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Cirebon Regency is a regency (kabupaten) of West Java Province of Indonesia. The town of Sumber is its regency seat. It covers 1,075.16 km2 and had a population of 2,068,116 at the 2010 census and 2,270,621 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 2,413,814 (comprising 1,221,080 males and 1,192,734 females). These area and population figures exclude those of Cirebon City, which is a separate administration, although totally surrounded by the regency on its landward side.

The Cirebon region is renowned for the production of various types of mangoes. There are plans to support the expansion of mango production in the region both for export as well as for the domestic market. Mango production is currently concentrated in just a few parts of the regency. Local farmers and officials believe there is considerable potential to expand production to other nearby parts of the locality.

Detail of skirt from Cirebon, early 20th century, cotton, tulis batik, at the Honolulu Academy of Arts

Cirebon itself is known as Grage in its native Cirebonese language, which came from the words "Negara Gede", meaning "Great Kingdom." As a port city, Cirebon attract settlers from around and overseas alike. Cirebon culture was described as Java Pasisiran (coastal) culture, similar with those of Banten, Batavia, Pekalongan, and Semarang, with notable influences mixture of Chinese, Arabic-Islamic, and European influences.

Batik textiles from Cirebon are particularly renowned. The notable one is Cirebon batik with vivid colors with motifs and patterns that clearly demonstrate Chinese and local influences. Chinese influences can be seen in Cirebon's culture, most notably the Cirebon batik Megamendung pattern that resembles Chinese cloud imagery. The Trusmi area is well known as the production center of Cirebon batik. The glass painting art also has been known as Cirebon arts and craft. The imagery usually derived from wayang theme to Islamic calligraphy.

The Tari Topeng Cirebon, or Cirebon mask dance, is a dance style peculiar to the city. Topeng Cirebon mask dance, inspired by Javanese Panji cycles, is one of the notable Cirebon traditional dances and quite famous within Indonesian dances.

Cirebon culture also influenced by Islamic Middle Eastern culture, such as the Burokan tradition where people held the image of buraq — traditionally made from bamboo frame and paper skin, or other materials — around the village accompanied with music. The traditions on held bamboo statues is similar with Sundanese Sisingaan, Betawi Ondel-ondel, or Balinese Ogoh-ogoh, yet differ in its Islamic theme. Burokan usually held during festive occasion such as circumcision or marriage, accompanied by popular Cirebon folk songs, such as tarling.

Tarling is a musical tradition reminiscent of Bandung's kecapi suling music with except that it features guitar, suling (bamboo flute) and voice. The name derived from gitar (guitar), and suling (flute).

The remnants of Cirebon sultanate; Kasepuhan, Kanoman, Kaprabonan, and Kacirebonan are now run as cultural institution to preserve Cirebon culture. Each still held their traditional ceremonies and become the patrons of Cirebon arts. Some of royal symbols of Cirebon Sultanate describe their legacy and influences. The banner of Cirebon Sultanate is called "Macan Ali" (Ali's panther) with Arabic calligraphy arranged to resemble a panther or tiger, describe both Islamic influence and also Hindu Pajajaran Sundanese King Siliwangi tiger banner. Although did not held real political power anymore, the royal lineage of Cirebon still well respected and held in high prestige among the people of Cirebon.

The royal carriage of Kasepuhan's Singa Barong and Kanoman's Paksi Naga Liman carriage resemble the chimera of three animals; eagle, elephant, and dragon, to symbolize Indian Hinduism, Arabic Islam, and Chinese influences. The images of Macan Ali, Singa Barong and Paksi Naga Liman also often featured as pattern in Cirebon batik.

Being on the border of Sundanese (i.e., West Java) and Javanese (i.e., Central Java) cultural regions, many of Cirebon's residents speak a dialect that is a mix of Sundanese and Javanese, known as the Jawareh dialect, and it is thought that the word "Cirebon" derives from the Javanese word, caruban, meaning "mixed", a reference to the city's mix of Sundanese, Javanese, Chinese, and Arabic cultural elements. Alternatively, it could be derived from the Sundanese words of "Ci" (water or river) and "Rebon" ("shrimp"). (Indeed, the main production of the city is fishery including shrimps).

According to the manuscript Purwaka Caruban Nagari, in 15th century Cirebon started as a small fishing village named Muara Jati. At that time the port of Muara Jati already attracted foreign traders. The port master at that time is Ki Gedeng Alang-Alang whose appointed by the king of Galuh kingdom located inland in Kawali, Ciamis. He moved the port to Lemahwungkuk, 5 kilometres southward. As the new settlement leader, Ki Gedeng Alang-Alang was bestowed the title "Kuwu Cerbon" (Cerbon village leader).

A 15th century prince from Pajajaran, Prince Walangsungsang, converted to Islam, and was appointed as the Adipati (Duke) of Cirebon with the title Cakrabumi. He established the new kingdom of Cirebon and declared independence from Sunda and Galuh. The establishment of Cirebon Sultanate marked the first Islamic rule in Western Java, that grew from modest fishing village of Muara Jati to a busy port of Java northern coast. Cirebon grew as one of the independent sultanates under the leadership of Sunan Gunungjati, in the early 16th century.

After the Sunda Kingdom collapsed, The Sultanates of Banten and Mataram fought control over Cirebon, which declared its allegiance to Sultan Agung of Mataram. But the latter's grandson Amangkurat II ceded the city to the Dutch in 1677. A treaty in 1705 saw the Cirebon area west of Cisanggarung River became a Dutch protectorate jointly administered by three sultans whose courts rivalled those of Central Java. The Dutch authorities later established the Cirebon Residence (Residentie Tjirebon) which composed of present-day Cirebon, Indramayu, and Kuningan.

During the time of the Dutch "Culture System" a flourishing trade in colonial cash crops attracted many Chinese entrepreneurs and the Chinese influence is still evident in the batik for which Cirebon is famous. Cirebon suffered a famine in 1844, apparently triggered by a combination of drought and the shift from subsistence agriculture to cash crops, particularly indigo and sugarcane.

Some of the local political elite in Cirebon and surrounding regencies have campaigned for Cirebon city, together with the regencies of Cirebon, Indramayu, Kuningan and Majalengka to be established as a new province (Provinsi Rebana) - in the same way as Banten Province was formed in 2000 by splitting it away from West Java. To be a new province it is required that it should be proposed by at least three regencies. Leaders from four of these administrations have given their consent, but Majalengka Regency has turned down the idea and indicated that it would prefer to stay part of West Java. However, the lack of support from the Majalengka area does not preclude Cirebon city and the other three regencies from continuing to promote the idea.

The potential size and population of this possible Province would be as follows:

Cirebon Regency is bordered by the Java Sea to the north-east, Indramayu Regency to the north, Majalengka Regency to the west, Kuningan Regency to the south, and Brebes Regency (in Central Java Province) to the southeast. A small landing site "Penggung" also serves the TNI-AU. The city lies on Jalur Pantura (Pantai Utara Jawa), a major road on the northern coast of Java that stretches from Anyer, passes through Jakarta, and ends at Surabaya.

Cirebon Regency (excluding Cirebon City) is divided into forty districts (kecamatan), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 census and the 2020 census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2025. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 412 rural desa and 12 urban kelurahan, the latter all being in Sumber District), and their post codes.

Note: (a) comprises the 12 kelurahan (Babakan, Gegunung, Kaliwadas, Kemantren, Kenanga, Pasalakan, Pejambon, Perbutulan, Sendang, Sumber, Tukmudal and Watubelah) and 2 desa. The city of Cirebon virtually splits the Regency geographically into two parts, and proposals have been made to split the 18 south-eastern districts off as a separate regency. These eighteen districts in the first half of the table lie to the south and east of the city, and constitute the 'candidate' or planned separate regency (calon daerah baru) of East Cirebon (Kabupaten Cirebon Timur). The twenty-two districts in the second half of the table are situated to the north and west of the city, and constitute the 'core territory' or intended residual part of the regency (daerah induk).