Muara Bungo is a town in the Indonesian province of Jambi, Sumatra. It is the administrative capital of Bungo Regency, a regency (kabupaten) in Sumatra. It has a land area of 9.21 km2,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kabupaten Bungo Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1509) and had a population of 21,243 as of the 2020 census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 21,703,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kabupaten Bungo Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1509) comprising the five kelurahan which make up the official town (Bungo Barat, Bungo Timur, Batang Bungo, Jaya Setia and Tanjung Gedang).
Other kelurahan in the adjacent Bungo Dani District (Sungai Pinang and Sungai Kerjan) and Rimbo Tengah District (Cadika and Pasih Putih) form part of the built-up area of the town, while the three kelurahan of Bathin III District (Bungo Taman Agung, Manggis and Sungai Binjai) adjoin it on the north side of the Batang Hari River and the Benit River. Altogether this comprised 75,249 inhabitants in an area of 84.84 km2. Area and Population Name ofdistrict(kecamatan) Name ofurban village(kelurahan) Area in km2 Pop'ncensus 2010 Pop'nestimatemid 2023 Pasar Muara Bungo Bungo Barat (West Bungo)0.664,4153,744 Pasar Muara Bungo Batang Bungo0.655,5314,657 Pasar Muara Bungo Bungo Timur (East Bungo)0.633,7583,330 Pasar Muara Bungo Jaya Setia6.455,8156,733 Pasar Muara Bungo Tanjung Gedang0.862,7472,862 Total town 9.2122,26621,326 Bungo Dani Sungai Kerjan 14.067,0697,526 Bungo Dani Sungai Pinang 2.119,1349,845 Rimbo Tengah Cadika 7.176,3747,842 Rimbo Tengah Pasir Putih 4.039,82011,819 Bathin III Bungo Taman Agung 3.302,2122,582 Bathin III Manggis 19.09 8,703 Bathin III Sungai Binjai 5.67 5,606
Geography
Waterways The town lies of the south bank of the Batang Hari River. The Benit River, a tributary of the Batang Hari, runs through Muara Bungo before merging with the Batang Hari, and proven gold deposits in the river within Muara Bungo were estimated at in 2005.
Climate Muara Bungo has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.
Infrastructure
Transportation The Muara Bungo Airport is located in Muara Bungo, and began operations in November 2012. A roadway connects Muara Bungo with Jambi City and Palembang. In 1977, the Sawahtambang-Muara Bungo highway was under construction.
Emergency services Muara Bungo has a fire department that is equipped with fire trucks. The fire department responds to building fires and fires on agricultural and vacant lands. In May 2015, it was reported that fires in Muara Bungo during 2015 had caused Rp $3 billion in losses and damages, which is approximately US$223,957. The damage estimate was mostly attributed to building fires. Muara Bungo also has a police department.
Business and commerce A branch of Bank Rakyat Indonesia is located in Muara Bungo.
Land use Natural rubber is produced in Muara Bungo, and rubber farming is a primary source of income and livelihood for the majority of the city's residents. An agroforestry innovation involved the planting of rubber trees and cinnamon alongside one-another to diversify plantings to avoid monoculture. Muara Bungo has some large oil palm plantations, and palm oil is produced there. Circa 1995 to 1996, illegal timber harvesting was observed in Muara Bungo.
Schools The University of Muara Bungo is located in the city.
Crime In June 2015, it was reported that street crime rates were increasing in Muara Bungo. Crimes have included mugging (theft by violence), auto theft and robberies. It was reported by Tribun Jambi that a majority of the crimes were committed by outsiders who do not reside in Muara Bungo.
References
Further reading
Zajuli, M. Heri Hermiyanto, and H. Panggabean. "Depositional Environment of Fine-Grained Sedimentary Rocks of the Sinamar Formation, Muara Bungo, Jambi". Indonesian Journal on Geoscience 8.1 (2013): 25–38. "Ore and Alteration Mineralogy of Muara Bungo Gold Prospect, Jambi Province: Implication for Deposits Genesis". Proceedings of International Conference on Georesources and Geological Engineering, Yogyakarta. December 2013.
Sibuea, T. Herdimansyah Th. 1993. "The variety of Mammal species in the agroforest areas of Krui (Lampung), Muara Bungo (Jambi) and Maninjau (West Sumatra)". Final research report, Orstom and Himbio.