Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Medan
City
City of Medan
Kota Medan
From top, left to right: Medan Central Business District, Great Mosque of
Medan, Maimun Palace, Sun Plaza, Tjong A Fie Mansion, Medan Old City Hall
Building, Tirtanadi Water Tower, Sri Mariamman Temple and London Sumatra
building in Kesawan
Flag
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):
Parijs van Sumatra (Dutch)[1][2]
Motto(s):
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Interactive map of Medan
Medan
Location in Sumatra and Indonesia
Show map of Sumatra Show map of Indonesia Show all
Coordinates: 03°35′22″N 98°40′26″ECoordinates: 03°35′22″N 98°
40′26″E
Country Indonesia
Province North Sumatra
Government
• Mayor Bobby Nasution
• Vice Aulia Rachman [id]
Mayor
• Chairman Hasyim Huang Kien-lim (PDI-P)
of City's
Council of
Representati
ves
• Vice Ihwan Ritonga (Gerindra), Rajuddin Sagala
Chairmen of (Prosperous Justice Party) and HT Bahrumsyah
City's (National Mandate Party)
Council of
Representati
ves
Area
• City 265.10 km2 (102.36 sq mi)
• Urban 478 km2 (185 sq mi)
• Metro 2,831.97 km2 (1,093.43 sq mi)
Population
(2020 Census)
• City 2,435,252 (4th)
• Density 9,186/km2 (23,790/sq mi)
• Urban 3,632,000 (4th)
[3]
• Urban den 7,598/km2 (19,680/sq mi)
sity
• Metro 4,744,323 (5th)
[4]
• Metro den 1,675/km2 (4,340/sq mi)
sity
Demonym(s) Medanese
Demographics[5]
• Ethnic Batak, Javanese, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Minangkaba
groups u, Acehnese
• Religion Islam 54,20%
Christianity 35,30%
Buddhism 9.52%
Hinduism 1.05%
Confucianism 0.41%
Others 0.03%
Nominal GD 2019
P [5]
Website pemkomedan.go.id
Contents
1Etymology
2History
o 2.1Aru Kingdom
o 2.2Founding of Medan
o 2.3Deli Sultanate
o 2.4Dutch East Indies era
2.4.1Tobacco plantations
2.4.2Growth of Medan-Deli
o 2.5Japanese occupation and post independence era
3Geography
o 3.1Climate
4Governance
o 4.1Mayor
o 4.2Administrative divisions
5Demographics
o 5.1Ethnicities and languages
o 5.2Religion
6Economy
7Culture
o 7.1Museum
o 7.2Cuisine
8Tourism
o 8.1Landmarks
o 8.2Shopping centre
o 8.3Theme parks
9Transportation
o 9.1Airport
o 9.2Seaport
o 9.3Road and highway
o 9.4Railway
o 9.5Public transport
10Media
o 10.1Television channels
o 10.2Radio
o 10.3Publications
11Sport
12Healthcare
13Education
14Twin towns – sister cities
15References
16External links
Etymology[edit]
According to the diary of a Portuguese merchant in the early 16th century, the name of
Medan was derived from Tamil word Maidhan, also known
as Maidhāṉam (Tamil: மைதானம்), that means Ground, adopted from Malay language.
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[edit]
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[edit]
Main article: Aru Kingdom
The area in and around Medan city, Deli 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.[15] Several archaeological sites around Medan
are connected to the Kingdom of Aru, including Kota Rentang in Hamparan Perak area,
Deli Serdang Regency,[16] the Kota Cina archaeological site in Medan Marelan,[17] and
Benteng Putri Hijau, a fort ruin in Deli Tua, Namorambe, Deli Serdang Regency. [18]
Founding of Medan[edit]
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 follower. Following the
history of trombo and 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 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.[citation needed]
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 to Datuk Kota Bangun and then
sent them to Aceh to deepen their knowledge on Islam.
In early days, the natives called the area as the Land of Deli (Indonesian: Tanah Deli),
it starts from Ular River to the Wampu River 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[edit]
Main article: 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 Iskandar Muda 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. In 1632 Aceh established the Deli Sultanate (Jawi: کسلطانن
)دليand 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 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.
Sultan Amaluddin, the sixth sultan leaving the Great Mosque on his coronation day, in February 1925
Sultan Ma'mun, ninth Sultan of Deli Sultanate, during his reign, Medan was openly cooperated with colonial
Tjong A Fie, one of Kapitan in Medan, philanthropist and contributor to Medan early development
Jacob Nienhuys,
founder of tobacco producer, Deli Company, who bring major development of Medan
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 meant strongly intensified traffic between
Europe and the Far East. 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, Italy became the new transit harbor for passenger
ships after the opening of the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland. The journey was reduced
to 23 days and 20 hours to Batavia (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 as tourists for a tour of the region,
including Medan as the largest tobacco plantation 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 businessman named Aeint Herman de Boer built Hotel de
Boer in the northwest of the Esplanade (now Lapangan Merdeka Medan).
Coat of arms of Medan during colonial era, adopted in 1886, showing tobacco plant as the charge
Coolies working in the seedbeds on a tobacco plantation in Medan, c. 1900s
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 to Medan Deli Sultanate Palace which was originally located in
Kampung Bahari (Labuhan) and Pulo Brayan also moved with the completion
of Maimoon Palace on 18 May 1891, and thus the Capital of Deli officially moved to
Medan.
Growth of Medan-Deli[edit]
In 1915, the Residency of East Sumatra enhanced its status to Gubernermen. In 1918
the city of Medan officially became Gemeente (Municipal) 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 (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.[clarification needed]
Japanese occupation and post independence era[edit]
British East Indian troops land in East Sumatra to help the Dutch end the Japanese occupation in Medan.
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.[19] 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. 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 in 1945, Sumatra came under the
authority of the South East Asia Command headed by British Admiral Lord Louis
Mountbatten. 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.[20]
[21]
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 against the
republicans. This became part of the United States of Indonesia, but was dissolved into
the unitary republic of Indonesia in 1950.[22]
The city development remained stagnant until the 1970s, when big developments,
especially palm oil and rubber 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 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 was imposed for more than two weeks until peace returned. [citation needed]
On 5 September 2005, Mandala Airlines Flight 091 crashed right a minute
after takeoff from old Polonia International Airport 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. [23] This flight accident led to planning by
moving to newly built airport in Deli Serdang that completed in 2012, named
as Kualanamu International Airport. The moving to the new airport relaxed height
restriction laws 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[edit]
Medan is in the northeastern part of Sumatra island, in North Sumatra province. Medan
itself is a semi-enclave within Deli Serdang Regency, as Medan is bordered by Deli
Serdang in south, east, and west, while Medan borders with Strait of Malacca 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.[24] Its elevation varies between 2.5 and 37.5 m (8 ft 2 in
and 123 ft 0 in) above sea level. Medan is close to the Barisan Mountains which is
located in the southern part of the city and close to volcanoes such
as Sibayak Mountain and Sinabung Mountain (located as far as 50 to 70 km (31 to
43 mi) from the city).
Climate[edit]
Under the Köppen climate classification, Medan features a tropical rainforest
climate (Af) with no real dry season.[25] 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 27 °C (81 °F) throughout the course of the year. Annual precipitation in
the Medan is around 2,200 mm (87 in).
Ma
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
y
36.1 36.1 37.2 36.1 37.2 37.2 37.2 36.1 34.4 37.2
Record high 35 35 35
(97. (97. (99. (97. (99. (99. (99. (97. (93. (99.0
°C (°F) (95) (95) (95)
0) 0) 0) 0) 0) 0) 0) 0) 9) )
31.6 32.7 32.9 33.4 33.3 32.9 33.3 31.9 31.7 30.9 32.3
Average high 32 31
(88. (90. (91. (92. (91. (91. (91. (89. (89. (87. (90.1
°C (°F) (90) (88)
9) 9) 2) 1) 9) 2) 9) 4) 1) 6) )
25.5 26.1 26.6 27.2 27.2 26.9 26.9 26.9 26.6 26.1 26.1 25.8 26.5
Daily mean
(77. (79. (79. (81. (81. (80. (80. (80. (79. (79. (79. (78. (79.7
°C (°F)
9) 0) 9) 0) 0) 4) 4) 4) 9) 0) 0) 4) )
22.2 22.6 23.2 23.5 23.3 23.6 23.5 22.8 22.2 22.6 22.5 22.9
Average low 23
(72. (72. (73. (74. (73. (74. (74. (73. (72. (72. (72. (73.2
°C (°F) (73)
0) 7) 8) 3) 9) 5) 3) 0) 0) 7) 5) )
18.3 18.3 18.3 19.4 18.3 17.2 16.1 18.3 18.8 17.7 15.5 18.3 15.5
Record low
(64. (64. (64. (66. (64. (63. (61. (64. (65. (63. (59. (64. (59.9
°C (°F)
9) 9) 9) 9) 9) 0) 0) 9) 8) 9) 9) 9) )
Average
14 19 13 18 22 15 13 17 24 22 20 19 216
rainy days
Mean
129. 141. 153. 131. 134. 157. 153. 143. 123. 116. 104. 1,587
monthly suns 98.1
6 0 1 2 8 9 9 9 1 3 8 .7
hine hours
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[26] and Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System (daily mean
and record temperature)[27]
Located in the central part of Deli Serdang Regency, Medan is surrounded by satellite
cities and towns such as Binjai, Lubuk Pakam, Tanjung Morawa, Tembung, Percut Sei
Tuan, and Labuhan Deli which help the city become a new urban area in Indonesia
which known as 'Mebidang' (Medan, Binjai, Deli Serdang).
Governance[edit]
Mayor[edit]
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 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.[29] In February 2016, Dzulmi
won the election and became the mayor for five years (2016–2021). [30]
Administrative divisions[edit]
District divisions of Medan
Populatio
Population No.
Area n Postal
Name Census of
in km2 Census codes
2020[34] vill.
2010[34]
20147-20149,
Medan Amplas 11.19 113,143 129,726 7
20219 & 20229
20251-20254,
Medan Labuhan 36.67 111,173 133,765 6
20524 & 20525
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.
The 21 districts are sub-divided into 151 neighborhoods or urban villages (kelurahan).
Demographics[edit]
The city is Indonesia's fifth most populous
after Jakarta, Surabaya, Bekasi and Bandung, as well as Indonesia's largest city
outside Java island. The population within the city's borders has risen from 568,000 in
1968[35] 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. The official Metropolitan area (Wilayah Metropolitan Medan) was inhabited by
4,220,439 people in 2010, but had risen to 4,744,323 in 2020.
Populatio
Population Pop'n
Administrative Area n
Census density Ref
division in km2 Census
2010 (/km2)
2020
Medan (City) 265.10 2,097,610 2,435,252 9,186 [36]
Deli Serdang
2,241.68 1,790,431 1,931,441 862 [36]
Regency
The four districts of Karo Regency within the metropolitan area are Merdaka, Berastagi,
Dolat Rayat and Barusjahe.
Ethnicities and languages[edit]
Batak (including Mandailing and Karo people) and Javanese are the major ethnic
groups in Medan, along with Chinese, Minangkabau and Malay populations and smaller
groups of Acehnese, Indians, Nias, and Sundanese people. Medan also has foreign
residents from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Middle East and
other Asian countries.[37]
Women from different parts of the colonial Indonesia are giving a floral tribute to the pilots of the first
commercial flight from Holland to Batavia in front of the townhall in Medan, 1924
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, Karo and Mandailing Bataks. The Karo people are the
natives in Medan. Meanwhile, the Toba people were employed by the Dutch as workers
in oil palm plantations. 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. They are usually known
as Pujakesuma (Indonesian: Putra Jawa Kelahiran Sumatera, English: 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.
A highly visible component of city population is the large number of Chinese 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, a
dialect originating from Fujian, a province in southern part of China. They also made its
own variation of Hokkien that are called as Medan Hokkien, with borrowed many local
words. Many also speak Mandarin, Teochew, and Cantonese, 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,
mostly are Tamil descendants, commonly known as Madrasis or Tamilan. A well-known
Tamil neighbourhood is Kampung Madras, 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 and Telugu, the main language among Indians in
Medan are Tamil and English, beside Bahasa Indonesia, some of them are also fluent
in Punjabi, Malayalam and Telugu.
Minangkabaus is also known as the merchants, peddlers, and artisans, in addition to
white collar workers such as doctors, lawyers, and journalists. 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[38] Acehnese are other minority ethnicities in Medan. A significant
number of Aceh people mostly came after the conflict 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 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, the sounds of Medanese slang are quite loud and harsh
that sometimes offends their listeners.
Religion[edit]
Religion of Medan – 2019 Census[39]
Religion Percent
Islam 53.2%
Christianity 35.3%
Buddhism 9.52%
Hinduism 1.0%
Confucianism and Taoism 0.06%
Sikhs and others 0.08%
Economy[edit]
The Bank Indonesia building in Medan. The tall building behind is the Grand Aston hotel.
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, tiles, paper
and pulp, etc., also currently contribute to the city's economy.
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 and Kuala Lumpur, 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, Philips Lighting, Toba Pulp
Lestari, Marriott, ABB Group and DBS Bank, 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", 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.[40] 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.[41]
Culture[edit]
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, 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 and Peranakan architecture along Jalan Kesawan and Pemuda. The arrival of
Minangkabaus, Bataks, Javanese, Chinese and Indian people bringing more colours to
the culture of Medan, especially cuisine.
Museum[edit]
The North Sumatra Museum
The North Sumatra Museum is located approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) 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. [42]
The Rahmat International Wildlife Museum & Gallery, or the Rahmat Gallery, opened in
1999 and is considered the city's preeminent taxidermy collection. It is located on Jalan
Letjen S. Parman No.309.[43]
Cuisine[edit]
Soto Medan
Several Bika Ambon
Food stall seller in Jalan Selatpanjang, Medan
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 is one of the most famous restaurant in Medan, serving halal-Chinese seafood
and dim sum. Garuda is the most popular Minangkabau and Malay restaurant in Medan
which serves nasi padang and gulai. Cahaya Baru is an Indian restaurant located
on Kampung Madras with chapati and tandoori as its most recommended food. The
most visited Batak restaurant are OnDo Batak grill and Tesalonika known best for
their babi panggang (grilled pork) and Saksang.
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 food, Jalan Pagaruyung for Indian and Malay 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 seller 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).
Bika Ambon is a famous local dessert. Made from ingredients such as tapioca flour,
eggs, sugar, yeast and coconut milk, Bika Ambon are generally sold in pandan flavour,
although other flavors such as banana, durian, cheese, and chocolate are also
available.
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 andaliman, a
spicy condiment 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 (often pronounced ru-jak), but made with fried prawn, vegetables and tofu with
chilli sauce. Its other name also called as[clarification needed].
Teng-Teng (丁丁) is a candy made with peanuts.
Dried fruits and many unique cuisines can be found in Pasar Rame, which operates
every day from morning to the afternoon, located just beside Thamrin Plaza. [44]
Bolu Meranti is the most famous homemade Swiss roll in Medan, which are frequently
bought by local tourists as a souvenir. The Medanese dried anchovies also is one of a
"must" souvenirs from Medan, could be bought from Pusat Pasar (Central Market).
Tourism[edit]
Tirtanadi Water Tower, one of the main icon of Medan, built in 1908
Landmarks[edit]
Main article: List of colonial buildings in Medan
See also: List of tallest buildings in Medan
Transportation[edit]
Medan is connected by road, air, rail and sea.
Airport[edit]
Main article: Kualanamu International Airport
A motorized rickshaw in Medan
One of the endangered features of Medan are the motorized rickshaws known as
a becak motor (bentor) or becak mesin, 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 becak is relatively cheap and is usually negotiated beforehand. Ride sharing
services Gojek and Grab are available and widely used for public transportation.
There are also more public transport like taxis, but minibuses known
as sudako or angkutan kota (angkot) are used more often by the locals. Angkots can be
found easily in medium-to-high congested roads. Angkots 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 system in Medan and
its nearby urban areas that has several active corridors:
Trans Mebidang
Corridor Origin–Destination
1 Medan – Binjai
Media[edit]
Medan serves several radio and TV channels, and is also home to newspapers in local
and foreign languages such as Indonesian, English, Chinese, Batak, Malay and others.
Television channels[edit]
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 (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[edit]
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, MNC Trijaya FM, I-
Radio, KISS FM, VISI FM, Delta FM and others.
Publications[edit]
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, and Tribun Medan. There are also some national Mandarin newspaper
such as Harian Indonesia (印尼星洲日报), Guo Ji Ri Bao (国际日报) and Shangbao (印
尼商报). English newspapers like The Jakarta Post 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[edit]
Football 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
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 named Teladan Stadium. This stadium is used
mostly for football matches, and serves as a home stadium for PSMS Medan.
Healthcare[edit]
Medan has more than 30 registered hospitals. Three of them are public and the rest are
private:
Education[edit]
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-owned, private, religious, and international schools. Medan also has 72
registered universities, academies, polytechnics, and colleges such as:
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External links[edit]
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