Cot Teufah – small village settlement in North Aceh's Paya Bakong district
Cot Teufah is a small settlement in Indonesia's Aceh province (Provinsi Aceh), located on the northern part of Sumatra island. Administratively, it falls under Kecamatan Paya Bakong, which is part of Kabupaten Aceh Utara (North Aceh regency). Based on the settlement's coordinates (4.9568384° N, 97.2100129° E), it is situated in the inland area of the region, far from the coast. The available source material covers only the regency level, so independent settlement-level data specific to Cot Teufah is not available; the characteristics of the broader region are presented below, with clear indication where data pertains not to the settlement in the narrow sense but to the wider area.
General overview
Cot Teufah is one of the small, lesser-known villages belonging to Kecamatan Paya Bakong in Kabupaten Aceh Utara with a small population. Based on the settlement's name and administrative classification, it points to an agrarian inland community where the local economy traditionally may be built on agricultural activities – primarily the cultivation of rice fields and plantations – as is characteristic of Aceh Utara's inland areas generally. According to data from late 2023, Kabupaten Aceh Utara has a population of 627,543, and the regency capital is currently Lhoksukon, after Lhokseumawe became an independent city (kota) and was removed from kabupaten administration. Reliable sources do not provide settlement-specific data for Cot Teufah, so the settlement's exact population, area, and infrastructure details are not known from verified sources. Paya Bakong district itself is among the less urbanized inland kecamatan of Kabupaten Aceh Utara, where daily life is typically connected to nearby district and regency-level centers.
Real estate and investment
No settlement-level verified data is available regarding Cot Teufah's real estate market. In the broader context of Kabupaten Aceh Utara, it can be said that in the inland, rural areas of Aceh Utara, real estate prices generally represent a fraction of average prices in Indonesia's tourism-focused regions (such as Bali or Java's metropolitan areas). Demand here is primarily generated by local residents and agricultural producers, while external investment activity in these areas is typically at low levels. Within the framework of Indonesia's generally applicable land ownership regulations, foreign nationals cannot acquire direct land ownership (Hak Milik) in Indonesia; they have access to so-called Hak Pakai (usage rights) or other indirect legal constructions, and these rules are equally valid in Aceh province. In Cot Teufah and the Paya Bakong district, agricultural production-oriented, locally-owned properties predominantly prevail; from an investment perspective, the region may be relevant more for long-term agricultural use rather than real estate market speculation.
Safety and security
No settlement-level statistics are available regarding Cot Teufah's public safety. The overall security situation of the broader region, Aceh province, has changed significantly over the past two decades: the 2005 Helsinki peace agreement ended the long years of armed conflict between Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) and the Indonesian central government, and since then the province's political situation has consolidated. Certain elements of sharia (Islamic law) are applied in Aceh province, which creates a distinctive local context for public safety and local norms, and which warrants attention for those visiting or residing there. Rural inland areas are generally characterized by potentially lower crime rates than major urban centers; however, the available source material does not contain specific, reliable data on this, so such statements should be understood cautiously and only as general context for the broader region.
Tourist attractions
For Cot Teufah, the available source material does not identify any specific tourist attractions, notable buildings, natural or cultural sites. Similarly, no such data is available in verified sources regarding Kecamatan Paya Bakong district and its immediate surroundings. The more well-known points of the broader Kabupaten Aceh Utara region – which are typically concentrated in the regency's coastal and urban areas – are located in areas distant from the village center, and their accessibility from Cot Teufah requires considerable travel due to its inland location. Generally, Aceh province's natural assets – mountainous areas, rivers, protected areas found in certain parts of the province – are known from a tourism perspective; however, the specific proximity and accessibility of these areas to Cot Teufah cannot be substantiated from sources. Visitors arriving in Aceh province typically visit Banda Aceh city and the Kabupaten Aceh Besar area in larger numbers.
Summary
Cot Teufah is a small, poorly documented village settlement in Kabupaten Aceh Utara, within Kecamatan Paya Bakong, on the northern part of Sumatra. The available, verified source material extends only to the regency level, so factually substantiated information about the village is limited. The broader Kabupaten Aceh Utara counted nearly 628,000 residents in 2023, and in the region's inland areas – to which Cot Teufah belongs – lifestyle and economy are primarily agricultural in character. From a tourism perspective, the settlement is not considered a known destination, and investment activity is concentrated more on the regency's more urbanized areas.
