Sikka is a regency within East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, on the island of Flores. It is bordered to the west by Ende Regency and to the east by East Flores Regency. It covers an area of 1,675.36 km2 and has a population around 345 thousand people. The capital is the town of Maumere, which includes the districts of Alok Barat, Alok and Alok Timur having a combined population of 93,425 in mid 2025 (although the last two also include a number of inhabited islands to the north of Flores such as the Pemana Islands, Pulau Samparong, Pulau Besar and Pulau Babi, leaving 82,064 on Flores Island).
History
Prior to Indonesian independence, much of the present-day regency was part of the Kingdom of Sikka. The founding of the kingdom, associated with its first rajas adoption of Catholicism, is generally celebrated as 1607. The kingdom was initially centered in Sikka Natar on the south coast, today the village of Sikka in Lela district of the regency. The kingdom from its outset was strongly influenced by the Portuguese, in particular "Black Portuguese" residing in Timor. Portuguese colonial authorities transferred Sikka, along with its remaining holdings in Flores, to the Dutch East Indies in 1859.
The Dutch would establish a new seat of government in Maumere, and by the late 1910s the raja of Sikka had also moved there. Dutch rule also saw the formation of two smaller kingdoms, Kangae and Nita, coupled with the secession of the Lio-speaking areas to the southwest of Sikka into their own polity sometime prior to 1859. These polities would be re-annexed into the Kingdom of Sikka by the late 1920s. Sikka remained as an autonomous region within independent Indonesia until the death of its raja in 1952, which then ended the legal status of the kingdom.
Following administrative reorganization of the Lesser Sunda Islands in 1958, Sikka was formed as a regency in East Nusa Tenggara. However, the raja retained political influence and cultural authority, leading to pushback against republicanism in Sikka throughout the 1950s and 1960s. There was also conflict between the Catholic Party and the Communist Party, and following the 30 September movement in Jakarta local communist leaders and perceived sympathizers were prosecuted and massacred. Between 800 and 1,500 people were killed in the killings, including local political leader Jan Djong.
Pope John Paul II visited Sikka in October 1989, and the room he stayed in overnight still received pilgrims decades after. Sikka was heavily impacted by the 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami, especially its northern coastal regions and outlying islands. Out of around 2,500 dead in the disaster, 1,490 were from Maumere and another 700 were from Sikka Regency's Babi Island.
The diocese of Maumere, which is coterminous with Sikka Regency, was established on 14 December 2005.
Administrative divisions The regency is divided into twenty-one districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and the 2020 census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. together with the official estimates as at mid 2025. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 147 rural desa and 13 urban kelurahan - the latter all in the three "Alok" districts which include Maumere town), and its post code. Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict(kecamatan) Area in km2 Pop'ncensus2010 Pop'ncensus2020 Pop'nestimatemid 2025 Admin centre No.ofvillagesPostcodes 53.07.01 Paga Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Paga Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310010) 71.5215,59816,39917,379Paga886153 53.07.02 MegoBadan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Mego Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310011) 101.9011,87312,93913,953Lekebai1086113 53.07.17 Tana Wawo Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Tana Wawo Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310012) 89.558,6958,9269,351Wolofeo686154 53.07.03 Lela Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Lela Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310020) 45.9611,64511,59611,995Lela986161 53.07.11 Bola Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Bola Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310030) 444.9710,78510,79711,174Bola686171 53.07.20 Doreng Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Doreng Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310031) 54.0311,19112,00212,842Waihawa786170 53.07.21 Mapitara Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Mapitara Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310032) 82.896,3046,6727,094Hebing486172 53.07.08 Talibura Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Talibura Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310040) 287.3020,45422,42424,251Talibura1286183 53.07.09 Waigete Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Waigete Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310041) 233.0122,18124,93127,289Waigete686184 53.07.13 Waiblama Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Waiblama Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310042) 120.057,0428,0748,923Tanarawa986185 53.07.10 Kewapante Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Kewapante Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310050) 22.0913,45314,77515,992Kewapante886182 53.07.18 Hewokloang Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Hewokloang Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310051) 17.908,2438,9989,711Baowunut786181 53.07.19 KangaeBadan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Kangae Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310052) 39.6916,38918,05519,572Waippare986180 53.07.06 Palu'e (a) Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Palue Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310061) 39.699,5539,6819,824Uwa886110 53.07.16 Koting Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Bola Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310062) 14.166,3606,5266,835Koting D686116 53.07.07 Nelle Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Nelle Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310063) 13.315,7926,1476,544Nelle Urung586119 53.07.04 Nita Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Nita Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310070) 111.7221,22322,74824,334Nita1286151 53.07.12 Magepanda Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Magepanda Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310071) 136.2111,50812,72713,822Magepanda586152 53.07.05 Alok (b) Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Alok Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310080) (Central Alok) 15.71 (21.04)33,06432,62933,366Kota Uneng7 (c) 86112- 86118 53.07.14 Alok Barat Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Alak Barat Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310081) (West Alok)42.04(48.17)16,80822,29425,070Wailiti4 (d) 86114- 86115 53.07.15 Alok Timur (e) Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Alok Timur Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.5310082) (East Alok) 19.09 (80.20)32,16732,79734,989Waioti10 (f) 86111- 86115 Totals 1,675.36300,328321,953345,319 Maumere160
Notes: (a) Palu'e is an island district, situated off the north coast of Flores. (b) includes the offshore islands of Pulau Pemana Besar and Pulau Pemana Kecil (with a combined population of 5,050 in mid 2025) and, further north, Pulau Sukun or Samparong (with a population of 1,078 in mid 2025). (c) comprises 4 kelurahan (Kabor, Kota Uneng, Madawat and Nangalimang) and 3 desa. (d) comprising four kelurahan (Hewuli, Wailiti, Wolomarang and Wuring). (e) includes the offshore islands of Pulau Koja or Pulau Besar (with 3,176 inhabitants in mid 2025), Pulau Parumaan (with 2,062 inhabitants in mid 2025 - including Pulau Pangabatan, Pulau Mermaan and Pulau Dambila) - and (further northeast) Pulau Babi. (f) comprising five kelurahan (Beru, Kota Baru, Nangameting, Waioti and Wairotang) and five desa (including three on the offshore islands).
A small Sikka region (non administrative) called Iwangeté or Iwang Geté encompasses the villages of Watublapi (Hewokloang district), Héwokloang, Kloangpopot (Doreng district), Hale (Mapitara district), and Hebingare (and quite a few others in between). Krowe is another name for this area, although neither names are quite accurate. People of this area produce a very distinctive ikat cloth: the widest bands (called ina geté) bear such motifs as lizard (teké), a circular motif seen on some antique plates (pigan uben), spinning wheel (jata selér) and pineapple flower (petan puhun).
Demographics
According to the 2020 Indonesian census, Sikka had a population of 321,953 people, an increase from 300,328 in the 2010 census. The mid 2025 official estimate for the population is 345,319 (168,336 males and 176,983 females). Out of this, 97,863 were below 15 years old, while 27,9692 were 65 years or older.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Sikka Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog 1102001.5310)
In terms of religious affiliation, Sikka is comparable with the rest of Flores with Catholicism being the dominant religion, adhered to by 84.25 percent of the population as of 2024 according to Statistics Indonesia. This is followed by Islam at 14.16 percent and Protestant Christianity at 1.43 percent, respectively. The Catholic News Agency reported that Sikka (as the Diocese of Maumere) had just over 300 thousand Catholics. This made Sikka the regency with the second-largest number of Catholics across Indonesia, behind Manggarai. The Muslim population are largely affiliated with Muhammadiyah, which had established a number of schools across Sikka.
The indigenous people of Sikka in mainland Flores identify with three ethnic groups: the Lio-speaking Ata Lio inhabiting western Sikka along with the Sikka-speaking Ata Krowe in the central parts and Ata Tana Ai in the eastern parts. The Bajau people also inhabit parts of northern Sikka along with some of the smaller islands in the regency, while the Palu'e people inhabit Palue Island. Significant migrant populations include Buginese, Makassarese, Mandarese, Chinese, and Javanese.
Politics As with other Indonesian regencies, the municipal government consists of a directly elected bupati (regent) serving five-year terms and a Regional House of Representatives (DPRD). The first direct bupati election in Sikka was held in 2008, with the DPRD electing the bupati prior to that. As of the 2024–2029 term, the DPRD has 35 members elected from three districts, with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle holding the most seats (5). The regent for the 2025–2030 term is Juventus Prima Yoris Kago, who was elected in the 2024 Sikka regency election.
At the provincial level, Sikka is represented in the as part of its 6th electoral district, which it shares with three other regencies in Flores. Nationally, Sikka is part of the East Nusa Tenggara I district. List of regents D.P.C. Ximenes da Silva (1958–1960) Paulus Samador da Cunha (1960–1967) Laurentius Say (1967–1977) Daniel Woda Palle (1977–1988) Avelinus Maschur Conterius (1988–1993) Alexander Idong (1993–1998) Paulus Moa (1998–2003) Alexander Longginus (2003–2008) Sosimus Mitang (2008–2013) Yoseph Ansar Rera (2013–2018) Fransiskus Roberto Diogo (2018–2023) Juventus Prima Yoris Kago (2025–present)
See also Sikka people Sikka language Palu island Rokatenda Maumere 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami Babi Island
References