North Central Timor Regency

North Central Timor Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Timor Tengah Utara) is a regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. It covers an area of 2,669.70 km², and had a population of 229,803 at the 2010 Census and 259,829 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 275,439 (comprising 138,215 males and 137,224 females). Its regency seat is located at the town of Kefamenanu, which had a population of 50,249 in mid 2024. The regency borders Timor Leste's Oecusse enclave, one of few Indonesian regions that have a land border with other countries.

North Central Timor Regency was de jure formed on 9 August 1958 from three autonomous royal regions (swapraja) but de facto function only began early November 1958 after its first regent was sworn in. Since 1915, the region had been part of Onderafdeeling Noord Miden Timor during Dutch rule; it was composed of the native kingdoms of Miomaffo, Insana, and Biboki. In 1921, the administrative seat was moved from the town of Noeltoko to its current location in Kefemenanu; the move is annually commemorated by the local government since 2005.

In 1942, the Japanese forces occupied the Dutch East Indies. Local government structure changed little under the Japanese, who mostly preserved it to simplify civil administration. In 1946, after the end of the Second World War, during the Malino Conference, the region's local rulers wanted to be included in Lesser Sunda province, together with Bali and West Nusa Tenggara, under the newly formed Indonesian Republic. Local administration was reorganized in 1949 after independence, and formed its own parliament under Timor Regional Law Number 10 of 1949. In a parliament session between 10 and 12 May 1950, it voted in favour of disbanding the State of East Indonesia under the United States of Indonesia and forming a unitary Indonesian state, which was realized not long after. Shortly before the creation of the regency, Lesser Sunda province was split into West Nusa Tenggara, Bali, and East Nusa Tenggara provinces.

During the Indonesian occupation of East Timor and the subsequent independence referendum and violence that followed, many civilians from East Timor fled to the regency, causing a huge increase in the population. Many were integrated into the regency's society to the point they constituted 8.1% of the regency's population. The regency was devastated by Cyclone Seroja in early 2021, prompting the relocation of several settlements and buildings by Indonesian government.

North Central Timor Regency borders South Central Timor Regency in the south, the country of East Timor in the northwest, the coast of the Sawu Sea in the north, Kupang Regency in the west, and Belu Regency in the east. It has a total area of 2,669.70 km² (1,030.78 sq mi) or 5.6% of the province's area. Most of the regency has slopes below 40 degrees, consisting of 77.4%. Most of the regency is less than 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level. Around 74%, 97,948 hectares (378.18 sq mi) of the regency's area is used for plantation and agriculture, and only 20,685 hectares (79.87 sq mi) are used for human settlement.

Most of the regency's soil is litosol and grumusol, and is relatively fertile. The region's climate is classified as semi-arid, which makes large-scale farming challenging due to low precipitation compared to other regions in Indonesia. To solve this, the government of Indonesia has built several new dams in the region to avoid drought and secure access to water for its population.

The temperature ranges from 22–34 degrees Celsius (71.6–93.2 °F), with air humidity level between 69 and 87% annually. Between June and September, wind comes from Australia, bringing little water vapor to the region, and the dry season begins. The region is prone to drought and harvest failure.

The regency is divided into twenty-four districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024. The districts are grouped below into three geographical sectors (which have no administrative significance), plus the regency capital, Kota Kefamenanu. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (in total, 160 rural desa and 33 urban kelurahan), and its post code.