Kuta, Bali

Kuta (Balinese: ᬓᬸᬢ/ᬓᬹᬝ) is a tourist area, administratively an urban village (kelurahan), and the capital of Kuta District, Badung Regency, southern Bali, Indonesia. Kuta is a part of the Denpasar metropolitan area, 12 km (7.5 mi) south of downtown Denpasar. Originally known as a fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourism, and as a beach resort remains one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations. It is known internationally for its long sandy beach, varied accommodations, restaurants and bars, and many renowned surfers who visit from Australia. It is near Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport.

The Balinese Provincial Government has taken the view that the preservation of the Balinese culture, natural resources, and wildlife are of primary importance in the island's development. To this end, it has limited tourist development to the peninsula on the island's extreme southern aspect; Kuta beach is on this peninsula's western side and Sanur is on the east. To the north of the peninsula no new tourist development is supposedly permitted.

To the south, Kuta Beach extends beyond the airport into Jimbaran. Other nearby towns and villages include Seseh (6.4 nm), Denpasar (4.5 nm), Ujung (1.8 nm), Pesanggaran (2.0 nm), Kedonganan (2.9 nm), and Tuban (1.0 nm).

Badung Regency includes three districts with the name of Kuta:

Kuta is now the center of an extensive tourist-oriented urban area that merges into the neighboring towns. Legian, to the north, is the commercial hub of Kuta and the site of many restaurants and entertainment spots. Most of the area's big beachfront hotels are in the southern section of Tuban.

Legian and Seminyak are northern extensions of Kuta along Jl. Legian and Jl. Basangkasa. They are somewhat quieter suburbs with cottage-style accommodations, where many of the expat crowd live. Also to the north are Petitenget, Berawa, Canggu, and Seseh — new and quieter continuations of Kuta's beach. They are easy to reach through Abian Timbul or Denpasar and Kerobokan. Several large hotels are located in this area: the Oberoi Bali, Template:Multiple imageHard Rock Hotel Bali, the Intan Bali Village, the Legian Bali in Petitenget, the Dewata Beach, and the Bali Sani Suites in Berawa.

In its early history, Kuta was a small fishing village. As Kuta, specifically Kuta beach, became increasingly popular among Western visitors in the 1930s, the village began to grow. In the 1960s, Kuta became a popular destination for tourists and surfers due to good wave conditions. Kuta continued to grow in the 1970s, with hotels, souvenir shops, and restaurants opening in response to increasing tourism.

On 12 October 2002, Kuta was the site of two bombings carried out by Jemaah Islamiyah suicide bombers, a violent Islamist group. At 11:05 p.m., a suicide bomber detonated a bomb inside his backpack at the nightclub Paddy's Pub, injuring many. Around 20 seconds later, a more explosive car bomb was detonated in a white Mitsubishi van in the bar Sari Club, opposite Paddy's Pub on Legian Street.