North Lombok Regency () is a regency of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located in the northwest of the island of Lombok and includes the offshore Gili Islands. The capital is Tanjung situated on the northwest coast of the island. The regency covers an area of 809.53 km2 and had a population of 200,072 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 247,400 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 265,176 (comprising 133,045 males and 132,131 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Lombok Utara Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5208)
The symbolism behind the Lambang of Kabupaten Lombok Utara (the regency's symbolic logo) is to describe the society of North Lombok as a faithful and obedient people, unified under the Republic of Indonesia in a community having a tradition of integrity, religious strength and awareness of the cosmos. These principles providing a strong base for the people of North Lombok to work together in a disciplined and responsible society building a prosperous and ordered community.http://www.lombokutarakab.go.id Kabupaten Lombok Utara the Regency of North Lombok The motto of the regency is "Tioq Tata Tunaq".
Location North Lombok Regency is bounded by the Java Sea to the north, Central Lombok Regency and West Lombok Regency to the south, East Lombok Regency to the east and the Lombok Strait to the west. Central to the regency is Mount Rinjani, which at is the third highest mountain and the second largest volcano in the country; it is an active volcano. The oldest recorded historical eruption was in 1847 and last eruption was in May 2010
History The Regency of West Lombok was established in 1958 and then included the northwestern section of Lombok, comprising the five West Coast districts north of Ampenan and Sengigi - Pemenang, Tanjung, Gangga, Kayangan and Bayan.
In 1993 the West Lombok Regency was separated into two separate Regencies. As a consequence of the formation of the Government of Mataram city in year 2000, the capital of West Lombok Regency was moved from Mataram, West Lombok to Gerung in the south of the Regency. This move resulted the five districts in the northwestern end of the island being too far away from the services of the West Lombok Regency at Gerung. Subsequently, and with the full support of the local government of West Lombok Regency, North Lombok established its own regional government situated at Tanjung and now functions autonomously from the West Lombok Regency.http://www.lombokutarakab.go.id/ Kabupaten Lombok Utara the Regency of North Lombok|downloaded 29 August 2010http://www.lombokbaratkab.go.id/ Kabupaten Lombok Barat, the Regency of West Lombok|downloaded 29 August 2010 The Regency was ratified by Law Number 26 Year 2008, creating the North Lombok Regency from within the existing boundaries of the West Lombok Regency.
Central to the regency is Mount Rinjani (Gunung Rinjani) which at 3,726 m is the third highest mountain and the second largest volcano in the country. It is an active volcano; the oldest recorded historical eruption was in 1847 and last eruption was in May 2010. Gunung Rinjani Observation Post Rinjani Sembalun is located in the village of Lawang, Sub Sembalun 12.5 km (4000 feet) northeast of Gunung Rinjani. Observers at this post monitor both Gunung Rinjani and Gunung Barujari
Rinjani eruptive history
Rinjani erupted three times on 22 May 2010 with activity continuing until early on 23 May. According to the volcano's official monitoring agency, ash from Mount Barujari was reported as rising up to two km into the atmosphere and damaged crops. The volcano did not threaten villagers at that time. Lava flowed into the caldera lake, pushing its temperature up from 21 °C to 35 °C, while smoke spread 12 km. In February 2010 observers at the Gunung Rinjani Observation Post located 12.5 km (4000 feet) NE of Rinjani saw one whitish-colored plume that rose from the volcano. Dense whitish plumes (and possibly brown) rose - in March 2010 on 26 occasions and as high as in April 2010 on 41 occasions. Plumes seen on 1 and 2 May 2010 were "chocolate" in color and rose a maximum height of . From February 2010 through April 2010 seismicity decreased, although the maximum amplitude of earthquakes increased. CVGHM (Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation) also noted that ash eruptions and ejected incandescent material fell within Rinjani caldera, but some ash was blown out of the caldera.
Earthquake in 2018
On 5 August 2018, at 6.46 pm local time a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the island of Lombok and parts of nearby Bali causing particularly severe damage in North Lombok. A total of 105 people were reported to have been killed, over 70 of whom died in North Lombok. A foreshock occurred on July 29, 2018, with a moment magnitude of 6.4 which also caused significant damage and claimed the lives of 20 people and injured hundreds more.Karina M. Tehusijarana,'What you need to know about the Lombok earthquake', The Jakarta Post, 6 August 2018 Local authorities were active after the earthquake, aiming to provide food supplies and other forms of relief to the affected areas. Following the quake, the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB, or Badan Nasional Penanggulanan Bencana) issued regular reports in Indonesian providing information about likely risks and about relief efforts.'Korban Gempa 7 SR Terus Bertambah di NTB, 98 Orang Meninggal Dunia (Victims of Level 7 Earthquake in NTB Continue to Rise, 98 People Dead)', Website Badan Nasional Penanggulanan Bencana, 6 August 2018.
Later tallies raised the death toll in the regency to over 300, with the BNPB estimating that 198,846 people were displaced by the earthquake - over 90% of the regency's population.
Administration
Kabupaten Lombok Utara (North Lombok Regency) is one of Lombok's four regencies or administrative regions.
TGH M Zainul Majdi, MA., Governor of NTB (West Nusa Tenggara) (Mataram is the provincial capital of West Nusa Tenggara.) H. Djohan Sjamsu, SH. Regent (Bupati) of Kabupaten Lombok Utara (North Lombok Regency). Inaugurated on 2 August 2010, Tanjung, North Lombok. SH dan H. Najmul Akhyar, SH, MH. Vice Regent (Wakil Bupati) inaugurated 2 August 2010, Tanjung, North Lombok.
Administrative boundaries
Boundary District Regency North Java Sea South Batu LayarPraya West Lombok RegencyCentral Lombok Regency West Lombok Strait East Praya East Lombok Regency
In late September 2010, a border dispute emerged over the new regional boundaries. Central to the dispute was the new border dividing the North Lombok Regency from West Lombok Regency at a point where it traversed the village of Lembah Sari situated west of Pemenang. Villagers from the 14 hamlets that form Lembah Sari felled a large tree on the side of the main inland road connecting the northern region to that of West Lombok Regency and the City of Mataram so that it formed a roadblock and then manned the roadblock in protest to the boundary alignment. Residents decided to move an apparent border between the two districts that followed the line of division between West Pemenang and Lembah Sari. A police detachment later re-opened the road to allow workers from West Lombok Regency to commence work to clear the road. Limited thru traffic was restored after 7 hours of blockade. The North Lombok Regency made public statements to clarify that district authorities would abide by whatever decision was made by the provincial government regarding regional boundaries. 34 villages that were formerly part of West Lombok are now part of North Lombok.
Regency boundaries North Lombok Regency is bounded by:
The Java Sea to the north The West Lombok Regency to the southwest The Central Lombok Regency to the south The East Lombok Regency to the east The Lombok Strait to the west
Administrative districts North Lombok Regency consists of five administrative 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 2025.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Lombok Utara Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5208) The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (all classed as rural desa), and its postal codes.
Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict (kecamatan) Area in km2 Pop'nCensus2010 Pop'nCensus2020 Pop'nEstimatemid 2025Admin centre No.of villagesPostcodes 52.08.05 Pemenang (a)81.0932,54639,86442,728Pemenang Timur483352 52.08.01 Tanjung 115.6444,60654,24258,140Tanjung783350 52.08.02 Gangga 157.3540,83651,39655,089Gondang583353 52.08.03 Kayangan 126.3537,41347,76651,198Kayangan883356 52.08.04 Bayan 329.1044,67154,13258,021Anyar983354 Totals 809.53200,072247,400265,176 Tanjung33
Note: (a) including the offshore Gili Islands - Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air.
Population The majority of the population are Sasak people. At the 2010 Census, North Lombok Regency recorded a total of 200,072 inhabitants, which rose to 247,400 at the 2020 Census and reached an estimated 265,176 in mid 2025.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Lombok Utara Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5208)
Ethnicity The Sasak people are the indigenous people of Lombok and form the majority of north Lombok's residents. north Lombok is also home to people of Balinese, Chinese, Tionghoa-peranakan people of mixed Indonesian and Chinese descent and small number of Arab Indonesian people, mainly of Yemeni descent who originally settled in the early port city of Ampenan.
Religion Islam is the religion of the majority population of north Lombok. Other religions practised in east Lombok are Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
The northern part of Lombok is home to the Wektu Telu ("Three times"), who as the name suggests pray only three times daily, instead of the five times stipulated in the Quran. Many of the Waktu Telu beliefs are entwined with animism. Waktu Telu has influences not only of Islam, but also Hinduism and pantheistic beliefs. There are also remnants of Boda (people without a religion) who maintain Pagan Sasak beliefs. There is some considerable uncertainty about this though as others believe that the term Buda was simply a pejorative term used by the Islamized Sasak to indicate those groups that refused to convert to Islam. If this hypothesis is true, the remnants of the Boda religion can be seen as representing a kind of original Sasak culture, undiluted by later Islamic innovations.Temenos 32 (1996), 7-36. Sven Cederroth, From Ancestor Worship to Monotheism, Politics of Religion in Lombok Many influences of animist belief still prevail within the Sasak people and most Sasak people believe strongly in the existence of spirits or ghosts. These original Sask belief systems appear to be much stronger in the Northern areas of Lombok than elsewhere on the island The sasak people regard both food and prayer as indispensable whenever they seek to communicate with spirits, including the deadK. Telle, Feeding the dead; Reformulating Sasak mortuary practices: Bijdragen tot de Taal, Land-en Volkenkunde 156 (2000), no: 4, Leiden, 771-805 and many ritualistic traditional Sasak practices still endure despite the influences of both modernity and orthodox Islam. This is discussed in more detail in the Lombok article.
There are around 800 Buddhists living in and around Tanjung. The town is known for its two Buddhist temples. Pura Modena is a famous Hindu temple in the west of Tanjung.
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