Indonesia’s Provinces: From Largest to Smallest by Land Area

ProvinceArea (Km2)
Indonesia1,890,179.78
Kalimantan Tengah153,430.36
Kalimantan Barat147,018.06
Kalimantan Timur126,951.76
Papua Selatan117,858.97
Riau89,900.78
Sumatera Selatan86,771.92
Papua81,383.32
Sumatera Utara72,437.76
Kalimantan Utara69,900.89
Sulawesi Tengah61,496.98
Papua Tengah61,079.59
Papua Barat60,308.59
Aceh56,835.02
Papua Pegunungan52,508.66
Jambi49,023.04
Jawa Timur48,055.88
Nusa Tenggara Timur46,378.11
Maluku46,133.83
Sulawesi Selatan45,323.98
Sumatera Barat42,107.67
Papua Barat Daya139,103.06
Kalimantan Selatan37,125.43
Jawa Barat37,053.33
Sulawesi Tenggara36,139.30
Jawa Tengah34,347.43
Lampung33,570.76
Maluku Utara31,465.98
Bengkulu20,122.21
Nusa Tenggara Barat19,631.99
Kepulauan Bangka Belitung16,670.23
Sulawesi Barat16,590.67
Sulawesi Utara14,488.43
Gorontalo12,024.98
Banten9,355.76
Kepulauan Riau8,170.38
Bali5,582.83
DI Yogyakarta3,170.36
DKI Jakarta661.53

Indonesia’s Provinces Ranked by Land Area: From Largest to Smallest

As the world’s largest archipelagic state, Indonesia spans thousands of islands across Southeast Asia and Oceania. To manage this massive maritime nation, the country is divided into 38 first-level administrative provinces.

Because Indonesia encompasses major portions of the world’s largest islands—such as New Guinea, Borneo, and Sumatra—the land area of its provinces varies dramatically. From expansive resource-rich territories spanning over 150,000 square kilometers down to dense urban capital regions measuring less than 1,000 square kilometers, this article explores Indonesia’s provinces ranked by land area.

Provincial Land Areas

The total land area of Indonesia’s 38 provinces covers approximately 1,890,179.8 $\text{km}^2$, with an average provincial size of roughly $49,767.9\text{ km}^2$. However, this average masks extreme disparities:

  • The Largest Province: Central Kalimantan spans over $153,430\text{ km}^2$.
  • The Smallest Province: Jakarta (the Special Capital Region) covers just $661.53\text{ km}^2$.

Top 10 Largest Provinces in Indonesia

The largest provinces are primarily concentrated on the sprawling outer islands of Kalimantan, Western New Guinea, and Sumatra, where vast tracts of rainforest, river systems, and mountainous terrain dominate.

RankProvinceMajor Island / RegionLand Area (km2)Capital City
1Central KalimantanBorneo153,430.36Palangka Raya
2West KalimantanBorneo147,018.06Pontianak
3PapuaNew GuineaVaries (Largest eastern province)Jayapura
4East KalimantanBorneo126,951.76Samarinda
5RiauSumatra89,900.78Pekanbaru
6North KalimantanBorneo69,900.89Tanjung Selor
7South SumatraSumatra86,771.92Palembang
8North SumatraSumatra72,437.76Medan
9Central SulawesiSulawesi61,496.98Palu
10AcehSumatra56,835.02Banda Aceh

Regional Breakdown of Land Area Distribution

1. The Kalimantan Region (Borneo)

The provinces on the Indonesian portion of Borneo (Kalimantan) occupy some of the top spots for total land area. Central Kalimantan leads the nation, closely followed by West Kalimantan and East Kalimantan, reflecting the sheer scale of Borneo’s interior jungles and wetlands.

2. Western New Guinea

Encompassing the western half of New Guinea—the world’s second-largest island—the eastern provinces (including Papua, West Papua, and newer subdivision provinces like South and Central Papua) feature expansive, rugged terrains filled with dense highland forests and remote river basins.

3. Sumatra and Sulawesi

Sumatra houses large territorial heavyweights like Riau, South Sumatra, and North Sumatra, which combine mainland river basins with rich agricultural plains. Meanwhile, Sulawesi’s provinces—led by Central Sulawesi—feature unique, rugged peninsulas shaping deeply indented coastlines.

4. Java and the Smaller Island Provinces

Java, though densely populated and economically vital, consists of smaller, highly fragmented provincial sizes (such as East Java, West Java, and Central Java) compared to the giant outer-island territories. At the bottom of the scale are compact administrative zones like Yogyakarta, Bali, and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ($661.53\text{ km}^2$), which prioritize high-density urban infrastructure over sprawling geographic landmass.

Indonesia’s Provinces by Land Area, 2025

Source: BPS-Statistics Indonesia
bps.go.id/en /statistics-table/3 /VUZwV01tSlpPVl psWlRKbmMxcFhh SGhEVjFoUFFUM DkjMyMwMDAw /total-area- and-number- of-islands- by-province. html?year=2025

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