Medan

This article is about the city in Indonesia. For other uses, see Medan (disambiguation).

Medan
City
City of Medan
Kota Medan
Regional transcription(s)
 • Jawiميدن
 • Batakᯔᯩᯑᯉ᯲
Skyline of Medan
Coat of arms of Medan
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
Parijs van Sumatra (Dutch)[1][2]
Motto(s): 
Bekerja sama dan sama-sama bekerja
(Working together and everybody work)
Location within North Sumatra
Location within North Sumatra
Map
Interactive map of Medan
Medan is located in Sumatra
Medan
Medan
Location in Sumatra and Indonesia
Medan is located in Indonesia
Medan
Medan
Medan (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 03°35′22″N 98°40′26″E / 3.58944°N 98.67389°E / 3.58944; 98.67389
Country Indonesia
RegionSumatra
Province North Sumatra
Founded1 July 1590
Government
 • MayorBobby Nasution (Gerindra)
 • Vice MayorAulia Rachman [id]
Area
 • City
265.1 km2 (102.4 sq mi)
 • Urban
478 km2 (185 sq mi)
 • Metro
2,831.97 km2 (1,093.43 sq mi)
Elevation
2.5–37.5 m (8–123 ft)
Population
 (2023 estimate[3])
 • City
2,494,512 (5th)
 • Urban
[4]
3,632,000 (4th)
 • Urban density7,598/km2 (19,680/sq mi)
 • Metro
[5]
4,744,323 (5th)
 • Metro density1,675/km2 (4,340/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Medanese
Medanite
Demographics[6]
 • Ethnic groups
 • Religion (2019)
Time zoneUTC+7 (IWST)
Area code(+62) 61
Vehicle registrationBK
Nominal GDP[6]2023
 - TotalIncreaseRp 303.312 trillion (4th)
IncreaseUS$ 19.899 billion
IncreaseUS$ 63,731 billion (PPP)
 - Per capitaIncreaseRp 105,908 thousand (13th)
IncreaseUS$ 8,043
IncreaseUS$ 25,758 (PPP)
 - MetroIncreaseRp 483.278 trillion
IncreaseUS$ 31.706 billion
IncreaseInt$ 101.544 billion (PPP)
 - GrowthIncrease 6.0%
HDI (2023)Increase 0.826 (26th) – very high
Websitepemkomedan.go.id

Medan (/mɛˈdɑːn/ meh-DAHN, Indonesian: [mɛˈdan] ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra.[7] The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multicultural metropolis, acting as a financial centre for Sumatra and a gateway to the western part of Indonesia. About 60% of the economy in North Sumatra is backed by trading, agriculture, and processing industries,[8] including exports from its 4 million acres of palm oil plantations. The National Development Planning Agency listed Medan as one of the four main central cities in Indonesia, alongside Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar. In terms of population, it is the most populous city in Indonesia outside of the island of Java. Its population as of 2023 is approximately equal to the country of Moldova.[9][10]

As of the 2020 Census, Medan had a population of 2,435,252 within its city limits;[11][12] the official population estimate as of mid 2023 was 2,474,166 - comprising 1,231,673 males and 1,242,493 females.[3] When the surrounding urban area is included, the population is over 3.4 million, making it the fourth largest urban area in Indonesia.[13] The Medan metropolitan area—which includes neighbouring Binjai, Deli Serdang Regency, and a part of Karo Regency—is the largest metropolitan area outside of Java, with 4,744,323 residents counted in the 2020 Census.[14]

The city was founded at the confluence of the Deli River and the Babura river by a Karonese man named Guru Patimpus. Then called Kampung Medan Putri, it became part of the Deli Sultanate, established in 1632. In the late 19th century, colonial Dutch seeking new plantation areas chose Medan and Deli as plantation hubs to found the Deli Company. Within a few years, the Dutch tobacco trade transformed Medan into an economic hub, earning it the nickname Het Land Dollar ("the land of the money"). The Deli Railway, established to ship tobacco, rubber, tea, timber, palm oil, and sugar from Medan to the Port of Belawan for worldwide export, brought further rapid development to Medan. The city became first the capital of the State of East Sumatra, and then the provincial capital of North Sumatra.

  1. ^ "Medan Het Parijs van Sumatra, Medan Paris di Sumatra". Teknomuda (in Indonesian). 2 September 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Medan, Sang Parijs van Sumatera". BatakPedia (in Indonesian). 7 January 2020. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kota Medan Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1271)
  4. ^ "Demographia World Urban Areas, 16th Annual Edition" (PDF). February 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. ^ "PU-net". perkotaan.bpiw.pu.go.id. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b Badan Pusat Statistik Sumatra Utara (2024). "Provinsi Sumatera Utara Dalam Angka 2024". Medan: Badan Pusat Statistik.
  7. ^ Kumar, Pankaj; Mishra, Binaya Kumar; Avtar, Ram; Chakraborty, Shamik (2021). "Quantifying future water environment using numerical simulations: a scenario-based approach for sustainable groundwater management plan in Medan, Indonesia". Global Groundwater. Elsevier. pp. 585–596. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-818172-0.00043-8. ISBN 9780128181720. S2CID 230551984. Medan is the capital city of North Sumatra province.
  8. ^ "Medan Business: Top Sectors, Economies, Business Setup". 23 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  9. ^ "26. Z. Irian Jaya". bappenas.go.id (Word DOC) (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  10. ^ Geografi. Grasindo. ISBN 9789797596194. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Jumlah Penduduk menurut Jenis Kelamin dan Kabupaten/Kota Sumatra Utara 2011–2016". Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Sumatra Utara (in Indonesian). 3 October 2017. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  12. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  13. ^ "Demographia World Urban Areas, 14th Annual Edition" (PDF). April 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  14. ^ "PU-net". Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.