Demak Regency Kabupaten Demak
Regency
Demak Great Mosque
Coat of arms
Nickname:  Kota Wali (city of the saints)
Location of Demak Regency in Central Java
Coordinates:6°53′41.1″S110°38′18.5″E / 6.894750°S 110.638472°E /-6.894750; 110.638472
Country	Indonesia
Province	Central Java
Establishment	28 March 1503[1]
Capital	Demak
Government
• Regent	Eisti'anah [id]
• Vice Regent	Muhammad Badruddin [id]
Area
• Total	996.94 km2 (384.92 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2024 estimate)
• Total	1,252,970
• Density	1,256.8/km2 (3,255.1/sq mi)
	[2]
Time zone	UTC+7 (WIB)
Area code	+62 291
Website	demakkab.go.id

Demak (Javanese:ꦢꦼꦩꦏ꧀) is a regency located in the Indonesian province ofCentral Java, on the northern coast of the island. It is bordered byJepara Regency and the Java Sea to the north,Kudus andGrobogan Regencies to the east,Grobogan andSemarang Regencies to the south, while to the west are Semarang Regency and the city ofSemarang, to which the administrative district (kecamatan) of Mranggen within Demak Regency is essentially suburban, while the adjacent districts of Karangawen, Guntur, Sayung and Karangtengah are also within Semarang's sphere of influence. The regency covers an area of 996.94 km² (384.92 sq mi) and had a population of 1,055,579 at the 2010 Census^[3] and 1,203,956 at the 2020 Census;^[4] the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 1,252,970 (comprising 632,049 males and 620,921 females).^[2] The administrative centre is the town ofDemak. It was originally the centre of theDemak Sultanate, once a dominant power in the region. Due to its strong relation with the spread ofIslam inJava and theWali Sanga, it is sometimes referred to with the nicknameKota Wali.

The area was a part of theMajapahit Empire during its zenith around the 14th century. Thecity itself was founded sometime in the late fifteenth century, possibly by a Chinese whose descendant later became the Sultans of Demak. The first Sultan was known asRaden Patah, who was a vassal of Majapahit until 1478.^[5] The city was founded as a seaport, next to the now-nonexistentMuria Palaeostrait (which separated Java from Muria Island - nowMount Muria), although silting has now entirely turned the waterway into land.^[6] The Sultanate expanded in the expense of the declining Majapahit and its fragments, conquering the coastal region ofTuban around 1527 and reaching inland areas as far asMalang by 1546.^[5] As the capital, the city became an important center for trade and the spread ofIslam across the island, and a base of the semi-apocryphalWali Sanga. Upon the decline of the Sultanate, the region was conquered in turn by thePajang andMataram Sultanates.^[7] The seaport began to silt sometime in the 17th century, diminishing the region's importance as a seaport.

DirectVOC presence inJava started upon their capture of Jayakarta (nowJakarta, then Batavia) on 1619. In the 18th century, amassacre of ethnic Chinese in Batavia triggered awar between VOC and Mataram, resulting in the latter's defeat and cession of the north coast of Java, including Demak, to VOC.^[8] Upon the latter's dissolution on late 1799, administration of the area along with the rest of VOC's territory was transferred to the Dutch Government while Mataram was reduced to several fragmented states in the south coast of Java, includingYogyakarta andSurakarta.

As part ofDutch East Indies, Demak was organized with nearbySemarang intoResidentie Semarang as the Demak Regency^[9] and later intoCentral Java province upon the independence ofIndonesia.

In 2014, thegross regional domestic product of the regency was Rp 14.078 trillion (US$1.133 billion) or Rp 12.73 million per capita (US$1025),^[10]: 369 with the agriculture and manufacturing sectors being the largest contributors. Rice is the most important agricultural produce, with 608,532 tons harvested in 2016 from 69,975 hectares (172,910 acres) of cultivated land.^[10]: 212

A 300-hectare (740-acre)industrial park is currently under construction, aimed to boost investment in the regency.^[11]

The Regency comprises fourteendistricts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census^[3] and the 2020 Census,^[4] together with the official estimates as at mid 2024.^[2] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number ofadministrative villages in each district (totaling 243 ruraldesa and 6 urbankelurahan - the latter all in Demak District), and its post code.

Note: (a) except fordesa of Kembangan, which has a post code of 59511. (b) comprises the 6kelurahan (Betokan, Bintoro, Kadilangu, Kalicilik, Mangunjiwan and Singorejo) and 13desa.

The first five districts listed above are situated in the southwest part of the Regency (and thus adjacent to Semarang City), with an area of 366.29 km² and 551,450 inhabitants in mid 2024. The remaining nine districts are situated further away from Semarang, with an area of 630.65 km² and 701,520 inhabitants in mid 2024.^[2]

• Demak Sultanate
• Demak (town)

• Demak Regency
• Serang basin
• Tuntang basin

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• CS1 Indonesian-language sources (id)
• Articles with short description
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