Cot Keh – a small settlement in Peureulak district, Kabupaten Aceh Timur
Cot Keh is a village-level settlement in the eastern belt of Aceh province, Indonesia, specifically belonging to the administrative district of Kecamatan Peureulak, which is administered by Kabupaten Aceh Timur (East Aceh regency). Geographically, it is located in the northern part of Sumatra, and based on its coordinates (4.8255533° north latitude, 97.8952926° east longitude), it falls within the plain and river valley zone of the region. According to 2023 data, the regency has a population of approximately 450,000 and constitutes one of the key administrative units of Aceh province's eastern borderland. Cot Keh itself is a small, quiet rural settlement for which independent village-level statistical or encyclopedic sources are not currently available in the public domain.
General overview
Cot Keh is one of the villages in Kecamatan Peureulak, which administratively belongs to Kabupaten Aceh Timur. According to the Indonesian Wikipedia article on the regency, Kabupaten Aceh Timur is located on the eastern side of Aceh province and has historically been considered an area of significance from an oil industry perspective—the regency is registered as an oil-rich area, similar to Aceh Utara and Aceh Tamiang. This industrial background fundamentally determines the economic character of the broader region, although Cot Keh itself is primarily a community embedded in an agricultural and rural environment. The Peureulak district itself is historically significant: it is recognized as one of the important sites of early Islamic expansion in Southeast Asia, though details of this are available only from broader regency or district sources, and no unique data specific to Cot Keh is available. The accessibility, infrastructural provisions, and exact population of the village cannot be determined from the available sources.
Real estate and investment
Concrete real estate market data specific to Cot Keh does not appear in publicly available sources. In the context of the broader Kabupaten Aceh Timur, it can be said that the real estate market in the East Aceh region is primarily influenced by agricultural and small industrial functions, as well as economic activities linked to the oil industry. In Aceh province generally, it is the case that in rural locations distant from urban areas, real estate prices and development dynamics are characteristically modest, and local demand is of a local nature. For foreign citizens, Indonesian property ownership regulations—which apply uniformly throughout the country—impose restrictions: as a general rule, foreign individuals cannot acquire full ownership rights (Hak Milik) over Indonesian property and can only use property through specific, time-limited legal titles (such as Hak Pakai or long-term lease). From an investment perspective, Cot Keh and the Peureulak district as a whole are relatively unknown areas for tourists and international investors, typically relevant only to local and regional actors.
Safety and security
There is no village-level, factual statistical source available regarding the public safety of Cot Keh. With respect to Kabupaten Aceh Timur, the Indonesian Wikipedia article notes that the area was considered an operational base of the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM)—the Aceh Independence Movement—before the declaration of martial law in May 2003, and during this period the Peureulak district and its surroundings in particular were among the so-called "black zones" where the security situation was severe. Following the Helsinki peace accord signed in 2005, however, the armed conflict in Aceh ended, and since then the province has generally stabilized. The available sources do not provide reliable, up-to-date, and settlement-specific information about current public safety; for assessing the security situation of the broader regency, the province's current travel advisories and local authority announcements are recommended.
Tourist attractions
Cot Keh does not appear as an independent tourist destination in publicly available sources, and the available materials do not contain named attractions related to the village. In the broader area of Kecamatan Peureulak and Kabupaten Aceh Timur, the region is not insignificant from a historical and cultural perspective: the city of Peureulak is held in local historical literature to be one of the early sites of Islamic expansion in Southeast Asia, though the available sources do not provide information about specific, visitable heritage sites connected to Cot Keh. Aceh province as a whole offers numerous natural and cultural attractions—including the historical quarters of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, and natural landscapes found on the northern shores of Aceh province—these, however, are located at a considerable geographic distance from Cot Keh. At the local level, the agricultural landscape, river valleys, and traditional Acehnese rural lifestyle constitute the primary character of the area, but sources do not indicate the existence of these as organized tourist offerings.
Summary
Cot Keh is a small, rural settlement in the eastern part of Aceh province, belonging to Kecamatan Peureulak and under the administration of Kabupaten Aceh Timur. The regency is known for its oil industry and historically complex security past; however, the peaceful period that has prevailed since 2005 has brought consolidation to the area. Cot Keh itself currently does not have village-level sources, so circumstances there can primarily be inferred from the more general characteristics of the regency and district. The place is not considered a widely recognized destination either from a tourism or investment perspective; its character is defined by its agricultural and rural Acehnese environment.
