Batang Regency

Batang (Javanese: ꦧꦠꦁ) is a regency (Indonesian: kabupaten) on the north coast of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was created on 14 June 1965 from what was previously the eastern half of Pekalongan Regency. It covers an area of 857.21 km2 and had a population of 706,764 at the 2010 Census and 801,718 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2025 was 847,175 (comprising 426,493 males and 420,682 females). Its capital is the town of Batang, situated about 100 km west of the province's capital city of Semarang but in effect an eastern suburb of Pekalongan city, whose city centre is just 8 km to the west. People in Batang are mostly Javanese who speak both Javanese and Indonesian. The regency comprises both coastal and mountainous landscapes. Batang's town centre is located on the side of the north coast trans-Java highway network, widely known as "the Pantura". Economic activities are concentrated along this highway and also in the vicinity of the town square known as "alun-alun". In the middle of the square, there is a huge old ficus tree which has become one of the Regency's icons.