Krui, Pesisir Barat Regency
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Krui
|native_name =
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|settlement_type = Town
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|pushpin_map = Indonesia Lampung
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_map_caption = Location of Krui in Lampung
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = Indonesia
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = Lampung
|subdivision_type2 = Regency
|subdivision_name2 = West Pesisir Regency
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|timezone = WIB
|utc_offset = +7
|coordinates = {{Coord|5|11|20|S|103|56|10|E|region:ID|display=inline,title}}
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Krui is a town in West Pesisir Regency of Lampung, Indonesia, which is the regency seat of West Pesisir. Throughout its history, it had been an exporter of pepper, ruled by a number of local kingdoms before falling under British rule in Bengkulu. Along with the rest of Bengkulu, it was transferred to the Dutch in 1824, remaining the center of commerce in Lampung's west coast. It became the seat of West Pesisir following the regency's formation in 2012. Today, it is a tourist attraction in Lampung for surfing.
History
Krui likely acted as a port linked to inland settlements in western Lampung as early as the ninth and tenth centuries during the reign of the Srivijaya empire. Imported Chinese ceramics dated to this era have been found at sites close to modern Krui.{{cite journal |last1=McKinnon |first1=E. Edwards |title=A Note on Finds of Early Chinese Ceramics Associated with Megalithic Remains in Northwest Lampung |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |date=1993 |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=227–238 |doi=10.1017/S0022463400002605 |jstor=20071547 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20071547 |issn=0022-4634}} Krui then fell under the influence of the Inderapura Kingdom, and then of Banten.{{cite journal |last1=Kathirithamby-Wells |first1=J. |title=A Survey of the Effects of British Influence on Indigenous Authority in Southwest Sumatra (1685-1824) |journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |date=1973 |volume=129 |issue=2/3 |page=243 |doi=10.1163/22134379-90002719 |doi-broken-date=13 May 2025 |jstor=27861335 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27861335 |issn=0006-2294}} By the early eighteenth century, the area had come under British (who had established themselves at Bengkulu to the north in 1685) influence.{{sfn|Kathirithamby-Wells|1973|pp=240–241}} The East India Company entered into an agreement with Krui's chief, like other chiefs in the region, to provide the Company with pepper.{{sfn|Kathirithamby-Wells|1973|p=244}} Sometime in the eighteenth century, the Company began to refer to Krui's chief with the title pangeran (prince).{{sfn|Kathirithamby-Wells|1973|p=246}}
In 1785, the Company downgraded Bencoolen into a Residency, with a single company representative stationed in Krui.{{sfn|Kathirithamby-Wells|1973|p=252}} It was ceded to the Dutch East Indies along with other British possessions in Sumatra in 1824.{{cite web |title=Signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty (Treaty of London) of 1824 |url=https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=5005d886-9c27-421e-a22d-44fb5965350c |website=nlb.gov.sg |access-date=10 April 2025}} Krui became the main commercial center of the Lampung's west coast, and also received an influx of Javanese transmigrants in the twentieth century.{{cite journal |last1=Kusworo |first1=Ahmad |title=Lampung in the Twentieth Century: The Making of 'Little Java' |journal=Pursuing Livelihoods, Imagining Development |date=2014 |volume=9 |pages=17–40 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vj72v.7 |access-date=10 April 2025 |publisher=ANU Press|jstor=j.ctt5vj72v.7 |isbn=978-1-925021-47-9 }} In independent Indonesia, Krui was initially part of North Lampung Regency and since 1991 West Lampung Regency, but in 2012 the West Pesisir Regency was split off and Krui became its regency seat.{{cite web |title=Sejarah Pesisir Barat |url=https://pesisirbaratkab.go.id/profil/sejarah-pesisir-barat |website=pesisirbaratkab.go.id |access-date=10 April 2025 |language=id}}{{cite news |title=Asal Usul Kabupaten Pesisir Barat Tempat Liga Surfing Dunia di Lampung |url=https://kumparan.com/lampunggeh/asal-usul-kabupaten-pesisir-barat-tempat-liga-surfing-dunia-di-lampung-20anBxeODAE |access-date=10 April 2025 |work=Kumparan |date=13 June 2023 |language=id-ID}}
Economy
Krui is the main destination for tourists in West Pesisir, best known as a surfing destination. A World Surf League qualifying event, the Krui Pro, was held at Krui starting in 2017 until 2024.{{cite web |title=Mengenal Krui Pro |url=https://pesisirbaratkab.go.id/kruipro/mengenal-krui-pro |website=pesisirbaratkab.go.id |access-date=13 April 2025 |language=id |date=11 May 2023}}{{cite news |title=Keterbatasan Anggaran, WSL Krui Pro 2025 Ditiadakan |url=https://lampung.tribunnews.com/2025/01/22/keterbatasan-anggaran-wsl-krui-pro-2025-ditiadakan |access-date=13 April 2025 |work=Tribunlampung.co.id |date=22 January 2025 |language=id-ID}} According to Lampung's tourism board, Krui is the main destination of foreign tourists visiting Lampung, with 80 percent of foreign visitors in 2019 heading for Krui.{{cite news |title=Disparekraf Lampung: Krui destinasi wisata unggulan Lampung masa depan |url=https://www.antaranews.com/berita/4128276/disparekraf-lampung-krui-destinasi-wisata-unggulan-lampung-masa-depan |access-date=13 April 2025 |work=Antara News |date=30 May 2024 |language=id}} At the Central Pesisir district, where most of Krui is located, Statistics Indonesia recorded over 30 hotels or homestays catering to the tourists.{{cite web |title=Kabupaten Pesisir Barat Dalam Angka 2025 |url=https://pesisirbaratkab.bps.go.id/id/publication/2025/02/28/a00e2672fabfb87d8a0dc93b/kabupaten-pesisir-barat-dalam-angka-2025.html |website=pesisirbaratkab.bps.go.id |publisher=Statistics Indonesia |language=id}} There were over 20,000 foreign visitors to West Pesisir in 2022 and 2023, primarily going to Krui.{{cite news |title=Sebanyak 21.537 wisman berkunjung ke Pesisir Barat Januari-September 2023 |url=https://lampung.antaranews.com/berita/703953/sebanyak-21537-wisman-berkunjung-ke-pesisir-barat-januari-september-2023 |access-date=13 April 2025 |work=Antara News Lampung |date=31 October 2023 |language=id}}
The town is served by the Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas airport, which has flights to Bengkulu and Bandar Lampung.{{cite news |title=Rute Penerbangan Krui-Bengkulu di Bandara Taufik Kiemas Masih Sepi Peminat |url=https://lampung.tribunnews.com/2024/03/25/rute-penerbangan-krui-bengkulu-di-bandara-taufik-kiemas-masih-sepi-peminat |access-date=13 February 2025 |work=Tribunlampung.co.id |date=25 March 2024 |language=id-ID}}
Administration
The core of what was Krui district, formed in 1949, is today Central Pesisir district. In 2010, two further districts were split out: Way Krui and South Krui. The regency seat is formally set at the administrative village of Pasar Krui.{{cite web |title=Profil Kecamatan Pesisir Tengah |url=https://pesisirbaratkab.go.id/pesisir-tengah/profil |website=pesisirbaratkab.go.id |access-date=13 April 2025 |language=id |date=25 January 2023}} The three districts have a combined area of {{convert|186.6|km2|sqmi}} and a total population of 42,500 in 2024, while Pasar Krui administrative village alone has a population of 5,467.{{cite web |title=Kecamatan Pesisir Tengah Dalam Angka 2024 |url=https://pesisirbaratkab.bps.go.id/id/publication/2024/09/26/66b4aa1be58247f9e96c7a6f/kecamatan-pesisir-tengah-dalam-angka-2024.html |publisher=Statistics Indonesia |access-date=13 April 2025 |language=id}}
References
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