Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 19, 2026

Meulaboh

Meulaboh is the capital of West Aceh Regency, Indonesia.

Last revised
Jul 19, 2026
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Meulaboh
Meulabôh
Kota Tauhid Sufi
Town
Other transcription(s)
 • Jawoëملابوه
Pantai Batu Putih (White Sands Beach) in Meulaboh
Pantai Batu Putih (White Sands Beach) in Meulaboh
Meulaboh
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Meulaboh
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Meulaboh
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Meulaboh
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Coordinates: 4°8′N 96°7′E / 4.133°N 96.117°E / 4.133; 96.117
CountryIndonesia
ProvinceAceh
RegencyWest Aceh Regency
Area
 • Total
44.91 km2 (17.34 sq mi)
Population
 (mid 2023 estimate)
 • Total
67,148
 • Density1,495/km2 (3,872/sq mi)
 1
Time zoneUTC+7 (WIB)

Meulaboh (Acehnese: Meulabôh, Jawoë: ملابوه; or Moulabouh) is the capital of West Aceh Regency, Indonesia.

Geography

Baitul Makmur Meulaboh Grand Mosque source ↗

Meulaboh is about 245 km southeast of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province and western part of Aceh province. Meulaboh is located in the western part of Sumatra island.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake event

Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vehicle from USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) was delivering materials and supplies needed by the citizens of Meulaboh. source ↗

"The casualty rates in Meulaboh defy imagination," said Aitor Lacomba, Indonesian director of aid group International Rescue Committee. "Tens of thousands need immediate assistance there."2

A damaged airstrip was cleared, enabling International Red Cross medical teams from Japan, Spain and Singapore to begin treating survivors. Red Cross engineer Sara Escudero said "There is a strong smell of putrefaction and, whilst body retrieval has commenced, it can be assumed that there are still hundreds, possibly thousands of bodies remaining underneath the debris".

The Red Cross said it would use Meulaboh as an aid staging post for the Sumatran west coast. The government of Singapore deployed two helicopter landing ships there.

The town was largely devastated, with around 80 percent of buildings destroyed and at least 10,000 dead out of the town's population of 50-60 thousand.34 Only 23,000 people could be accounted for a week after the tsunami, although many were not accounted for as they were residing in deserted houses instead of camps for displaced persons.5

Climate

Sunset at Meulaboh beach source ↗

Meulaboh has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

Climate data for Meulaboh
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.0
(86.0)
30.9
(87.6)
32.0
(89.6)
32.5
(90.5)
32.0
(89.6)
32.2
(90.0)
31.8
(89.2)
31.9
(89.4)
31.2
(88.2)
31.2
(88.2)
30.2
(86.4)
29.8
(85.6)
31.3
(88.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.5
(79.7)
26.8
(80.2)
27.5
(81.5)
28.0
(82.4)
27.9
(82.2)
27.9
(82.2)
27.4
(81.3)
27.5
(81.5)
27.2
(81.0)
27.4
(81.3)
26.7
(80.1)
26.4
(79.5)
27.3
(81.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.0
(73.4)
22.8
(73.0)
23.0
(73.4)
23.6
(74.5)
23.8
(74.8)
23.6
(74.5)
23.0
(73.4)
23.2
(73.8)
23.2
(73.8)
23.7
(74.7)
23.3
(73.9)
23.1
(73.6)
23.3
(73.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 250
(9.8)
244
(9.6)
258
(10.2)
384
(15.1)
269
(10.6)
225
(8.9)
239
(9.4)
247
(9.7)
323
(12.7)
348
(13.7)
339
(13.3)
315
(12.4)
3,441
(135.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org6
See also

See also

References

References

  1. Badan Pusat Sttistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  2. "Indonesia: IRC's tsunami aid efforts gain momentum - Indonesia | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2005-01-03. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  3. "80% Kota Meulaboh Hancur". detiknews (in Indonesian). 28 December 2004. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. "Korban Tsunami di Meulaboh Dikuburkan Secara Massal". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). 7 January 2005. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  5. "Lebih 1/2 Populasi Meulaboh Meninggal & Hilang". detiknews (in Indonesian). 3 January 2005. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  6. "Climate: Meulaboh". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
External links