Gampong Cot – a small Acehnese village in the Kecamatan Samatiga area, Kabupaten Aceh Barat district
Gampong Cot is an Indonesian village (gampong) located in the western part of Aceh province on Sumatra, within the administrative territory of Kabupaten Aceh Barat, belonging to the Kecamatan Samatiga district. Based on its geographic coordinates (4.213804° N, 96.032° E), it is situated at the intersection of the region's coastal and hinterland areas, in accordance with the natural geography of West Sumatra. According to 2024 data, Kabupaten Aceh Barat has a population of approximately 207,690 inhabitants, and its area is measured at 2,927.95 km² following administrative reorganizations. Specific gampong-level data — including the settlement's population, built-up area, and other local indicators — cannot be determined precisely from available sources.
General overview
Gampong Cot forms part of the Kecamatan Samatiga sub-district, which is one of the administrative units of Kabupaten Aceh Barat. The term gampong denotes the basic village-level administrative unit in Acehnese administrative tradition, and numerous such units exist alongside one another throughout the Kecamatan Samatiga area. Direct, settlement-level descriptive data on Gampong Cot is not available from accessible sources; therefore, understanding the characteristics of this place is best approached through the context at regency level. The territory of Kabupaten Aceh Barat exhibits the typical features of Sumatra's western coastal region and interior hinterland: the shoreline gives way to hilly inland areas, the climate is tropical, and vegetation is dense. The regency's capital is Meulaboh, the region's most significant city and transport hub, whose name is connected to the birthplace of national hero Teuku Umar — his name is borne by, among other institutions, the local state university, Universitas Teuku Umar. The villages of Kecamatan Samatiga generally constitute communities built on agriculture and fishing activities, a consequence of the region's natural geography and economic endowments, though direct data specific to Gampong Cot in this regard is not available.
Real estate and investment
No independent, authenticated data source exists for Gampong Cot's real estate market. The broader context is best examined at Kabupaten Aceh Barat level: the regency is a relatively small population area (approximately 207,690 inhabitants) but geographically varied, with a real estate market fundamentally dependent on local demand and the agricultural-fishing economic structure. Compared to larger Indonesian island centers such as Banda Aceh or Medan, the region is less integrated into national real estate market trends, which typically means more moderate land prices and smaller transaction volumes. From an investment perspective, it is important to note that in Indonesia, land ownership is limited in accessibility for foreign nationals: HGB (Hak Guna Bangunan) and Hak Pakai land rights can be acquired under certain conditions by foreigners, but full ownership rights (Hak Milik) are fundamentally not possible for non-Indonesian nationals. These general Indonesian legal frameworks apply to Aceh province and within it to Kabupaten Aceh Barat territory, though it is advisable to seek local legal counsel regarding any specific local regulations.
Safety and security
No settlement-level, verifiable data exists on public safety in Gampong Cot. It can be stated generally that Aceh province has undergone significant political and security transformation over recent decades: the province concluded a long period of internal conflict with a peace agreement in 2005, followed since then by relative stability. The province is today Indonesia's only region where certain Shari'ah law elements are applied at the federal level in local regulations, representing distinctive local norms regarding daily life and public order. General travel recommendations for foreign visitors are contained in current advisories from visitors' home country foreign ministries, and regular updates to these are recommended. Criminal statistics for Kabupaten Aceh Barat territory cannot be substantiated from available sources, so specific statements on this matter cannot be made.
Tourist attractions
Gampong Cot itself does not appear in accessible sources as a standalone tourist destination. The broader region, Kabupaten Aceh Barat, derives its tourism appeal primarily from the regency's natural and historical endowments, though specific, named attractions are only partially listed in available regency-level source material. The regency's territory lies on Sumatra's western coast, where the long shoreline and the hinterland's tropical natural environment provide the general natural setting. Historically, the region is connected to the name of national hero Teuku Umar, whose birthplace is Aceh Barat and whose memory is preserved by institutions and sites in Meulaboh. Details regarding the tourist infrastructure of Kecamatan Samatiga and its constituent villages do not emerge from available sources, so precise distances from Gampong Cot or the naming of local attractions cannot be substantiated.
Summary
Gampong Cot is an Acehnese gampong belonging to Kecamatan Samatiga within Kabupaten Aceh Barat territory in the western part of Sumatra. No independent, authenticated data source exists for the settlement; therefore, understanding this place is best served by the regency-level context — Kabupaten Aceh Barat's population of approximately 207,690 inhabitants, its area of 2,927.95 km², Meulaboh as the regional center, and the general characteristics of Aceh province — which together provide the best framework. The region's natural endowments, its distinctive Acehnese cultural and legal environment, and relatively limited tourist infrastructure together characterize the broader setting into which Gampong Cot fits.
