in the southwest part of the Regency (and thus adjacent to Semarang City), with an area of 365.99 km2 and 538,920 inhabitants in mid 2022. The remaining nine districts are situated further away from Semarang, with an area of 629.33 km2 and 684,297 inhabitants in mid 2022.[2]
^ abRicklefs, M.C. (2008). A History of Modern Indonesia since C.1200. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 38–39.
^Sunarto (2006). "Geomorphological Development of the Muria Palaeostrait in Relation to the Morphodynamics of the Wulan Delta, Central Java". Indonesian Journal of Geography.
^Soekmono, R. (1981). Pengantar sejarah kebudayaan Indonesia 3 (in Indonesian) (Edisi 3. ed.). Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kanisius. ISBN9789794132913.
