Medan 360758 225332809 2008-07-13T03:42:57Z 24.16.75.233 /* History */ {{other}} {{Infobox City |official_name = Medan |nickname = |motto = |image_skyline = |imagesize = |image_caption = |image_flag = |image_seal = Medan coa.png |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = Location of Medan in Indonesia |pushpin_map = Indonesia |subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]] |subdivision_name = [[Indonesia]] |subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Indonesia|Province]] |subdivision_name1 = [[North Sumatra]] |subdivision_type2 = |subdivision_name2 = |leader_title = |leader_name = |established_title = Founded |established_date = [[July 1]], [[1590]] |area_magnitude = |area_total_km2 = 265.10 |population_as_of = 2003 |population_note = |population_total = 2,392,922 |population_density_km2 = 9026 |timezone = [[Time in Indonesia|WIB]] |utc_offset = +7 |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |latd=3 |latm=35 |lats= |latNS=N |longd=98 |longm=40 |longs= |longEW=E |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |website = [http://www.pemkomedan.go.id www.pemkomedan.go.id] |footnotes = }} '''Medan''' is the capital of the province of [[North Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]]. Located in the northern part of the province along the coast, Medan is the third largest city in Indonesia. The city is bordered by [[Deli Serdang Regency]] to the east, south, and west, and the [[Strait of Malacca]] to the north. ==History== Medan started as a village called ''Kampung Medan'' (Medan Village). Kampung Medan was founded by [[Guru Patimpus]] around the 1590s. Because Kampung Medan sits on [[Tanah Deli]] (Land of Deli), Kampung Medan is also referred as Medan-Deli. The original location of Kampung Medan is an area where the [[Deli River]] meets [[Babura River]]. Based on the diary of the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] merchant in early 16th century, it stated that the name of Medan was actually derived from [[Medina]] which is actually a holy city in the western of [[Saudi Arabia]]. However, other source indicated that the name of Medan actually came from Indian language "Meiden". One of the Karo-Indonesia dictionary written by Darwin Prinst SH published in 2002 wrote that Medan could also be defined as "recover" or "be better". The first inhabitants of Medan came from the [[Batak (Indonesia)|Batak Karo]] community. It was not until the Sultan of Aceh, [[Sultan Iskandar Muda]], sent his warlord, [[Gocah Pahlawan Laksamana Khoja Bintan]], to be the [[Sultanate of Aceh]]'s representative in Tanah Deli, that the [[Sultanate of Deli]] started to grow. This growth stimulated growth in both the population and culture of Medan. In the second year reign of Sultan Deli (between 1669-1698), there was a cavalry battle in Medan. [[Image:Kesawan.jpg|right|thumb|Kesawan in the 1920s]] [[Image:Tirta Tower.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Tirtanadi Tower, Medan Icon]] Medan did not experience significant development until the 1860s, when the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] colonialists began clearing the land for [[tobacco]] plantations. Medan quickly became a center of government and commercial activity, dominating development of Indonesia's western region. The [[Netherlands|Dutch]] governed Tanah Deli from 1658, after [[Sultan Ismail]], ruler of the [[Kingdom of Siak Sri Indrapura]], yielded some of his once-ruled land, Deli, [[Langkat]], and [[Serdang]]. In 1915 Medan officially became the capital of North Sumatra Province, and officially a city in 1918. Medan is governed by a mayor, Drs. H. Abdillah Ak, MBA (period 2005-2010). Medan is divided into 21 districts (''kecamatan'') and 151 subdistricts (''kelurahan''). ==Demography== The city is Indonesia's third most populous after [[Jakarta]] and [[Surabaya]], with approximately 2.5 million people. The city has a mix of communities, reflecting its history. It is famous throughout Indonesia as the home of the [[Batak (Indonesia)|Batak]] people, although the Batak homelands are found throughout North Sumatra. In addition, there is a large ethnic [[Javanese people|Javanese]] community, largely made up of the descendants of people transported from Java in the last century as part of the government's [[transmigration program|transmigration]] policy, an attempt to relieve the chronic overcrowding of [[Java]]. A highly visible component of Medan's population is the large number of [[Han Chinese|Chinese]], who control much of the business sector. Finally, the city has a sizable community of [[Tamil people|Tamil]] descent who is commonly known as ''keling''. A well-known Tamil market is the ''Kampung Keling''. In addition to [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], Batak [[Simalungun]], Batak [[Mandailing]], Batak [[Pak-Pak]], Batak [[Angkola]], Batak [[Toba]], Deli [[Malay]], [[Javanese language|Javanese]], Hokkien ([[Min Nan]]), [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Acehnese]], [[Minang Kabauw]] and [[English language|English]] are spoken. ==Landmarks== [[Image:Great mosque in Medan.JPG|right|thumb|Medan's Great Mosque]] There are many old buildings in Medan that still retain their Dutch architecture. These include the old City Hall, the central Post Office, the Water Tower, which is Medan City's icon, and Titi Gantung (a bridge over the railway). There are several historic places such as [[Maimun Palace]] (Istana Maimun), where the Sultan of Deli still lives, and the Great Mosque (Masjid Raya) of Medan built in 1906. ==Transportation== [[Image:Becak.jpg|thumb|right|The unique shaped tricycle (''becak'')]] One of the unique features of Medan are the motorized ''[[becak]]s'' that are found almost everywhere. Unlike traditional [[becak]]s, a motorized becak can take its passenger anywhere in the city. The fare of riding a 'becak' is relatively cheap and is usually negotiated beforehand. There are also more common transport like taxis and minibuses, known as ''sudako''. Railroad tracks connect Medan to [[Binjai]] and [[Tanjungpura]] to the northwest, to port of [[Belawan]] to the north, and to [[Tebing Tinggi]] and [[Pematang Siantar]] to the southeast. The seaport of [[Belawan]] is about 20 km to the north. [[Polonia International Airport]] is located in the heart of the city. [[Kuala Namu International Airport]] is a new airport under construction and is due to replace Polonia in 2009. A toll highway connects Medan to [[Belawan]] and [[Tanjungmorawa]]. A plan for the extension of this highway to [[Tebing Tinggi]] and to [[Binjai]] has been completed, and the central government is currently seeking investors to build the extension. ==Media== The TVRI Medan (state-owned) and Deli TV (private) are the only two local TV stations in Medan. Several local newspapers are running in the city with [http://www.analisadaily.com Harian Analisa] as the oldest one. Other popular newspapers include Harian Waspada, [http://www.harian-global.com Harian Global], Harian SIB{{Fact|date=July 2007}} ==Sport== [[Football (soccer)|Football]] is a favorite sport game with two local clubs: [[PSMS Medan]] and Medan Jaya. ==Sister cities== *[[Image:Flag of Japan.svg|20px|]] [[Ichikawa, Chiba]], [[Japan]] *[[Image:Flag of Malaysia.svg|20px|]] [[George Town, Penang]], [[Malaysia]] *[[Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|20px|]] [[Chengdu]], [[China]] *[[Image:Flag of South Korea.svg|20px|]] [[Gwangju]], [[South Korea]] ==External links== {{portal|Indonesia}} {{commonscat|Medan}} *{{id icon}} [http://www.pemkomedan.go.id Official website] *[http://www.dharssi.org.uk/travel/indonesia/map.html Map of north Sumatra] *[http://medan.m-heritage.org/about_medan/ Medan Heritage] *[http://www.medan.us Medan Underground Forum] - Medan Underground Discussions *[http://www.cekinfo.com Medan Business Search Engine] - Business Information Search Engine for Medan City *[http://www.medanonline.net Medanese Forum] - The Largest Medanese Community *{{wikitravel}} *[http://www.medanku.com Medan Archives] - Tourist Information Pictures Videos [[Category:Cities, towns and villages in North Sumatra]] [[bg:Медан]] [[ca:Medan (Indonèsia)]] [[da:Medan]] [[de:Medan]] [[es:Medan]] [[fr:Medan]] [[id:Kota Medan]] [[it:Medan]] [[lv:Medana]] [[lt:Medanas]] [[hu:Medan]] [[ms:Medan]] [[nl:Medan (Indonesië)]] [[ja:メダン]] [[no:Medan]] [[pl:Medan]] [[pt:Medan]] [[ro:Medan, Indonezia]] [[ru:Медан]] [[sk:Medan]] [[fi:Medan]] [[sv:Medan]] [[vi:Medan]] [[zh:棉蘭]]