| Official Name: | Paser Regency |
| Native Name: | Kabupaten Paser |
| Native Name Lang: | id |
| Pushpin Map: | Indonesia_Kalimantan#Indonesia |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Kalimantan and Indonesia |
| Coordinates: | -1.4352°N 116.2354°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Indonesia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | East Kalimantan |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Tana Paser |
| Leader Title: | Regent |
| Leader Title1: | Vice Regent |
| Area Total Km2: | 11603.94 |
| Elevation M: | 0 |
| Population Total: | 309667 |
| Population As Of: | mid 2024 estimate[1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | ICST |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | (+62) 543 |
| Settlement Type: | Regency |
Paser Regency (id|Kabupaten Paser; pronounced as /id/) is the southernmost regency within the East Kalimantan province of Indonesia. It was created in 26 June 1959 from the northern parts of Kotabaru. It was previously known as Pasir Regency until its renaming on 22 August 2007. Its northeastern districts were split off on 10 April 2002 to form the new Penajam North Paser Regency. The residual regency covers an area of 11,603.94 km2, and it had a population of 230,316 at the 2010 Census[2] and 275,452 at the 2020 Census;[3] the official estimate as at mid-2024 was 309,667 (comprising 160,276 males and 149,391 females).[4] Its administrative centre is the town of Tana Paser (or Tanah Grogot).
On 26 June 1959, Pasir was first established as a regency in East Kalimantan, after being separated from Kotabaru in South Kalimantan, for "historic and social-economic reasons". At the time of its formation, it originally consisted of four districts as mentioned: Central Pasir, North Pasir (not to be confused with Penajam North Paser), Pasir Hulu, and South Pasir.[5] Meanwhile, it largely inherited the borders from, with the exception of parts south of modern East Kalimantan–South Kalimantan border (still part of Kotabaru till this day). Little are known the archives relating to its separation from South Kalimantan.[6]
Twenty-eight years later, on 13 October 1987, Pasir annexed the district of Penajam, then known as Balikpapan Seberang.[7] Four northeastern districts, namely Penajam, Sepaku (created in 1996), Waru, and Babulu (also created in 1996), were later separated on 10 April 2002 to form Penajam North Paser.[8] On 22 August 2007, Pasir was officially renamed to Paser by the regional government.[9]
Following the separation of the districts in the northeast to form the new Penajam North Paser Regency on 10 April 2002, the residual Paser Regency is now divided into ten districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census[2] and the 2020 Census,[3] together with the official estimates as of mid-2024.[10] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totalling 5 urban kelurahan and 139 rural desa), and its postal codes.
| Kode Wilayah | Name of District (kecamatan) | Area in km2 | Pop'n Census 2010 | Pop'n Census 2020 | Pop'n Estimate mid 2024 | Admin centre | No. of villages | Post code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64.01.01 | Batu Sopang [11] | 1,111.38 | 22,540 | 26,867 | 29,874 | Batu Kajang | 9 | 76252 | |
| 64.01.10 | Muara Samu [12] | 855.25 | 4,221 | 6,855 | 8,036 | Muser | 9 | 76250 | |
| 64.01.09 | Batu Engau [13] | 1,507.26 | 11,662 | 16,969 | 21,401 | Kerang | 13 | 76261 | |
| 64.01.02 | Tanjung Harapan (a) [14] | 714.05 | 7,720 | 8,856 | 10,641 | Tanjung Aru | 7 | 76260 | |
| 64.01.03 | Paser Belengkong [15] | 990.11 | 23,543 | 28,595 | 31,845 | Pasir Belengkong | 15 | 76271 | |
| 64.01.04 | Tanah Grogot (b) [16] | 335.58 | 63,311 | 76,344 | 87,219 | Tanah Grogot | (c) 17 | 76251 | |
| 64.01.05 | Kuaro[17] | 747.30 | 23,934 | 29,188 | 32,298 | Kuaro | (c) 14 | 76281 | |
| 64.01.06 | Long Ikis (d) [18] | 1,204.22 | 36,701 | 41,147 | 44,519 | Long Ikis | (c) 27 | 76282 | |
| 64.01.07 | Muara Komam[19] | 1,753.40 | 12,459 | 13,056 | 14,573 | Muara Koman | (c) 14 | 76253 | |
| 64.01.08 | Long Kali [20] | 2,385.39 | 24,225 | 27,575 | 29,261 | Long Kali | (c) 24 | 76283 | |
| Totals | 11,603.94 | 230,316 | 275,452 | 309,667 | Tanah Grogot | 144 |
Note: (a) including the offshore islands of Pulau Batukapal, Pulau Burung and Pulau Merayap.
(b) including the offshore islands of Pulau Rantau Besar and Pulau Rantau Kecil ("Great and Little Rantau Islands").
(c) includes one urban kelurahan - the district admin centre (the rest being desa). (d) including the offshore island of Pulau Bansik.
Tana Paser has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with moderate rainfall in August and September and heavy to very heavy rainfall in the remaining months.
