Medan (;
English: ) is the
capital and largest city of the
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
North Sumatra
North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...
,
as well as a regional hub and
financial centre of
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
. According to the
National Development Planning Agency
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
, Medan is one of the
four main central cities of Indonesia, alongside
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
,
Surabaya
Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
, and
Makassar
Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...
. As of the 2020 Census, Medan has a population of 2,435,252 within its
city limits,
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] and over 3.4 million in its built-up
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
, making it the
fourth largest urban area in Indonesia.
The
Medan metropolitan area
The Greater Medan metropolitan area, known locally as Mebidangro (an acronym of Medan–Binjai–Deli Serdang–Karo) is a metropolitan area in North Sumatra, Indonesia, which consists of Medan City, Binjai City, Deli Serdang Regency and part (4 d ...
—which includes neighbouring
Binjai,
Deli Serdang Regency
Deli Serdang ( id, Kabupaten Deli Serdang; Jawi: دلي سردڠ) is a regency in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. It surrounds the city of Medan, and also borders the city of Binjai, which is effectively a bedroom community for Medan. ...
, and a part of
Karo Regency—is the largest metropolitan area outside of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, with 4,744,323 residents counted in the 2020 Census.
Medan is a multicultural
metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
and a busy trading city bordered by the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
, making it one of the major economic cities in Indonesia. A gateway to the western part of Indonesia, Medan is supported by the
Port of Belawan
Belawan ( zh, t=勿老灣, s=, poj=mài lau ôan) is a harbor in Medan, North Sumatra. Located on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Belawan is Indonesia's busiest seaport outside of Java. It constitutes the most northerly of the city of Medan's 21 a ...
and
Kualanamu International Airport
Kualanamu International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Kualanamu) (often spelled as Kuala Namu and informally abbreviated KNIA) is an international airport serving Medan, Indonesia, and other parts of North Sumatra. It is located in ...
, both of which are connected to the
city centre via
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...
s and
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
s.
The city was founded by the Guru Patimpus, a
Karonese man who named the area of swampy land at the confluence of
Deli River
Deli River (Indonesian: Sungai Deli) is a river located in Sumatra, Indonesia, and courses through Medan before discharging to the Strait of Malacca near the port city of Belawan. It is one of the eight rivers in Medan. The Deli Sultanate was f ...
and Babura river ''Kampung Medan Putri''. It later became a part of the
Deli Sultanate
Sultanate of Deli ( Indonesian: ''Kesultanan Deli Darul Maimoon''; Jawi: ) was a 1,820 km² Malay state in east Sumatra founded in 1630. A tributary kingdom from 1630 it was controlled by various Sultanates until 1814, when it became an ...
which was established in 1632. In the late 19th century,
colonial Dutch seeking new plantation areas chose Medan and Deli as the newest plantation hubs with
Deli Company. They set up
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
plantations, transforming Medan into a trade hub within several years, and earning Medan the nickname ''Het Land Dollar'', meaning "the land of the money". The city was well known due to the importance of tobacco as an export to Europe and the West. The rapid development of Medan came with the
Deli Railway, which was established for shipping tobacco,
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
,
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...
,
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
,
palm oil, and
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
from Medan to the
Port of Belawan
Belawan ( zh, t=勿老灣, s=, poj=mài lau ôan) is a harbor in Medan, North Sumatra. Located on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Belawan is Indonesia's busiest seaport outside of Java. It constitutes the most northerly of the city of Medan's 21 a ...
, and then exported around the world. Medan was the capital of the
State of East Sumatra before it became the provincial capital of North Sumatra. Medan was dubbed ''Parijs van Sumatra'' due to the city's resemblance to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
..
Medan is a financial, trading, and economic center not only for North Sumatra province but for the whole
Sumatra Island
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent is ...
. For many foreign investors, Medan is not only rich in culture and history but also presents itself as a dynamic economic hub of the world. As the robust capital of North Sumatra, Medan offers a large pool of human capital and talent, lower operational costs, a strategic location close to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, and diverse natural resources. The city is known as a trading hub for palm oil export. In North Sumatra, there are approximately 4 million acres of palm oil plantations. Medan is one of the progressive markets in trading. About 60% of the economy in North Sumatra is backed by trading, agriculture, and processing industries.
Etymology
According to the diary of a
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
merchant in the early 16th century, the name of Medan was derived from
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
word ''Maidhan'', also known as ''Maidhāṉam ''( ta, மைதானம்), that means ''Ground'', adopted from
Malay language
Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...
. One of the Karo-Indonesia dictionaries written by Darwin Prinst SH published in 2002 stated that Medan could also be defined as "recover" or "be better".
History
In ancient times, the city of Medan was known as Kampung Medan (Medan Village). It was a piece of swampy land with an area of approximately 4000 ha. Some of the rivers crossing the city of Medan drain into the Straits of Malacca. These rivers are Sei Deli, Sei Babura, Sei Sikambing, Sei Denai, Sei Putih, Sei Percut and Muara Belawan.
Aru Kingdom
The area in and around Medan city,
Deli
Deli may refer to:
* Delicatessen, a shop selling specially prepared food, or food prepared by such a shop
* Sultanate of Deli, a former sultanate in North Sumatra, Indonesia
Places
* Deli, Boyer-Ahmad, a village in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Pro ...
and
Langkat Regency was the location of ancient
Kingdom of Aru (Haru). The kingdom was established by the
Karo people and flourished between 13th to 16th century.
Several archaeological sites around Medan are connected to the Kingdom of Aru, including Kota Rentang in Hamparan Perak area, Deli Serdang Regency,
the Kota Cina archaeological site in
Medan Marelan
Medan Marelan (colonial name: ''Maryland''; zh, t=馬勒蘭, poj=má leh lân) is one of 21 administrative districts (''kecamatan''} in the city of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Boundaries of the district ( Indonesian: kecamatan):
* To the n ...
, and Benteng Putri Hijau, a fort ruin in Deli Tua, Namorambe, Deli Serdang Regency.
Founding of Medan
![Monumen Guru Patimpus Sembiring Pelawi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Monumen_Guru_Patimpus_Sembiring_Pelawi.jpg)
Medan started as a village called Kampung Medan (Medan Village). Kampung Medan was founded by Guru Patimpus Sembiring Pelawi, a Karonese man who came from the
Karo Land. Before he became a Muslim, he was a
Pemena
Pemena is a tribal religion of Karo people (Indonesia), Karo people of Indonesia.Bangun, Roberto. 1989. ''Mengenal orang Karo''.Jakarta: Yayasan Pendidikan Bangun. Pemena means the first or the beginning. Pemena is regarded as the first religion ...
follower. Following the history of ''trombo'' and
Hamparan Perak Hamparan Perak is a town and district of Deli Serdang Regency in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The population of the town was 14,157 in 2010 and 16,496 in 2020. It is the district capital of the Hamparan Perak district.
Hamparan Perak ...
(XII Kuta), Guru Patimpus studied Islam from Datuk Kota Bangun. At the time, Guru Patimpus and his people wanted to meet Datuk. Not only did they want to meet him, they also wanted to compete with him for "power". Whenever Guru Patimpus went to Kota Bangun, he always passes Pulo Brayan. In Pulo Brayan, Guru Patimpus fell in love with the Princess of Pulo Brayan. Eventually, he married the princess and had two sons, Kolok and Kecik. The married couple then turned the forest area in confluence between ''
Deli River
Deli River (Indonesian: Sungai Deli) is a river located in Sumatra, Indonesia, and courses through Medan before discharging to the Strait of Malacca near the port city of Belawan. It is one of the eight rivers in Medan. The Deli Sultanate was f ...
'' and ''Babura River'' into a small village, naming it ''Kampung Medan'' (lit. Medan Village). The day has been marked as the date of Medan's anniversary, 1 July 1590.
In his days, Guru Patimpus is known to be a forward-thinking person. This was proved by sending their children to study and read the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
to Datuk Kota Bangun and then sent them to
Aceh
Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
to deepen their knowledge on Islam.
In the early days, the natives called the area as the Land of Deli (
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
: ''Tanah Deli''), it starts from ''Ular River'' to the
Wampu River
The Wampu River is a river in North Sumatra, Indonesia, about 1500 km northwest of the capital Jakarta.
Hydrology
It rises as the Lau Biang river in Karo Regency near Siberaya, flowing past Kabanjahe, Perbesi, Kuta Buluh, Marike and ...
in Langkat while the Deli Sultanate in power at the time of his territory does not cover the area between the two rivers.
Statement confirming that the Kampung Medan is a description H. Muhammad Said quoting through the book ''Deli: In Woord en Beeld'' written by N. ten Cate. The statement said that early Kampung Medan was a fortress which was composed of two layers of roundabout-shaped walls at a confluence between two rivers namely Deli and Babura rivers. The Administrateur house is located across the river from the Kampung Medan. The location of Kampung Medan is in the modern-day location of the ''Wisma Benteng'' building now and the Administrateur house is in present-day ''PTP IX Deli Tobacco'' building.
Deli Sultanate
In the 16th century there was a kingdom called
Aru, with its center located where Deli Tua is now (south of Medan). In 1612, the Acehnese
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Iskandar Muda
Iskandar Muda (1583? – 27 December 1636Yusra Habib Abdul Gani, accessed on 4 January 2007) was the twelfth Sulṭān of Acèh Darussalam, under whom the sultanate achieved its greatest territorial extent, holding sway as the strongest po ...
defeated Aru. The Acehnese appointed Hisyamsudin (later he changed his name to ''Tuanku Gocah Pahlawan''), titled as Laksamana Kuda Bintan as their representative in this kingdom of
East Sumatra
The State of East Sumatra (''Negara Sumatera Timur'') was established by the Netherlands after the reoccupation of North Sumatra in July, 1947, during the first of the Dutch " police actions" against the fledgling Republic of Indonesia. In 1949, ...
. In 1632 Aceh established the Deli Sultanate (
Jawi: کسلطانن دلي) and Gocah Pahlawan became the first king. Gocah Pahlawan opens a new land in Sungai Lalang and Percut. As the Mayor and Deputy of Sultan of Aceh as well as by utilizing the large size of Aceh Empire, Gocah Pahlawan managed to expand his territory, thereby covering
Percut Sei Tuan Percut Sei Tuan is a town and district of Deli Serdang Regency in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The population of the town in 2001 was 17,863. It is the district capital of the Percut Sei Tuan district.
Percut Sei Tuan District
The dis ...
and Medan Deli district now. He also founded the villages of Gunung Barus, Sampali, Kota Bangun, Pulo Brayan, Kota Jawa, Kota Rengas and Sigara-gara. He died in 1669 and was followed by his son ''Tuangku Panglima Perunggit'' who moved the center of the kingdom to Labuhan Deli, which then proclaimed the independence of Deli Sultanate from
Aceh Sultanate in 1669, with its capital in Medan Labuhan, approximately 15 km from the city center now.
During the reign of the third king, ''Tuanku Panglima Padrap'' (ruled 1698–1728), the kingdom was moved to Pulo Brayan due to floods. The fourth king, "Tuanku Panglima Pasutan" (ruled between 1728 and 1761) organized the kingdom in four tribes, each led by a Datuk (a Malay title for high ranking persons). During the time of the fifth king, "Tuanku Panglima Gandar Wahib" (ruled 1761–1805) the Datuks increased their power.
The sixth ruler was "Sultan Amaluddin Mengedar Alam" (ruled 1805–1850). During his years the
Siak Sultanate
The Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura, often called Sultanate of Siak (Indonesian: Kesultanan Siak Sri Inderapura; Jawi: ), was a kingdom that was located in the Siak Regency, Riau from 1722 to 1949 CE. It was founded by ''Raja Kechil,'' who w ...
became a stronger influence in Deli than the Acehnese Sultanate, and the ruler was given the title:
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
. The seventh ruler was "Sultan Osman Perkasa Alam" (ruled 1850 to 1858), during his leadership the Deli Sultanate became autonomous.
The eighth ruler, "Sultan Mahmud Al Rasyid Perkasa Alam" (ruled 1858–1873) started the relationship with the Dutch, a relationship that became rather intimate. The next ruler was "
Sultan Ma'mun Al Rashid Perkasa Alamyah", who ruled from 1873 to 1924 when the tobacco trade expanded. He moved the kingdom to Medan and finished the construction of the
Maimun Palace
Maimoon Palace or Maimun Palace ( id, Istana Maimun) is an '' istana'' (royal palace) of the Sultanate of Deli and a well-known landmark in Medan, the capital city of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, it serves as a museum. The name is the Ara ...
in 1888. He also built the grand mosque of Al Ma'shun which is commonly known as
Great Mosque of Medan
Grand Mosque of Medan or Masjid Raya Al-Mashun is a mosque located in Medan, Indonesia. The mosque was built in the year 1906 and completed in 1909. In beginning of its establishment, the mosque was a part of the Maimun palace complex. Its archit ...
now in 1907. He became known as the builder of early Medan in cooperation with the Dutch and
Tjong Yong Hian
Tjong Yong Hian (1850–1911) was a Hakka Chinese businessman and Kapitan Cina, kapitan who had a great contribution to the development of society in the city of Medan around the early 1900s, he is also brother of Tjong A Fie, the successor ka ...
and
Tjong A Fie
Tjong A Fie, Majoor der Chinezen (1860–1921), or Tjong Yiauw Hian (spelled in Hakka Chinese dialect, ; Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chông Yeu Hian), birth name Zhang Hongnan (), was a Hakka Chinese businessman, banker and kapitan (Chinese major) ...
, two Chinese businessmen brothers and also ''Kapitans'' who built a large plantation business in Deli. They all brought Medan-Deli as new development area including business centers such as banks, offices, plantation areas, housing, railroad and a port. The tenth "Sultan Amaluddin Al Sani Perkasa Alamsyah" (ruled 1924–1945) expanded harbors, with commerce increased during his period. At the declaration of
Indonesian Independence
The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ( id, Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 on Friday, 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of th ...
, the Sultan recognized the sovereignty of the republic and was in return given an important function as administrator of
Deli-Malay traditions and culture.
The Sultanate of Deli still exists until this day, even though the administrative powers has been replaced with elected
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
s. The current sultan is ''Sultan Mahmud Lamanjiji Perkasa Alam'', the 14th sultan, (ruled since 2005). At age eight, he became the youngest Sultan of Deli ever crowned.
Dutch East Indies era
![COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Haven van Belawan Borneo TMnr 10007922](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Haven_van_Belawan_Borneo_TMnr_10007922.jpg)
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 meant strongly intensified traffic between Europe and the
Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
. The Dutch started the shipping company ''
Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland'' that quickly expanded to 43 steamships in 1877. The English, however, had already 3,000 ships in those days. A journey from Europe to Indonesia took approximately 40 days.
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, Italy became the new transit harbor for passenger ships after the opening of the
Gotthard Tunnel
, it, Galleria del San Gottardo
, other_name =
, line = Gotthard Line
, location = Traversing the Saint-Gotthard Massif in the middle of the Swiss Alps
, coordinates =
, os_grid_ref =
, status =
, system ...
in Switzerland. The journey was reduced to 23 days and 20 hours to
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
(Jakarta). The ships also became bigger and more comfortable.
This resulted in an increase in cruise ships carrying predominantly white
Europeans coming to
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
as tourists for a tour of the region, including Medan as the largest
tobacco plantation
A plantation economy is an economy based on agricultural mass production, usually of a few commodity crops, grown on large farms worked by laborers or slaves. The properties are called plantations. Plantation economies rely on the export of c ...
in Dutch East Indies at that time. To accommodate the tourists, it was deemed necessary to have European-class hotels. Therefore, in 1898, a
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
businessman named
Aeint Herman de Boer built
Hotel de Boer
NV Hotel Mijn de Boer (more popularly called by Hotel de Boer, now Inna Dharma Deli Hotel) is a Dutch colonial style hotel located on the Cremerweg (now Jalan Balai Kota), Medan, Dutch East Indies, current-day Indonesia. The hotel was built in 18 ...
in the northwest of the Esplanade (now Lapangan Merdeka Medan).
![Medan Kesanvan Strasse von Sueden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Medan_Kesanvan_Strasse_von_Sueden.jpg)
Exports were very dependent on British shipping in 1890 when
Sabang became a bunker harbor.
Belawan
Belawan ( zh, t=勿老灣, s=, poj=mài lau ôan) is a harbor in Medan, North Sumatra. Located on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Belawan is Indonesia's busiest seaport outside of Java. It constitutes the most northerly of the city of Medan's ...
got its harbor in 1923. The shipping company ''
Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij'' (KPM) was established for the purpose of shipping valuable
Deli Company tobacco, which was shipped to
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
. This cargo was almost as valuable and stringent rules regulated its handling. It was strictly forbidden to stow anything on top of the tobacco and coolies were not even to walk on it when they worked in the hatches.
Cleaning of roads in Medan was, until 1912, done by prisoners. After that free
coolie
A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent.
The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...
s got the job. In 1917 the authorities started to use horse-drawn carts, equipped with brooms for the cleaning. In 1928 the horse-drawn carts were replaced by motorized vehicles. The first newspaper was the ''Deli Courant'', established in 1885 although it was not a daily publication. In 1898, Joseph Hallermann, a German, established the daily ''De Sumatra Post'', which survived until 1939.
There were planters in Medan from many countries: England, the Netherlands, USA, France, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland. Many of them became very rich and led affluent lifestyles. Medan became known as the
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
of Sumatra (lit. ''Parijs van Sumatra'' (
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
)). Up until today, the area in downtown where the old airport is located is called Polonia, a name given by a
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
aristocrat who once owned a plantation here. One area of Medan is still called Helvetia (
the old name of Switzerland). This name was given by a plantation owner from
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
Tobacco plantations
Medan did not develop rapidly until the 1860s, when the Dutch authorities began to release new land for tobacco plantations.
Jacob Nienhuys, Van der Falk, and Elliot, who were Dutch tobacco merchants, pioneered the opening of the tobacco plantation in Deli. Nienhuys' previous tobacco business in Java moved to Deli after an invitation by an Arab from
Surabaya
Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
named Said Abdullah Bilsagih, brother-in-law of the Deli Sultan Mahmud Perkasa Alam. Initially, Nienhuys cultivated tobacco on 4,000 hectares of land in Tanjong Spassi, near Labuhan, owned by the Sultan of Deli. In March 1864, Nienhuys sent samples of his crop of tobacco to
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, Netherlands to test its quality. Apparently, the tobacco leaves were considered high quality for cigar materials. Hence Deli's name rose as a producer of the best cigar wrappers for Europeans.
The tobacco treaty was signed by the Sultan of Deli and the Dutch in 1865. After two years, Nienhuys along with Jannsen, P.W. Clemen, and Cremer founded the company ''
De Deli Maatschappij'' abbreviated ''Deli Mij'' in Labuhan. In 1869, Nienhuys moved the head office of Deli Mij to Kampung Medan. The new office was built on the confluence of Deli and Babura river, precisely at the office of PTPN II (ex PTPN IX) now. With the transfer of the office, Medan quickly became the center of government activity and trade, as well as area with the most dominant development in western Indonesia. The rapid development of the economy transformed Deli into a major trading center nicknamed ''het land dollar'' aka the land of the money. Then, they opened up new plantations in the Martubung and Sunggal areas in 1869, as well in Sungai Beras and Klumpang in 1875, bringing the total to 22 plantation companies in the year
1874. Given the activities of the tobacco trade was already very broad and growing, ''Kampung Medan'' became increasingly crowded and then developed with a name that is known as the Medan-Deli.
The development of Medan-Deli as a trading center was followed by it becoming a center of government. In 1879, Capital Assistant of Deli Resident moved from Labuhan to Medan. On 1 March
1887, the capital of the Resident of East Sumatra also moved from
Bengkalis Bengkalis (''Kota Bengkalis'') was the seat (capital) of Bengkalis Regency in the Riau province of Indonesia until 8 July 2013, when it became an independent city. It is located on Bengkalis Island. The city had a population of 66,211.
Bengkalis ha ...
to Medan Deli Sultanate Palace which was originally located in Kampung Bahari (Labuhan) and Pulo Brayan also moved with the completion of
Maimoon Palace
Maimoon Palace or Maimun Palace ( id, Istana Maimun) is an ''istana'' (royal palace) of the Sultanate of Deli and a well-known landmark in Medan, the capital city of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, it serves as a museum. The name is the Arabi ...
on 18 May 1891, and thus the Capital of Deli officially moved to Medan.
Growth of Medan-Deli
In 1915, the Residency of East Sumatra enhanced its status to Gubernermen. In 1918 the city of Medan officially became Gemeente (
Municipal
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
) with Mayor Baron ''Daniël Mackay''. Based on the "Acte van Schenking" (
Grant Deed) No. 97 Notary J.M. de-Hondt Junior, dated 30 November 1918, the Sultan of Deli handed over the land of Medan-Deli to the Gemeente, thus officially becoming the region under the direct rule of the Dutch East Indies. In the early days of this township, Medan still consisted of four villages, namely Kampung Kesawan, Kampung Sungai Rengas, Kampung Petisah Hulu and Kampung Petisah Hilir.
In 1918, there were 43,826 residents of Medan, made up of 409 Europeans, 35,009 Native Indonesians, 8,269 Chinese and 139 East foreigners such as Indians.
Since then, the Medan developed more rapidly. Various facilities were built. Some of these include the Office of Experiment Stations named AVROS in Kampung Baru (1919), now RISPA, the railway of Pangkalan Brandan – Besitang (1919),
Tirtanadi Water Tower
The Tirtanadi Water Tower is a water tower dating back to 1908 in city of Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. A ...
(1908), American Consulate (1919), Teacher school on Jl. H.M. Yamin now (1923), Mingguan Soematra (1924), Pool Association Medan (1924), Central Market (Grote Markt), St. Elizabeth Hospital, Eye Hospital and Kebun Bunga Sports field (1929).
Since the beginning, Medan has been positioned at the center of trade. Being chosen as the capital of Deli, Medan also developed into a center of government. Until now, excluding one of the areas of the city, also serves as the capital of North Sumatra province.
Japanese occupation and post independence era
![Biscuit Factory in Medan TH Marpaung](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Biscuit_Factory_in_Medan_TH_Marpaung.jpg)
In 1942, the Japanese
invaded the Dutch East Indies, arriving in Sumatra by February. Sumatra was placed under the command of the
25th Army, based in Singapore. The Japanese troops who landed in the ''Tanjung Tiram'',
Asahan and entered Medan by bicycles that they bought from the people around them by bartering. They have the motto that they help the Asians because they are the elder brothers of the Asians, so they are very welcomed upon arrival.
The transfer of Dutch colonial to the Japanese was very chaotic, the natives took this opportunity to take revenge against the Dutch. This situation was immediately brought under control by the Japanese army by deploying its troops named
Kempetai
The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspecte ...
. With the entry of Japan in Medan, the situation immediately changed, especially the civil government which in the Dutch era was called ''gemeentebestuur'', the Japanese changed to ''Medan Sico'' (Municipal Government). The one who served in the civilian government at the Medan municipal level at that time until the end of Japanese rule was named ''Hoyasakhi''. Following the
surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
in 1945, Sumatra came under the authority of the
South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during the Second World War.
History Organisation
The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir A ...
headed by British
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Lord Louis Mountbatten
Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of Germa ...
. On 17 August,
Sukarno proclaimed Indonesia independence in Jakarta, and appointed
Muhammad Hasan as governor of Sumatra. However, news of the proclamation was only announced by Hasan in Medan on 30 September. After allied troops landed in October, clashes with armed Republicans led to the
Battle of Medan
The Battle of Medan, known locally as the Battle for the Medan Area ( id, Pertempuran Medan Area) was a battle between Allies of World War II, Allied forces and the Indonesian Army in Medan, North Sumatra, and its surrounding area during the Ind ...
.
In December 1947, the Dutch established the State of East Sumatra with Medan as its capital in the area they controlled following the
Operation Product
Operation Product was a Dutch military offensive against areas of Java and Sumatra controlled by the Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution.Vickers (2005), p. 99 It took place between 21 July and 4 August 1947. Referr ...
against the republicans. This became part of the
United States of Indonesia
The United States of Indonesia ( nl, Verenigde Staten van Indonesië, id, Republik Indonesia Serikat, abbreviated as RIS), was a short-lived federal state to which the Netherlands formally transferred sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies (exce ...
, but was dissolved into the unitary republic of Indonesia in 1950.
The city development remained stagnant until the 1970s, when big developments, especially
palm oil and
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
plantation company headquarters, making Medan the busiest city outside Java. The big migration program brought a lot of Javanese and the Batak people began to settle in the city as many people from
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
and rural part of the province sought jobs.
In 1998,
4 to 8 May 1998 riots occurred in Medan due to
1997 Asian financial crisis. They began when demonstrations around many campuses for nearly two months between students clashing with security officials that resulted in the death of a student. The next day, the mobs became bigger, targeting and attacking the business and trading sector that lead into a racial riot, with many shops and vehicles burned and looted at several roads around the city which is majority owned by Chinese residents. As a result, a
curfew
A curfew is a government order specifying a time during which certain regulations apply. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to ''not'' be in public places or on roads within a certain time frame, typically in the evening and ...
was imposed for more than two weeks until peace returned.
On 5 September 2005,
Mandala Airlines Flight 091
Mandala Airlines Flight 091 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Medan to Jakarta, operated by Mandala Airlines with a Boeing 737-200Adv. On September 5, 2005 at 10:15 a.m. WIB (UTC+7), the aircraft stalled and crashed into a heavily ...
crashed right a minute after
takeoff
Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff.
For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a ...
from old
Polonia International Airport
Soewondo Air Force Base ( id, Pangkalan Udara Soewondo) is currently the military airbase of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Before 2013, this airport served commercial flights, and was known as Polonia International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara ...
from Medan to Jakarta. The aircraft stalled and crashed into a heavily populated residential area along ''Djamin Ginting'' road in ''Padang Bulan'', of the 117 passengers and crews on board, only 17 survived, an additional 49 civilians on the ground were killed.
This flight accident led to planning by moving to newly built airport in
Deli Serdang
Deli Serdang ( id, Kabupaten Deli Serdang; Jawi: دلي سردڠ) is a regency in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. It surrounds the city of Medan, and also borders the city of Binjai, which is effectively a bedroom community for Medan ...
that completed in 2012, named as
Kualanamu International Airport
Kualanamu International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Kualanamu) (often spelled as Kuala Namu and informally abbreviated KNIA) is an international airport serving Medan, Indonesia, and other parts of North Sumatra. It is located in ...
. The moving to the new airport relaxed
height restriction laws
Height restriction laws are laws that restrict the maximum height of structures.
There are a variety of reasons for these measures. Some restrictions limit the height of new buildings so as not to block views of an older work decreed to be an imp ...
in the city. Currently many under constructed apartment, condominium, office building, and others which passed 100 meters and above, bring the sign of current rapid development of Medan.
Geography
Medan is in the northeastern part of
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
island, in
North Sumatra
North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...
province. Medan itself is a
semi-enclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
within Deli Serdang Regency, as Medan is bordered by Deli Serdang in south, east, and west, while Medan borders with
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
in the north.
Medan lies on the banks of the Deli River and Babura River which feed into a naturally sheltered harbor and then into the
Straits of Malacca. It has helped the city grow in significance as a trading port. Its elevation varies between
above sea level. Medan is close to the
Barisan Mountains
The Bukit Barisan or the Barisan Mountains are a mountain range on the western side of Sumatra, Indonesia, covering nearly 1,700 km (1,050 mi) from the north to the south of the island. The Bukit Barisan range consists primarily of volca ...
which is located in the southern part of the city and close to volcanoes such as
Sibayak
Mount Sibayak ( id, Gunung Sibayak) is a stratovolcano overlooking the town of Berastagi in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Although its last eruption was more than a century ago, geothermal activity in the form of steam vents and hot springs re ...
Mountain and
Sinabung
Mount Sinabung (Indonesian: ''Gunung Sinabung'', Karo: ''Deleng Sinabung'') is a Pleistocene-to-Holocene stratovolcano of andesite and dacite in the Karo plateau of Karo Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia, from the Lake Toba supervolcano. Ma ...
Mountain (located as far as from the city).
Climate
Under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Medan features a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
(''Af'') with no real
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
. Medan does have noticeably wetter and drier months, with its driest month (January) on average seeing about one third of the precipitation of its wettest month (October). Temperatures in the city average approximately throughout the course of the year. Annual precipitation in the Medan is around .
Located in the central part of
Deli Serdang Regency
Deli Serdang ( id, Kabupaten Deli Serdang; Jawi: دلي سردڠ) is a regency in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. It surrounds the city of Medan, and also borders the city of Binjai, which is effectively a bedroom community for Medan. ...
, Medan is surrounded by
satellite cities
Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have m ...
and towns such as
Binjai,
Lubuk Pakam Lubuk Pakam ( zh, t=巴幹, poj=pa kàn) is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and it is the seat (capital) of Deli Serdang Regency
Deli Serdang ( id, Kabupaten Deli Serdang; Jawi: دلي سردڠ) is a regency in the Indonesian provi ...
, Tanjung Morawa, Tembung,
Percut Sei Tuan Percut Sei Tuan is a town and district of Deli Serdang Regency in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The population of the town in 2001 was 17,863. It is the district capital of the Percut Sei Tuan district.
Percut Sei Tuan District
The dis ...
, and Labuhan Deli which help the city become a new urban area in Indonesia which known as 'Mebidang' (Medan, Binjai, Deli Serdang).
Governance
Mayor
Medan was governed by Mayor Dr. H. Abdillah Ak, MBA in 2005–2010. However, Abdillah and his vice mayor were caught by Indonesian
Corruption Eradication Commission
Corruption Eradication Commission ( id, Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi), abbreviated as KPK, is an Indonesian government agency established to prevent and fight corruption in the country. Firli Bahuri, an active police general, is the current ch ...
officials in 2008. Syamsul Arifin, the Governor of North Sumatra Province, then appointed Affifudin Lubis to become the acting mayor. In 2009, Affifudin Lubis resigned from his position and the Governor then appointed Rahudman Harahap as a replacement. Because Rahudman wanted to be a candidate in the 2010 mayor election, he too resigned from the office. Left with no choice, Syamsul Arifin himself became the acting mayor. In the 2010 mayor election, Rahudman Harahap won the election. However, Rahudman was then arrested due to corruption which resulted in his deputy
Dzulmi Eldin officially becoming the acting mayor. In February 2016, Dzulmi won the election and became the mayor for five years (2016–2021). Currently, Medan is led by
Bobby Nasution
Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution (born 5 July 1991) is an Indonesian businessman and politician who currently serves as the mayor of Medan. He is the son-in-law of President Joko Widodo.
Early life
Nasution was born on 5 July 1990 in Medan, North S ...
as a mayor and Aulia Rachman as a vice mayor.
Administrative divisions
![Peta Lokasi Kecamatan Kota Medan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Peta_Lokasi_Kecamatan_Kota_Medan.svg)
Medan is divided into 21
districts ( id, kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and populations at the 2010 Census,
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and the 2020 Census.
The table also includes the number of administrative villages (urban ''kelurahan'') in each district, and its postal codes.
The city is centralised around Medan Petisah, Medan Baru, Medan Polonia, Medan Maimun, Medan Kota, and Medan Barat (West Medan) which act as the city centers. Medan Labuhan is one of the largest districts by area (together with Medan Belawan and Medan Marelan) and lies on the northern part of the city. Medan Tuntungan serves as the gateway to
Karo Regency, Medan Helvetia to
Binjai City and Langkat, and Medan Amplas to
Tebing Tinggi and
Pematang Siantar
Pematangsiantar (sometimes written as Pematang Siantar, acronym PS or ''P. Siantar'', colloquially just Siantar), is an independent city in North Sumatra, Indonesia, surrounded by, but not part of, the Simalungun Regency, making Pematangsiantar a ...
.
The 21 districts are sub-divided into 151 neighborhoods or urban villages (''kelurahan'').
Demographics
The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
,
Surabaya
Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
and
Bandung
Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
, as well as Indonesia's largest city outside
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
island. The population within the city's borders has risen from 568,000 in 1968 fourfold to 2.1 million in 2010, and rose again to 2,435,252 at the 2020 Census. Much more of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in
Deli Serdang Regency
Deli Serdang ( id, Kabupaten Deli Serdang; Jawi: دلي سردڠ) is a regency in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. It surrounds the city of Medan, and also borders the city of Binjai, which is effectively a bedroom community for Medan. ...
. The official
Metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
(''Wilayah Metropolitan Medan'') was inhabited by 4,220,439 people in 2010, but had risen to 4,744,323 in 2020.
The four districts of Karo Regency within the metropolitan area are Merdaka, Berastagi, Dolat Rayat and Barusjahe.
Ethnicities and languages
Batak (including
Mandailing
The Mandailing is an ethnic group in Sumatera, Indonesia that is commonly associated with the Batak people. They are found mainly in the northern section of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They came under the influence of the Kaum Padri who ...
and
Karo people) and
Javanese are the major ethnic groups in Medan, along with
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
,
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
and
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
populations and smaller groups of
Acehnese,
Indians,
Nias
Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, ...
, and
Sundanese
Sundanese may refer to:
* Sundanese people
* Sundanese language
* Sundanese script
Standard Sundanese script (''Aksara Sunda Baku'', ) is a writing system which is used by the Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (' ...
people. Medan also has foreign residents from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Middle East and other Asian countries.
[Leo Suryadinata, Evi Nurvidya Arifin, Aris Ananta, Indonesia's Population: ethnicity and religion in a changing political landscape, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2003.]
The city has diverse communities, reflected by its history. The
Bataks are one of the major ethnic groups in Medan; with there being three Batak subethnicities residing in the city including the
Toba Toba may refer to:
Languages
* Toba Sur language, spoken in South America
* Batak Toba, spoken in Indonesia
People
* Toba people, indigenous peoples of the Gran Chaco in South America
* Toba Batak people, a sub-ethnic group of Batak people from N ...
,
Karo and
Mandailing
The Mandailing is an ethnic group in Sumatera, Indonesia that is commonly associated with the Batak people. They are found mainly in the northern section of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They came under the influence of the Kaum Padri who ...
Bataks. The Karo people are the natives in Medan. Meanwhile, the Toba people were employed by the Dutch as workers in oil palm
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
s. Lastly, the Mandailing people came in masses after the independence era to find better jobs. The Bataks reside throughout the city, while the Karo people reside around southern areas such as Padang Bulan, Medan Johor and Tuntungan. Toba Batak people reside in Marindal and Amplas; a large number also live in nearby city-centers such as the Medan Perjuangan district, while the Mandailing people mostly reside in Medan Tembung. Bataknese language are very diversified, main Batak language in Medan are
Batak and
Karo languages.
In addition, there is a large ethnic
Javanese community, largely made up of the descendants of people transported from Java in the last 19th century to be employed as contract workers at various plantations in
North Sumatra
North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...
. They are usually known as ''Pujakesuma'' (: Putra Jawa Kelahiran Sumatera, : Sumatra-born Javanese). Their presence in Medan can be marked from various Javanese toponymies in Medan, such as Tanjungsari, Sarirejo, Sidodadi, Sidorejo, etc. (mostly in East Medan and Medan Tembung area), mostly of them are speaking
Javanese with its local variation. The
Malays are also natives of Medan, already living in outskirt areas such as Belawan and Labuhan since the
Aru era as fishermen. They came to the city after Deli Sultanate
new palace was established in the 18th century. Over time, the Malays spread throughout the city with the biggest concentration of people living in Medan Maimun, Kota Matsum, Labuhan and Belawan, many of them are speaking
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
.
A highly visible component of city population is the large number of
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
whom migrated from southern China to Deli in the 16th century with mass migration occurring in the last 19th and early 20th century for those seeking employment as planters and coolies. Now, Medan is home of the largest Chinese community on Sumatra island; they are active in business and trading activities which contribute greatly to the city economy. Unlike the Java-born Chinese, most Chinese people in Medan speak fluent
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
, a dialect originating from
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
, a province in southern part of China. They also made its own variation of Hokkien that are called as
Medan Hokkien
Medan Hokkien is a local variety of Hokkien spoken among Chinese Indonesians in Medan and Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the ''lingua franca'' in Medan as well as other northern city states of North Sumatra surrounding it, and is a subdialect of the ...
, with borrowed many local words. Many also speak
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
,
Teochew, and
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
, depending on the language of their ancestors. The Chinese reside throughout the city, but the majority live around the city centre. The city also hosts a sizable community of
Indian Indonesian
Indian Indonesians ( id, Orang India Indonesia; ta, இந்திய இந்தோனேசியர்) are Indonesians whose ancestors whose ancestors originally came from the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, this term can be regarded a ...
, mostly are
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
descendants, commonly known as Madrasis or Tamilan. A well-known Tamil neighbourhood is
Kampung Madras
Kampung Madras (Madras Village), formerly known as Kampung Keling ( ta, காலிங் கிராமம்), is the Little India of Medan, Indonesia, and one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves. Kampung Madras encompasses an area of a ...
, which is located in the city center and is heralded as one of the busiest parts of the city, other small Indian ethnics are also presence such as
Punjabi,
Malayali
The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. ...
and
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
, the main language among Indians in Medan are
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, beside
Bahasa Indonesia, some of them are also fluent in
Punjabi,
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
and
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
.
Minangkabaus is also known as the merchants, peddlers, and artisans, in addition to white collar workers such as doctors, lawyers, and journalists. Minangkabau restaurants, known as Padang Restaurant, scattered throughout the city. The Minang people came to Medan in the mid-19th century. In 1960s to 1980s, the number of Minangkabau people migrating to Medan surged, and formed 8.6% of the population in the city. The Minangkabaus living around Medan Denai and Medan Maimun area, most of them are speaking
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
Acehnese are other minority ethnicities in Medan. A significant number of Aceh people mostly came after the
conflict
Conflict may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton
* ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne
* ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...
that happened in Aceh in the late 1970s when they sought sanctuary. Today, they are known working as merchants such as grocery store operators and can be found in
Mie Aceh restaurants around Setia Budi and Ring Road/Sunggal areas, mostly Aceh people are speaking
Acehnese,
Gayonese
The Gayo people are an ethnic group living in the highlands of Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. The Gayo tribe has a population of 336,856 and they live predominantly in the mountains. Most Gayo live in three regencies in Aceh namely Bener ...
are also exist among them.
Even though many languages are exist in Medan, mostly of them are communicate each other with own slang, called as ''Bahasa Medan'' or ''Dialek Medan'' (''Medanese slang'') that made from
Bahasa Indonesia with various words taken from its respective ethnics, mainly from
Malay language
Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...
, the sounds of Medanese slang are quite loud and harsh that sometimes offends their listeners.
Religion
The majority of Medan's inhabitants are
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, comprising approximately 66 percent of the total population. There is a large significant
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
population around 25 percent including
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, with various denominations including the
Batak Christian Protestant Church
The Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (''HKBP''), which translates in English as ''Batak Christian Protestant Church'', is a Lutheran church that is oriented towards Protestant among the Batak people, generally the Toba Batak in Indonesia. With a b ...
,
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
and
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
. Around 9 percent are followed
Buddhists
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
, and there are smaller numbers of
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
,
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
and
Sikhism
Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
are also exist in the city. Medan host diversified house of worships includes
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
,
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
,
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
,
buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
(
vihara/
wat
A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」 (w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...
),
hindu temple
A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...
(
koil
''Koil'' or ''Koyil'' or ''Kovil'', (meaning: residence of GodThe modern Tamil word for Hindu temple is ''kōvil'' ( ta, கோவில்) meaning "the residence of God". In ancient Tamil Nadu, the king (, ''Kō'') was considered to be a ...
/
pura
Pura may refer to:
Places
* Pura, Kushtagi, a village in Koppal district, Karnataka, India
* Pura, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran
* Pura, Tarlac, a municipality in the Philippines
* Pura, Switzerland, a municipality in Ticino, S ...
),
taoist temple
A Taoist temple (, also called ''dàoguàn'' and , is a place where the Tao is observed and cultivated it is a place of worship in Taoism.
Structure and function can vary according to the Taoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guà ...
, and
gurdwara
A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...
s.
Islam are mostly followed by the Malay, Minangkabau, Javanese, Mandailing-Angkola and Achehnese people, while the Bataknese are majority following Christianity. There are also Bataknese that are following the traditional religion such as
Pemena
Pemena is a tribal religion of Karo people (Indonesia), Karo people of Indonesia.Bangun, Roberto. 1989. ''Mengenal orang Karo''.Jakarta: Yayasan Pendidikan Bangun. Pemena means the first or the beginning. Pemena is regarded as the first religion ...
and
Parmalim The term Parmalim or malim describes the followers of the '' Malim religion'' (''Ugamo Malim'' or Batak nation religion), the modern form of the traditional Batak religion. People who are not familiar with the Batak language may erroneously assume P ...
. Buddhism are major religion for the Chinese, while small community of them are following
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
and Christian. Meanwhile Hinduism are mostly followed by the Indians.
File:Al-Osmani Mosque, Medan, Indonesia.jpg, Al-Osmani Mosque, the oldest mosque in the city
File:GPIB Immanuel Medan.jpg, Immanuel Church, one of oldest protestant church in the city
File:Vihara Maitreya.jpg, Maha Vihara Maitreya Buddhist temple, one of non-historical largest Buddhist temple in Indonesia
File:Perhimpunan Shri Mariamman (Mariamman Hindu Temple), Medan.jpg, Sri Mariamman Temple, main Hindu temple in Medan
File:View Toward Main Hall, Vihara Gunung Timur, Medan, Sumatra.jpg, Gunung Timur Temple
Gunung Timur Temple () is a Chinese temple which is the largest in the city of Medan, Indonesia and possibly also on the island of Sumatra. This temple was built in the 1962 and dedicated to Dongyue Dadi (東嶽大帝). This temple is located a ...
, the oldest taoist temple in Sumatra island
File:Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni Medan.jpg, Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni
Our Lady of Good Health Church ( id, Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni), is a Marian shrine built in the Indo- Dravida style that opened in 2005 in Medan, Indonesia. It is devoted to Our Lady of Good Health ( ta, ஆரோக்கிய மாதா ...
catholic church, designed with dravidian architecture
Dravidian architecture, or the South Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from South India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. It is seen in Hindu temples, and the most distinc ...
Economy
![Bank Indonesia in Medan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Bank_Indonesia_in_Medan.jpg)
Medan is one of the largest metropolitan cities in Indonesia and became the center of growth in the province of North Sumatra. The city is an important commercial and economic hub of Indonesia. Locals, as well as many foreigners have set up their business to take advantage of its dynamism and boost its economy. Medan's economy was mainly based on tobacco, rubber, tea, palm and coffee culture and production, but growing manufacturing sector such as automotive, production of machinery,
tile
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...
s,
paper and pulp, etc., also currently contribute to the city's economy.
![Terminal Peti Kemas Belawan (preview)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Terminal_Peti_Kemas_Belawan_%28preview%29.jpg)
With the enactment of Government Regulation No 28/2008, this metropolitan area has been recognised as one of the Indonesian National Strategic Regions ( id, Kawasan Strategis Nasional or KSN). Since then, Medan City has continued to support a large portion of regional trade and logistic flow across the municipalities within this particular KSN as well as across most of the western part of Indonesia (RTR Metropolitan Mebidangro, 2012). Currently, Medan is the centre point for crop trading for different commodities produced in the region such as
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
,
palm oil,
cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...
,
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
, tea, and
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
, a great portion of which have been exported to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, and
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. In the global context, Medan’s geographical advantages have also played important parts within a triangle alliance with Malaysia and Thailand (known as the Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle or IMT-GT), that enables mutual partnerships in tourism, commerce, culture, health, and education among the three countries.
Medan is one of the most industrialized city in Sumatra, consisting of many small, medium and large-scale enterprises. Because of its location and its proximity to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, su ...
, it functions strategically as the main gateway for trading of goods and financial services on domestic, regional and international levels in the western region of Indonesia. Many international companies maintain offices in the city, namely
Asian Agri, London Sumatra,
Musim Mas
Musim Mas (Musim Mas Group) operates globally across the palm oil business spectrum with an operational presence in 13 countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe, North and South America. The group owns one of the largest palm oil refinery networks i ...
,
Philips Lighting,
Toba Pulp Lestari,
Marriott
Marriott may refer to:
People
*Marriott (surname)
Corporations
* Marriott Corporation, founded as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in 1927; split into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation in 1993
* Marriott International, international hote ...
,
ABB Group
ABB Ltd. is a Swedish- Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to crea ...
and
DBS Bank
DBS Bank Limited, often known as DBS, is a Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at the Marina Bay Financial Centre in the Marina Bay district of Singapore. The bank was previously known as The De ...
, etc.
Medan is one of Indonesia's most promising property markets outside Java, and several high-value developments have transformed its property market – and skyline. Many of the country's big property developers are building condominiums, hotels, office towers and shopping malls in the city. Medan is also known as the "City of Million
Shophouses
A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...
", as the majority of the population work in the trade sector, opening shops nearing their houses. In recent years, the city has undergone rapid development, which made the
residential property prices in Medan trend upward.
Lamudi, a worldwide real estate portal, recognized Medan as one among six cities in Asia to feature and preserve several colonial architectural sites, while accompanying its growth as a metropolitan city.
Culture
Medan is inhabited by many different ethnic groups. Malay people are the natives of the Medan area, and have deep roots in Medan. They began ruling there during the Deli Sultanate until now. The empire has many lands and property of heritage in Medan, such a palace, a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
, and park. The Dutch bringing a big contributor to the city development, include during Dutch East Indies era, many historical buildings are made by
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
and
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...
architecture along Jalan
Kesawan
Kesawan is a district in West Medan, Medan, Indonesia. This region is filled with historic buildings along Jalan Ahmad Yani (Kesawan Street), the oldest street in Medan. Kesawan Square was developed by Iskandar ST.
Notable buildings nearby
* D ...
and Pemuda. The arrival of Minangkabaus, Bataks, Javanese, Chinese and Indian people bringing more colours to the culture of Medan, especially cuisine.
In addition to food culture, the migrants also brought the story-writing culture which in the 1930s-1940s was known as ''Roman Medan''. The romance novels by Medan writers usually tell the story of the life of the people in Deli (Medan and its surroundings). Several romance novel writers who grew up in Medan, including
Hamka
Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, better known by his pen name Hamka (17 February 1908 – 24 July 1981) was an Indonesian ʿālim, philosopher, writer, lecturer, politician and journalist.
First affiliated with the Masyumi Party, until it was d ...
, Joesoef Souyb, Tamar Djaja, Matu Mona, and A. Damhoeri.
Museum
![Museum Negeri Sumatera Utara Medan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Museum_Negeri_Sumatera_Utara_Medan.jpg)
The
North Sumatra Museum is located approximately to the south from the center of the city, which is in Jalan HM. Joni 15 Medan. The Minister of Education and Culture, Dr. Daoed Joesoef opened the museum in April 1982. It is mainly centered around North Sumatran ethnic groups and artifacts.
The Bukit Barisan Museum is a military museum opened by Brigade General Leo Lopulisa on 21 June 1971. The museum is located at 8 Jalan H. Zainul Arifin. It houses several historic weapons include weapons that were used in the struggle for independence and the revolt in North Sumatra during 1958. Motives/ painting of the revolt against the Netherlands were presented.
The
Rahmat International Wildlife Museum & Gallery, or the Rahmat Gallery, opened in 1999 and is considered the city's preeminent
taxidermy
Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proc ...
collection. It is located on Jalan Letjen S. Parman No.309.
Cuisine
![Kota_Medan_Night_Stroll107A](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Kota_Medan_Night_Stroll107A.jpg)
Because of its multiculturality, Medan has a wide variety of cuisines ranging from local, western, east and southern Asian, and middle eastern cuisine. The city also hosts a lot of cafes, restaurants, food centers and street vendors with varying price points.
''Nelayan'', a famous restaurant in Medan, serves
halal
''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with '' haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification k ...
-Chinese seafood and
dim sum. ''Garuda'' and ''Uda Sayang'' are the most popular Minangkabau restaurant in Medan which serves
nasi padang
Nasi padang, sometimes referred to as Padang rice, is a Minangkabau dish of steamed rice served with various choices of pre-cooked dishes originating from West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is named after the city of Padang, capital of the West Sumat ...
and
gulai
''Gulai'' is a class of spicy and rich stew commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The main ingredients of this dish are usually poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, as well as vegetables su ...
, meanwhile ''Sate Afrizal Amir'' is one of the best
sate padang in Medan. ''Cahaya Baru'' is an Indian restaurant located on
Kampung Madras
Kampung Madras (Madras Village), formerly known as Kampung Keling ( ta, காலிங் கிராமம்), is the Little India of Medan, Indonesia, and one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves. Kampung Madras encompasses an area of a ...
with
chapati
Chapati (alternatively spelled chapatti, chappati, chapathi, or chappathi; pronounced as IAST: ), also known as ''roti'', ''rotli'', ''safati'', ''shabaati'', ''phulka'', (in East Africa) ''chapo'', (in Marathi) ''poli'', and (in the Maldives) ...
and
tandoori
A tandoor ( or ) is a large urn-shaped oven, usually made of clay, originating from the Indian Subcontinent. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads, such as roti and naan, as well as to roast meat. The tandoor ...
as its most recommended food. The most visited Batak restaurant are ''OnDo Batak grill'' and ''Tesalonika'' known best for their
babi panggang
Babi panggang refers to a variety of recipes for Indonesian grilled pork dishes, 'babi' meaning pig or pork, and 'panggang' meaning grilled or roasted in the Indonesian language.
Batak babi panggang
''Babi panggang Karo'' and ''Babi panggang To ...
(grilled pork) and
saksang
Saksang or sa-sang is a savory, spicy Indonesian dish from the Batak people. It is made from minced pork or dog meat (or, more rarely, water buffalo meat) stewed in its blood, coconut milk and spices; including kaffir lime and bay leaves, coria ...
.
This city is known as "the culinary heaven of Indonesia", as Medan is prominent for its street
hawkers which offers a great variety of cheap local delicacies. Medan has several well-known culinary spots such as Jalan Selat Panjang and Jalan Semarang for
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
food, Jalan Pagaruyung for
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
and
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
food and Jalan Padang Bulan for
Batak food.
Merdeka Walk is the first tensile structure (alfresco outdoor concept) in Indonesia, filled with a variety of cafés and restaurants.
Durian is a popular fruit in Indonesia and nowhere more so than in Medan. This thorny fruit, with its distinctive taste and smell, is available all over the city. ''Ucok Durian'' along Jalan Iskandar Muda is the most known durian stall in the city.
Soto Medan is a savoury stew made with various meats (including innards) that are fried beforehand, and
coconut milk. It is usually served with rice and a piece of potato
croquette (
perkedel
''Perkedel'' are vegetable fritters from Indonesian cuisine. Most common ''perkedel'' are made from mashed potatoes, yet there are other popular variants which includes ''perkedel jagung'' (peeled maize ''perkedel'') and ''perkedel tahu'' (tofu '' ...
).
Bika Ambon
Bika ambon or golden cake or golden kuih bingka in Singapore, is an Indonesian dessert, made from ingredients such as tapioca flour, eggs, sugar, yeast and coconut milk. Bika ambon is generally sold in pandan and banana flavor, but today it ...
is a famous local dessert. Made from ingredients such as tapioca flour, eggs, sugar,
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...
and coconut milk. Bika Ambon are generally sold in
pandan flavour, although other flavors such as banana, durian, cheese, and chocolate are also available. ''Bika Ambon Zulaikha'' is the most known bika ambon seller which has several branches in the city.
Babi Panggang Karo, often abbreviated as BPK, is grilled pork with
its blood curd being used as a dipping sauces. It is usually served with plain rice and
sambal
Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an ...
andaliman
''Zanthoxylum acanthopodium'', or andaliman, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. Its range includes southern western China (Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan), Bangladesh, Bhutan, northern India and northeastern I ...
, a spicy
condiment
A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...
made from local
Sichuan peppers. The Chinese equivalent of grilled pork are called as
Cha Sio (叉烧)
''Tau Kua He Ci'' (豆干虾炸), also known as ''Lap Choi'' (腊菜), is local Chinese version of
Rojak
Rujak (Indonesian language, Indonesian spelling) or Rojak (Malay language, Malay spelling) is a salad dish of Javanese cuisine, Javanese origin, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The most popular variant in all three countries ...
(often pronounced ru-jak), but made with
fried prawn, vegetables and
tofu
Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super f ...
with chilli sauce. Its other name also called as .
''Teng-Teng'' (丁丁) is a
candy
Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English
Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...
made with peanuts.
Dried fruit
Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to th ...
s and many unique cuisines can be found in Pasar Rame, which operates every day from morning to the afternoon, located just beside Thamrin Plaza.
''Bolu Meranti'' is the most famous homemade
Swiss roll in Medan, which are frequently bought by local tourists as a
souvenir
A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...
. The Medanese ''dried anchovies'' also is one of a "must" souvenirs from Medan, could be bought from ''Pusat Pasar'' (Central Market).
Tourism
Landmarks
![Skewed Front View, Tjong A Fie Mansion, Medan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Skewed_Front_View%2C_Tjong_A_Fie_Mansion%2C_Medan.jpg)
There are many old buildings in Medan that still retain their Dutch architecture. These include the old
City Hall, the
Medan Post Office
The Medan Post and Telegraph Office (Indonesian: Kantor Pos Medan) is a historic building in Medan, Indonesia. It was designed by Ir. S. Snuyf from Burgelijke Openbare Werken (BOW) and opened in 1911. Located in downtown Medan, several other imp ...
,
Inna Dharma Deli Hotel, ''Titi Gantung'' (a bridge over the railway), The ''London Sumatra'' building, the
Tjong A Fie Mansion
Tjong A Fie Mansion () is a two-story mansion in Medan, North Sumatra, built by Tjong A Fie (1860–1921) a Hakka merchant who came to own much of the land in Medan through his plantations, later becoming 'Majoor der Chineezen' (leader of t ...
, ''AVROS'', ''Warenhuis'', and The
Tirtanadi Water Tower
The Tirtanadi Water Tower is a water tower dating back to 1908 in city of Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. A ...
, mostly located around the old town
Kesawan
Kesawan is a district in West Medan, Medan, Indonesia. This region is filled with historic buildings along Jalan Ahmad Yani (Kesawan Street), the oldest street in Medan. Kesawan Square was developed by Iskandar ST.
Notable buildings nearby
* D ...
.
There are several historic places such as
Maimoon Palace
Maimoon Palace or Maimun Palace ( id, Istana Maimun) is an ''istana'' (royal palace) of the Sultanate of Deli and a well-known landmark in Medan, the capital city of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, it serves as a museum. The name is the Arabi ...
built in years 1887–1891, where the Sultan of Deli still lives (the Sultan no longer holds any official power), The
Great Mosque of Medan
Grand Mosque of Medan or Masjid Raya Al-Mashun is a mosque located in Medan, Indonesia. The mosque was built in the year 1906 and completed in 1909. In beginning of its establishment, the mosque was a part of the Maimun palace complex. Its archit ...
built in 1906 in the Moroccan style by the Dutch architect A.J. Dingemans. both location of Maimoon Palace and The Great Mosque are close. The Mosque located on Jalan Sisingamangaraja and The Palace located on Jalan Brigjen Katamso.
Gunung Timur Temple
Gunung Timur Temple () is a Chinese temple which is the largest in the city of Medan, Indonesia and possibly also on the island of Sumatra. This temple was built in the 1962 and dedicated to Dongyue Dadi (東嶽大帝). This temple is located a ...
or locally known as ''Tông-Yuk-Kuàng'' in Hokkien, is a city's oldest
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
temple, located on Jalan Hang Tuah. Medan has a
Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
named as
Maha Vihara Maitreya, and there is also a Buddhist centre nearby named a
Maha Karuna Buddhist Centre (MKBC)this temple complex known as one of the biggest non-historical Buddhist temple in Indonesia, both situated around Cemara Asri
housing complex
A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country.
Popular throughout the United States ...
.
Medan Cathedral is the oldest church in the city, was built by the Dutch and Indian community nearby, and the church was named as ''Indische Kerk'' back then, located on the old town along Jalan Pemuda.
Sri Mariamman Temple is the first Hindu temple in Medan built around 1881 by The
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
peoples in the city, located on Jalan Zainul Arifin, The city's
Little India
Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...
or more known as
Kampung Madras
Kampung Madras (Madras Village), formerly known as Kampung Keling ( ta, காலிங் கிராமம்), is the Little India of Medan, Indonesia, and one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves. Kampung Madras encompasses an area of a ...
, the temple has unique south Indian architecture with hundred Hindu deity statues around the building.
Since 2005, a Catholic church named
Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni
Our Lady of Good Health Church ( id, Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni), is a Marian shrine built in the Indo- Dravida style that opened in 2005 in Medan, Indonesia. It is devoted to Our Lady of Good Health ( ta, ஆரோக்கிய மாதா ...
was built with an Indo-Mogul style, devoted to
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
; the particular Saint knows its origin with an apparition in the 17th century in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, India. The temple has two stories and a small tower of seven storeys, it is situated on Jalan Sakura III, besides outer ring road on Jalan TB Simatupang.
Shopping centre
![Microcity](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Microcity.jpg)
Medan is one of the major shopping centres of Indonesia, along with Jakarta,
Bandung
Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
and
Surabaya
Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
.
Medan also has several modern shopping malls:
*Cambridge City Square
*Centre Point
*DeliPark Mall
*Focal Point
*Lippo Plaza Mall
*Manhattan Times Square
*Medan Mall
*Plaza Medan Fair
*Ringroad City Walks
*
Sun Plaza
*Thamrin Plaza
Theme parks
There are some
theme parks
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
in the city or outside city, most of them are
water park
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
s.
*HillPark GreenHill City – the latest theme park an hour from Medan on the way to
Berastagi
Berastagi ( nl, Brastagi), is a town and district of Karo Regency situated on a crossroads on the main route linking the Karo highlands of Northern Sumatra to the coastal city of Medan. Berastagi town is located around south of Medan and abou ...
.
*Pantai Cermin Themepark – the first and only water theme park in North Sumatra, located in Cermin Beach, Serdang Bedagai. The theme park is organized by a Malaysian Investor and the Local Government.
*Wonder Water World – latest water park in Medan, located on Central Business District Polonia.
*Hairos Water Park – another water park near the city, located on Jalan Djamin Ginting Km.14, Deli Serdang.
Transportation
Medan is connected by road, air, rail and sea.
Airport
![KNO Medan apron](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/KNO_Medan_apron.JPG)
The new
Kualanamu International Airport
Kualanamu International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Kualanamu) (often spelled as Kuala Namu and informally abbreviated KNIA) is an international airport serving Medan, Indonesia, and other parts of North Sumatra. It is located in ...
(KNO) was opened to the public on 25 July 2013. The new airport is the second largest airport after
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with a passengers terminal and will eventually have a capacity of 50 million passengers (2030). It is the first airport in Indonesia which has direct rail links to the city. The airport is the hub for
Garuda Indonesia,
Indonesia AirAsia
PT Indonesia AirAsia, operating as Indonesia AirAsia, is a low-cost airline based in Tangerang, Indonesia. It operates scheduled domestic, international services and is an Indonesian associate carrier of Malaysian low-fare airline AirAsia. It ...
,
Lion Air
PT Lion Mentari Airlines, operating as Lion Air, is an Indonesian low-cost airline. Based in Jakarta, Lion Air is the country's largest privately run airline, the second largest low-cost airline in Southeast Asia (after AirAsia) and the large ...
,
Susi Air
PT ASI Pudjiastuti Aviation, operating as Susi Air, is a scheduled and charter airline based in Pangandaran, West Java, Indonesia. Sixty percent of the airline's operation serves commercial regular routes and pioneer routes while the rest is ch ...
and
Wings Air
PT Wings Abadi Airlines, operating as Wings Air, is a scheduled commuter passenger low cost airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The airline operates out of Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar as well as several other airports aro ...
. The new airport is a replacement for the
Polonia Airport. Unlike the old Polonia Airport which was located in the heart of the city, this new airport is approximately from downtown. The airport has direct domestic flights to many major cities in Sumatra and Java. There are also international flights to
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, etc. An airport train known as
Kualanamu Airport Rail Link
Kualanamu Airport Railink Services (ARS) ( id, KA Bandara Kualanamu) is an airport rail link service in Medan in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The rail link is built to cut travel time from Medan railway station to Kualanamu International Airport, as r ...
Services connects the airport to city center. The train runs from Medan Main Station beside the Merdeka Square at Jalan Balai Kota from 4:00 a.m. to 08:00 p.m, and from the airport from 5:25 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It is the fastest way to reach the airport from the city, taking 30 minutes. Alternate modes of transport from the airport into the city may take longer (30 to 47 minutes).
Seaport
![Terminal Penumpang Bandar Deli (preview)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Terminal_Penumpang_Bandar_Deli_%28preview%29.jpg)
The
Port of Belawan
Belawan ( zh, t=勿老灣, s=, poj=mài lau ôan) is a harbor in Medan, North Sumatra. Located on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Belawan is Indonesia's busiest seaport outside of Java. It constitutes the most northerly of the city of Medan's 21 a ...
(Pelabuhan Belawan) is the main seaport in Medan. Located in the northeast coast of Sumatra, Belawan is situated north of Medan city and serves as a port, which is the terminus of a railway that crosses the channel south of the island by bridge.
The port was initially built in 1890 to provide a location where tobacco could be transferred directly between rail lines from the interior and deep-draft ships. The harbor expanded in 1907 with the construction of a new section intended for Chinese and indigenous traders, reserving the existing port for European shipping. In the early twentieth century the port's business expanded, with the growth of major rubber and palm oil plantations in northern Sumatra. In the 1920s several major berthing facilities were built. In 1938, the port was the largest port in the Dutch East Indies, in terms of cargo value. Cargo volumes dropped substantially after Indonesian independence, and did not reach pre-independence levels again until the mid-1960s. A major restructuring in 1985 saw the construction of a container terminal; it almost immediately captured about one-fifth of Indonesia's containerized exports. Major products exported include rubber, palm oil, tea, and coffee.
There are two port terminals, one for passenger and
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
services to Penang and
Langkawi
Langkawi, officially known by its sobriquet Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah ( ms, Langkawi Permata Kedah ), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) loc ...
and some Indonesian cities such as
Batam
Batam is the largest city in the province of Riau Islands, Indonesia. The city administrative area covers three main islands of Batam, Rempang, and Galang (collectively called Barelang), as well as several small islands. Batam Island is the cor ...
, Jakarta and Surabaya. Another terminal known as Belawan International Container Terminal (BICT), used for export and importing services. BICT is one of the largest shipping industry port in Indonesia.
Road and highway
![Amplas Toll Plaza, Medan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Amplas_Toll_Plaza%2C_Medan.JPG)
Medan is connected by the
Trans-Sumatran Highway
The Trans-Sumatra Highway (Indonesian: ''Jalan Raya Trans-Sumatra'') is a primary north–south road in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, 2,508.5 km in length, and connecting the northern island at Banda Aceh to Bandar Lampung in the south ...
, the main road across Sumatra, and the Belawan-Medan-Tanjung Morawa Toll Road, also known as the
Belmera Toll Road, connecting Belawan, Medan and Tanjung Morawa. Currently toll roads have been connected the city to the airport, Binjai, and Tebing Tinggi.
Railway
![Railink Kuala Namu Medan Layang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Railink_Kuala_Namu_Medan_Layang.jpg)
Railway lines connect Medan to
Binjai and
Tanjungpura to the northwest, to port of
Belawan
Belawan ( zh, t=勿老灣, s=, poj=mài lau ôan) is a harbor in Medan, North Sumatra. Located on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Belawan is Indonesia's busiest seaport outside of Java. It constitutes the most northerly of the city of Medan's ...
to the north, to
Tebing Tinggi and
Pematang Siantar
Pematangsiantar (sometimes written as Pematang Siantar, acronym PS or ''P. Siantar'', colloquially just Siantar), is an independent city in North Sumatra, Indonesia, surrounded by, but not part of, the Simalungun Regency, making Pematangsiantar a ...
to the southeast, and also
Rantau Prapat
Rantauprapat is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and it is the seat (capital) of Labuhan Batu Regency. Rantauprapat is also a village within the district of Rantau Utara (North Rantau). It consists of 3 main roads. A number of citizen ...
among other cities. The largest train station in Medan is
Medan Station. There are also smaller stations in Medan, such as
Medan Pasar,
Pulu Brayan,
Titi Papan, and
Labuhan, and
Belawan
Belawan ( zh, t=勿老灣, s=, poj=mài lau ôan) is a harbor in Medan, North Sumatra. Located on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Belawan is Indonesia's busiest seaport outside of Java. It constitutes the most northerly of the city of Medan's ...
. Titi Papan and Pulu Brayan only serve as the stop for freight trains carrying
oil palm
''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm '' Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its c ...
and
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
. There are also have express train connecting to another North Sumatra cities such as
Tebing Tinggi,
Pematang Siantar
Pematangsiantar (sometimes written as Pematang Siantar, acronym PS or ''P. Siantar'', colloquially just Siantar), is an independent city in North Sumatra, Indonesia, surrounded by, but not part of, the Simalungun Regency, making Pematangsiantar a ...
,
Tanjungbalai, and
Rantau Prapat
Rantauprapat is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and it is the seat (capital) of Labuhan Batu Regency. Rantauprapat is also a village within the district of Rantau Utara (North Rantau). It consists of 3 main roads. A number of citizen ...
. An
elevated railway
An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train for short) is a rapid transit railway with the tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast iron, concrete, or bricks ...
is already constructed and is now on operations over several rail lines around Medan to avoid level crossings and reduce traffic congestion.
Long-distance trains from the Medan Station are:
*Sri Bilah to
Rantau Prapat
Rantauprapat is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and it is the seat (capital) of Labuhan Batu Regency. Rantauprapat is also a village within the district of Rantau Utara (North Rantau). It consists of 3 main roads. A number of citizen ...
*Lancang Kuning to
Tanjungbalai
*Putri Deli to Tanjungbalai
*Siantar Express to
Pematang Siantar
Pematangsiantar (sometimes written as Pematang Siantar, acronym PS or ''P. Siantar'', colloquially just Siantar), is an independent city in North Sumatra, Indonesia, surrounded by, but not part of, the Simalungun Regency, making Pematangsiantar a ...
*
Sri Lelawangsa commuter rail connects Medan Station to
Binjai.
The
Kualanamu Airport Railink Services train is an airport express train connecting from Medan Station (City Railway Station – CRS) to
Kualanamu International Airport Station (Airport Railink Station – ARS), operated 18 hours (from 5 am to 11 pm) with 30-minute distances. An elevated railway is already constructed and is now on operations to make this airport rail service 15-minute distances. The CRS provides with a city check-in services for selected airlines.
Public transport
One of the endangered features of Medan are the motorized
rickshaws
A rickshaw originally denoted a two- or three-wheeled passenger cart, now known as a pulled rickshaw, which is generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also ...
known as a (bentor) or , although bicycle rickshaws are also available. Becaks are found almost everywhere. Unlike the Javanese rickshaws, the driver sits on the right side of the vehicle, and can take its passenger anywhere in the city. The fare to ride a is relatively cheap and is usually negotiated beforehand. Ride sharing services
Gojek
PT Gojek Indonesia (stylized in all lower case and stylized ''j'' as goȷek, formerly styled as GO-JEK) is an Indonesian on-demand multi-service platform and digital payment technology group based in Jakarta. Gojek was first established in Ind ...
and
Grab are available and widely used for public transportation.
There are also more public transport like taxis, but
minibus
A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, ...
es known as or are used more often by the locals. can be found easily in medium-to-high congested roads. follow their own route numbers, usually printed or painted on the vehicle itself. The routes are not explicitly listed or written, but are usually spread in a word-of-mouth basis by the locals.
TransMebidang and Trans Metro Deli are two
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
system in Medan and its nearby urban areas that has several active corridors:
*Trans Mebidang
![Trans Metro Deli KM2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Trans_Metro_Deli_KM2.jpeg)
*Trans Metro Deli
Media
![Medan-post-office](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Medan-post-office.jpg)
Medan serves several radio and TV channels, and is also home to newspapers in local and foreign languages such as
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
, English,
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
,
Batak,
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
and others.
Television channels
Medan has a bunch of television stations; there are public and private national networks as well as local channels. Local stations including the public
TVRI Sumatera Utara
TVRI Sumatera Utara (TVRI North Sumatra, legally LPP TVRI Stasiun Sumatera Utara) is a regional public television station owned-and-operated by TVRI, serving whole province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. TVRI Sumatera Utara studios are located on Ja ...
(a regional station serving North Sumatra, which headquartered in the city) and; as well as local variation of
*CNN Indonesia
*
TVRI Medan
*Indosiar
*MNCTV
*Trans TV
*ANtv
*GTV
*RCTI
*SCTV
*tvOne
*Magna TV HD
*Metro TV
*Trans7
*NET. – 43 UHF
*iNews – 45 UHF
*DAAI TV – 49 UHF
*RTV 53 UHF
*MYTV – 55 UHF
*Kompas TV – 59 UHF
*CTV Network - 61 UHF
Radio
RRI Medan is the only public radio in Medan. Several local languages are also served on the radio, such as Kardopa Radio (in Batak language), CityRadio FM and A-Radio FM (in Chinese language) and Symphony FM (in Malay language). Medan also has several popular radio networks and stations like
Prambors FM
Prambors FM (formerly known as Prambors Rasisonia and 102,3 FMANIA) is a commercial contemporary hit radio based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Launched on March 18, 1971 in Jakarta, the purpose of station was to play pop music with their target audie ...
,
MNC Trijaya FM
MNC Trijaya FM (formerly known as Trijaya FM Network, Sindo Radio and Sindo Trijaya FM) is an Indonesian radio network founded in 1970.
Network Radio stations
# MNC Trijaya FM Jakarta (104.6 FM) PT. Radio Trijaya Shakti
# MNC Trijaya FM Banda ...
,
I-Radio
IRADIO is a radio station in Jakarta, Indonesia. IRADIO only plays Indonesian pop songs.
Its headquarters are at Sarinah Tower Lt 8, Jl. MH. Thamrin 11 Central Jakarta.
History
The MRA Group, at that time had owned Hard Rock FM, was expand ...
, KISS FM, VISI FM, Delta FM and others.
Publications
Several national and local newspapers are available in the city, with ''Mimbar Umum'' as the oldest one. Major newspapers based in Medan include ''
Waspada'', ''
Analisa'', ''Jurnal Medan'', ''Berita Sore'', ''Harian Global'', ''Harian Medan Bisnis'', ''Posmetro Medan'', ''
Sinar Indonesia Baru
''Sinar Indonesia Baru'' (''New Rays of Indonesia'', also known by its abbreviation ''SIB'') is an Indonesian daily newspaper published in Medan, North Sumatra. The newspaper was founded on 9 May 1970 by GM Panggabean, a former contributor at '' W ...
'', and ''
Tribun Medan
Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...
''. There are also some national
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
newspaper such as ''Harian Indonesia'' (印尼星洲日报), ''
Guo Ji Ri Bao
"Guo", written in Chinese: 郭, is one of the most common Chinese surnames and means "the wall that surrounds a city" in Chinese. It can also be transliterated into English as Cok, Gou, Quo, Quach, Quek, Que, Keh, Kuo, Kwo, Kuoch, Kok, Koc, ...
'' (国际日报) and ''
Shangbao'' (印尼商报). English newspapers like ''
The Jakarta Post
''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta.
''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...
'' are also distributed in the city.
''Aplaus Magazine'' is one of the magazines from the city, published monthly and focuses on food, travel, inspiration. The magazine is the pioneer of a local magazine that specializes in the discussion of urban lifestyle. First published in 2005, Aplaus Magazine is managed by
Analisa daily.
Sport
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
is one of the most popular sports in Medan, with five local clubs:
Persatuan Sepakbola Medan dan Sekitarnya (known as PSMS Medan),
Medan Jaya
Medan Jaya or Penajam Medan Jaya (2008–09) or Medina Medan Jaya (2010-now) is an Indonesian football club based in Medan, North Sumatra. They play in Liga 3.
Their home ground is Teladan Stadium.
History
Medan Jaya was established in 1987 ...
, Medan Chiefs, Bintang PSMS and Medan United; and a basketball club named Angsapura Sania. Another locally popular sport is
wushu, with significant growth in recent years as one of the favorite sports in Medan. It has its training center in Jalan Plaju in heart of town. Medan has recently seen much success in Wushu nationally and internationally.
Medan has a
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
named Teladan Stadium. This stadium is used mostly for football matches, and serves as a home stadium for PSMS Medan.
Healthcare
![Murni Teguh Memorial Hospital Building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Murni_Teguh_Memorial_Hospital_Building.jpg)
Medan has more than 30 registered hospitals. Three of them are public and the rest are private:
Education
![Gedung Pascasarana Universitas Negeri Medan - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Gedung_Pascasarana_Universitas_Negeri_Medan_-_panoramio.jpg)
As the largest city outside of Java island, Medan provides more than 827 registered elementary schools, 337 middle Schools and 288 high schools, including State ownership, state-owned, Private school, private, Religious school, religious, and international schools. Medan also has 72 registered universities, academies, polytechnics, and colleges such as:
Elementary, Middle, and High Schools
Several knowns schools in Medan such as:
Medan was previously the site of the Medan Japanese International School or Medan Japanese School (メダン日本人学校, id, Sekolah Internasional Jepang, Medan), an nihonjin gakko, overseas school for Japanese children.
[学校の概要]
(School Outline). Medan Japanese School. 15 May 2001. Retrieved on 13 January 2019. "施設概要 敷地面積 1,880m2 校舎延べ面積 481.88m2" It was affiliated with the Japanese Consulate General in Medan, and occupied a building on a property.
It originated as a supplementary school in the consulate's library that opened in April 1972 (Showa era, Showa 49). A committee to establish a new day school was created in 1978 (Showa 54), and in January 1979 (Showa 55) the school remodeled an existing building for this purpose. The school opened in April 1979. It closed in March 1998.
Universities and Colleges
International relations
Consulates
Medan host several consulates and general consulates from foreign countries,
such as:
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Twin towns – sister cities
Medan is Sister city, twinned with:
* Georgetown, Penang, Georgetown, Penang Island City Council, Penang Island, Malaysia (10 October 1984)
* Ichikawa, Chiba, Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan (4 November 1989)
* Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, South Korea (24 September 1997)
* Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China (17 December 2002)
* Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States (30 October 2014)
References
External links
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Official Government websiteMedanesia – Medan Forum
{{Authority control
Medan,
Populated places in North Sumatra
Cities in Indonesia
Provincial capitals in Indonesia
Populated places established in 1590