The main crops grown in the Regency are rice, rambutan, durian, orange, water melon, rubber, palm and coconut oil.

On December 26, 2004, the regency was affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake, with much of the administrative capital at Calang being destroyed.

The Indonesian Government announced that a rebuilt Calang would be sited further inland, although individual families and businesses were rebuilding at the same location along the coast.

By October 2006 substantial parts of the town of Calang had been reconstructed, including a small hotel and a number of restaurants and other businesses.

[5] Many people along the coast are still in transitional housing but progress has been made by the various local and many international organizations such as the Red Cross and USAID who are assisting with the reconstruction.