Mata Ie – small settlement in Lhoksukon District, Aceh Utara Regency
Mata Ie is a small village in Indonesia's Aceh Province, on the island of Sumatra. Administratively, it belongs to Lhoksukon District (kecamatan), which also serves as the administrative seat of Aceh Utara (North Aceh) Regency. Based on the settlement's coordinates (5.0116544 north latitude, 97.3854239 east longitude), it is located near the Lhoksukon urban area. Direct, settlement-level source material about Mata Ie is not available; therefore, the description below is based primarily on verifiable data at the level of Lhoksukon District and Aceh Utara Regency.
General overview
Mata Ie forms part of Lhoksukon District, which functions as the administrative and economic center of Aceh Utara Regency. Lhoksukon city itself covers an area of 243 km²; its population was 44,358 at the 2010 census, 49,733 at the 2020 census, and an estimated 51,421 inhabitants for mid-2023 for the district's total population. The district's postal code is 24382. Mata Ie ranks among the smaller, less well-known settlements in the region; from a tourism perspective, it does not appear on widely publicized destination lists, and no named industrial or commercial facility is linked to it in available sources. The broader district's economic life was once also shaped by the oil and gas industry: according to sources, between 1999 and 2003, Indonesian military personnel guarded the oil and gas facility operating in the city on behalf of ExxonMobil. The lawsuit initiated in the United States in 2001, called Doe v. Exxon Mobil Corp – which was initiated by eleven Aceh-based plaintiffs on the basis of allegations of abuses – concluded with a settlement in 2023. This case is one documented event in the region's recent history. Generally speaking, Aceh Province lies at the northernmost tip of the Indonesian archipelago, near the Strait of Malacca, and is known for local application of Islamic customary law (Sharia) and its distinctive cultural traditions.
Real estate and investment
Detailed, publicly accessible real estate market data is not available for Mata Ie or even for Lhoksukon District. In the broader context of Aceh Utara Regency and Aceh Province, it can be said that the North Aceh real estate market typically handles smaller transaction volumes than Indonesia's tourism hotspots (such as Bali or Lombok). The region's economic activity has traditionally been tied to the agricultural sector and former hydrocarbon extraction, which has also influenced local real estate demand. From an investment perspective, it is worth noting that in Indonesia, foreign nationals cannot acquire full ownership rights (Hak Milik) over real estate; for them, primarily usage rights (Hak Pakai) or building usage rights (Hak Guna Bangunan) are available, subject to specified conditions and time limits. This general Indonesian land law framework also applies to Aceh Province, although the province's specific autonomous status may result in deviations in certain local regulations, which should be discussed with local legal experts. In smaller, rural villages like Mata Ie, real estate prices are generally significantly lower than the price levels in larger cities or tourism-developed areas.
Safety and security
Dedicated, authenticated public security statistics for Mata Ie are not available. Regarding the broader region, Aceh Province, it is known that the Helsinki Accord signed in 2005 ended decades of armed conflict, and since then the province overall exhibits a more stable security situation than during the conflict period. Aceh Utara Regency was also part of this process. Standard precautionary considerations that generally apply in rural areas of Indonesia – such as attention to transportation conditions, respect for local customs and religious regulations – may also be applicable in the case of Mata Ie. In Aceh Province, certain aspects of Islamic customary law have been embodied in local regulations (qanun), compliance with which is of particular significance from the perspective of local norms.
Tourist attractions
Mata Ie itself does not appear in available sources with independent tourist attractions. In the broader region, within Lhoksukon District and Aceh Utara Regency, available source material likewise contains no named, specific attractions. Considering Aceh Province as a whole – in a generally verifiable manner – among the province's known attractions is the Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh (Masjid Raya Baiturrahman), which stands in Banda Aceh, the province's capital; however, this location is situated approximately 250–270 kilometers as the crow flies from Mata Ie, in the western part of the province. The area around Lhoksukon in Aceh Utara Regency is agricultural in character, with rice fields and plantations characterizing the landscape, which form a natural part of local culture and daily life. Based on source material, no named tourist program or sight specifically connected to Mata Ie or Lhoksukon District can be listed.
Summary
Mata Ie is a small settlement at the northern tip of Sumatra in Lhoksukon District of Aceh Utara Regency, little known among individual tourism and investment destinations. The broader district, Lhoksukon, is the administrative center of North Aceh Regency, with a population exceeding fifty thousand inhabitants. Statistics, landmarks, or market data exclusively concerning Mata Ie cannot be obtained from available sources; understanding the characteristics of the region requires information at the level of Aceh Utara Regency and Lhoksukon District to provide closer context. For planned longer stays at the location or real estate transactions, consultation with experts possessing local knowledge is recommended.
