Mata Ie – small Acehnese village in Peusangan Selatan District, Kabupaten Bireuen
Mata Ie is an Indonesian settlement in Aceh Province, located in the northern part of Sumatra island. Administratively, it belongs to Peusangan Selatan District (kecamatan), which functions as part of Kabupaten Bireuen (Bireuen Regency). Based on its coordinates (5.1682861° N, 96.7801549° E), the settlement is situated in the eastern portion of the province on the regency's territory facing the direction of the Strait of Malacca. Given that direct, settlement-level sources are not available based on the data at hand, the description below is largely built on regency-level context, which is clearly indicated in the text.
General overview
Mata Ie is a small village within Kabupaten Bireuen, belonging to Peusangan Selatan District. The Bireuen Regency itself was established on October 4, 1999, when it was organized as an independent unit from the western districts of the former North Aceh Regency. The regency's area covers 1,796.97 square kilometers, and according to the 2020 census data, its population was 436,418 inhabitants, while the official estimate for mid-2025 put the figure at 464,776 people. The regency's capital is the city of Bireuen, located approximately 105 miles (roughly 170 kilometers) east of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. Mata Ie belongs to this broader administrative unit and, like many small villages in the region, is primarily organized around agricultural and local community activities. A characteristic feature of the regency's territory is that it extends northeastward to the coastal areas of the Strait of Malacca, so the region's hydrography and physical geography are adapted to this coastal-Sumatran character. Given its name, Peusangan Selatan District encompasses the southern areas of the Peusangan River, although the available source material does not contain specific, verified data on this.
Real estate and investment
Settlement-level real estate market data for Mata Ie are not available from accessible sources, so the following observations reflect the broader context of Kabupaten Bireuen. Aceh Province, and within it the Bireuen region, is characterized by relatively moderate real estate turnover when compared to particularly sought-after Indonesian destinations on an Indonesian scale, such as Bali island. In smaller rural villages like Mata Ie, real estate values are likely typically lower than the Indonesian average, and the market is primarily driven by local demand. An important general framework is that in Indonesia, foreign nationals cannot acquire full ownership rights (Hak Milik) to real estate; for them, primarily long-term rental structures (Hak Sewa) or legally risky solutions based on nominal ownership are available. Before any investment decision, it is advisable in all cases to involve local legal experts, particularly in rural areas that are less well-documented, where real estate registration may also be less transparent. Due to Aceh Province's special autonomous status (Daerah Istimewa Aceh), local regulations may differ from national standards in some areas, which also deserves attention.
Safety and security
To understand the security situation in Kabupaten Bireuen and the broader Aceh Province, important historical context is that the region was previously affected by armed conflict between the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM) and the Indonesian government. Since the 2005 peace agreement, the province's security situation has substantially stabilized, and Aceh is currently largely considered a relatively peaceful rural area. Additionally, the region was severely affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on December 26, 2004, which caused significant destruction in Kabupaten Bireuen as well. Specific, settlement-level public safety statistics for Mata Ie are not available, and the available source material does not contain data of this nature. Generally speaking, the level of everyday crime in smaller rural Acehnese villages has historically tended to be low, but this general observation does not replace current, on-site information.
Tourist attractions
Based on available documentation, no tourist attractions specifically identified for Mata Ie can be confirmed. Regarding the broader Kabupaten Bireuen, the Wikipedia source mentions that the regency extends northeastward to the coastal areas of the Strait of Malacca, which means proximity to the coast for those living nearby. Considering Aceh Province as a whole, the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, possesses numerous historical and cultural attractions, such as memorial sites related to the 2004 tsunami and the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, but these are located at considerable distance from Mata Ie, at the western end of the province. Kabupaten Bireuen itself is a region rich in Islamic cultural heritage, whose local mosques and traditional Acehnese community life constitute the region's distinctive character, although specific, source-supported data on these is not included in the current material. Based on all this, Mata Ie is not regarded as an established tourist destination, but rather as a rural village that is home to a local community.
Summary
Mata Ie is a small rural settlement within the Kabupaten Bireuen administrative unit of Aceh Province, specifically in Peusangan Selatan District. The available source material provides reliable information up to the regency level: the district was established as an independent unit in 1999, covers an area of nearly 1,800 square kilometers, and has an estimated population of approximately 465,000 as of 2025. The region's history was shaped by the GAM conflict and the 2004 tsunami. Mata Ie itself is neither known as a special tourist attraction nor as an active real estate market destination to the broader public; it primarily serves as the setting for local Acehnese community life and can be understood as part of the broader Bireuen countryside.
