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Medan

 
Dictionary: Me·dan   (mā-dän') pronunciation

A city of Indonesia on northern Sumatra north-northwest of Padang. It is a shipping and trade center for an agricultural region. Population: 2,030,000.

 

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City (pop., 2003 est.: 1,979,340), northeastern Sumatra, Indonesia. After tobacco plantations were introduced in 1873, Medan became the commercial centre of an agricultural region where cash crops, including tobacco and rubber, were raised for export. It was made a city by the Dutch in 1886. It was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. The sultan of Deli's palace dates to the 19th century. Medan is the seat of the University of North Sumatra and the Islamic University of North Sumatra.

For more information on Medan, visit Britannica.com.

Bible Guide: Medan
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Third son of Abraham by his wife Keturah.

Concordance
Gen 25:2. I Chr 1:32


 
Medan (mādän'), city (1990 pop. 1,730,052), capital of North Sumatra prov., NE Sumatra, Indonesia, on the Deli River, c.15 mi (25 km) from its mouth, where the city's port (Belawan) is situated. The largest city in Sumatra and the fourth largest in Indonesia, Medan is the marketing, commercial, and transportation center of a rich agricultural area containing great tobacco, rubber, and palm oil estates. Coffee and tea are also grown in the vicinity. Industries include the production of machinery and tile, and automobile assembly. Medan, gateway to the beautiful Lake Toba region, is a tourist center, with an international airport; attractions include the Great Mosque (the largest in Sumatra) and the Palace of the Sultan of Deli. The city is the seat of the Univ. of North Sumatra and the Islamic Univ. of North Sumatra. In 1994 the city was the site of labor riots that were rooted in long-standing ethnically based tensions between Chinese business owners and Malay workers.


Weather: Medan
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AccuWeather® 5-Day Forecast

Tuesday HI:  83°F / 28°C
LO: 72°F / 22°C
Wednesday HI:  84°F / 28°C
LO: 70°F / 21°C
Thursday HI:  84°F / 28°C
LO: 70°F / 21°C
Friday HI:  85°F / 29°C
LO: 71°F / 21°C
Saturday HI:  87°F / 30°C
LO: 71°F / 21°C
Last updated November 25, 2009 05:09 (EST)

Dialing Code: The telephone dialing code for: Medan, Indonesia
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The country code is: 62
The city code is: 61


Local Time: Medan, Indonesia
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It is 5:29 PM, November 25, in Medan (Indonesia).

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Wikipedia: Medan
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Medan
View of central Medan

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Medan is located in Indonesia
Medan
Location of Medan in Indonesia
Coordinates: 3°35′N 98°40′E / 3.583°N 98.667°E / 3.583; 98.667
Country Indonesia
Province North Sumatra
Founded July 1, 1590
Area
 - Total 265.10 km2 (102.4 sq mi)
Population (2003)
 - Total 2,392,922
 - Density 9,026/km2 (23,377.2/sq mi)
Time zone WIB (UTC+7)
Website www.pemkomedan.go.id

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.

Contents

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 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 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.

Kesawan in the 1920s
Tirtanadi Tower, Medan Icon

Medan did not experience significant development until the 1860s, when the 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 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 fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, with an official intercensal estimated 2007 population of 2,083,156.[1] It also has a significant portion of its population outside of the city limits, especially in Deli Serdang Regency.

The city has a mix of communities, reflecting its history. It is famous throughout Indonesia as the home of the Batak people, although, traditionally it is a Melayu Kampung. More recently more and more of the Batak ethnic minority have come to the city to make what was once a minority become a fairly sized community. However, Batak homelands are found throughout North Sumatra. In addition, there is a large ethnic Javanese community, largely made up of the descendants of people transported from Java in the last century as part of the government's transmigration policy, an attempt to relieve the chronic overcrowding of Java.

A highly visible component of Medan's population is the large number of Chinese, who are very active in the business sector, and unlike the ethnic Chinese in many other parts of Indonesia continue to speak Hokkien. Finally, the city has a sizable community of Tamil descent who are commonly known as keling. A well-known Tamil neighbourhood is Kampung Keling. In addition to Indonesian, Batak Simalungun, Batak Karo, Batak Mandailing, Batak Pak-Pak, Batak Angkola, Batak Toba, Deli Malay, Javanese, Hokkien (Min Nan), Tamil, Acehnese, Minangkabau and English are spoken.

Landmarks

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 (the Medan Sultan does not have anymore an official power), and the Great Mosque (Masjid Raya) of Medan built in 1906.

Maimoon Palace, Palace of the Sultan in Medan
Medan's new Catholic temple Graha Maria

Since 2005, a catholic temple, in Indo-Mogul style, devoted to Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni (Our Lady of Good Health), is built in Medan. This particular Saint knows its origin with an apparition in the 17th century in India. The temple is an imposant building, of two storeys and a small tower of seven storeys in Indonesian style, that already attracts attention from the main road (it is situated in the small road Jl. Sakura III besides Jl. Simatupang). It is already the second most important pilgrimage place in Asia.

Transportation

The tricycle ricksaw (becak)

One of the unique features of Medan are the motorized becaks that are found almost everywhere. Unlike traditional becaks, 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.

Education

Medan is home to a significant number of universities, colleges, and schools. The city government of Medan lists a total of 827 elementary schools, 337 junior high schools, 288 senior high schools, and 72 universities and other institutions of higher learning [2].

State universities

Name in English Name in Indonesian Acronym Foundation Link
State University of Medan Universitas Negeri Medan UNIMED 1956 [1]
University of Sumatera Utara Universitas Sumatera Utara USU 1952 [2]

Private universities

Name in English Name in Indonesian Acronym Foundation Link
Al-Azhar University Universitas Al-Azhar N/A 1983 [3]
Al-washliyah University Universitas Al-washliyah UNIVA 1958 [4]
Amir Hamzah University Universitas Amir Hamzah N/A 1981 N/A
Cut Nyak Dhien University Universitas Cut Nyak Dhien N/A 1956 N/A
Darma Agung University Universitas Darma Agung UDA 1959 [5]
Dharmawangsa University Universitas Dharmawangsa UNDHAR 1986 [6]
HKBP Nommensen University Universitas HKBP Nommensen UHN 1954 [7]
Social Development University of Indonesia Universitas Pembinaan Masyarakat Indonesia UPMI 1979 [8]
Islamic University of Sumatera Utara Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara UISU 1952 [9]
Medan Area University Universitas Medan Area UST 1982 [10]
Methodist University of Indonesia Universitas Methodist Indonesia UMI 1965 [11]
Muhammadiyah University of Sumatera Utara Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara UMSU 1957 [12]
Nusantara Al-Wasliyah Muslim University Universitas Muslim Nusantara Al-Wasliyah UMN 1996 [13]
Pancabudi Development University Universitas Pembangunan Panca Budi UNPAB 1964 [14]
Preston University of Indonesia Universitas Preston Indonesia UPI N/A N/A
Prima University of Indonesia Universitas Prima Indonesia UNPRI 2005 [15]
Setia Budi Mandiri University Universitas Setia Budi Mandiri USBM 2008 [16]
Sisingamangaraja XII University Universitas Sisingamangaraja XII US XII 1984 N/A
Social Development University of Indonesia Universitas Pembangunan Masyarakat Indonesia UPMI 1979 [17]
St. Thomas Catholic University Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas UST 1984 [18]
Source: Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of National Education, Indonesia

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 Harian Analisa as the oldest one. Other popular newspapers include Harian Waspada, Harian Global, Harian SIB[citation needed]

Sport

Football is a favorite sport game with two local clubs: PSMS Medan and Medan Jaya.

Sister cities

References

External links


 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Bible Guide. Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible. Copyright © 1986 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
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