About
Medan
Medan
is the capital city of North Sumatra province, Indonesia.
It is the largest city in Sumatra and the Indonesia's third
most populous after Jakarta and Surabaya, with approximately
2.5 million people. Medan means 'field' in Bahasa
Indonesia and Malay languages but the name actually originated
from the Karonese word 'madan' which means to 'get
better' or 'healthy'.
The city located in the north of the province, and has a
nearby harbour Belawan, and an international airport Polonia
International Airport. It is situated in the fertile swamp
at the junction of the Deli and Babura rivers where the
original village of Medan Putri was founded by Raja Guru
Patimpus in 1590.
The
city has a mix of communities, reflecting its pre- and post-independence
history. It is famous throughout Indonesia as the home of
the Batak people, although the ancestral sites of these
people are scattered throughout northern Sumatra. In addition,
there is a large ethnic Javanese comunity, largely made
of of the descendants of people shipped from Java in the
last century as part of the government's transmigration
policy, an attempt to relieve the chronic overcrowding on
Java.
A highly visible component of Medan's population is the
large number of ethnic Chinese, who control much of the
business sector. Finally, the city has a sizeable community
of Tamil descent, the people known as keling. A well-known
Tamil market, is the Kampung Keling. In addition to Indonesian,
Javanese, Hokkien, Tamil and English are spoken. |
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| Climate |
Straddling
the equator, the climate in Medan, just like other areas in
Indonesia, tends to have a fairly even climate year-round.
There are two seasons; i.e., the dry season and the rainy
season. The temperature throughout the year average 22oC
to 29oC, but the north coastal plains are usually
hotter up to 34oC. Humidity average a high 75%. |
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| Clothes |
Light
weight clothing is advisable in this region because its warm
temperature and humidity. In formal meetings, men commonly
wear ties and long sleeve Batik shirts. Nevertheless, if you
go to mountainous areas, you need jackets and sweaters. |
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| Electricity |
Power
supply is 220 volts / 250 cycles is large cities, but 110
volts is still used in some areas. Normal outlets are plugs
with two rounded pins. It is advisable to check electricity
supplies before using any appliances. |
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| Food |
North
Sumatra has a variety of food. Rice is the staple food which
is usually eaten with meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.
In Padang Cuisine restaurants, a variety of dishes are placed
on the table in front of you but you only have to pay for
what you eat. Western meals are provided in all hotels serving
foreign tourists.
Chinese and Japanese cuisine is also available in some restaurants,
even in some small ones. |
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| Snack
time at Night |
Kesawan
Square
Located in the core of the city, before known as “Kesawan”
or “Ahmad Yani Road”, a shopping complex and business
center at day time, becomes a place to find almost every specific
Medan’s snack at night time.
Merdeka Walk
Also in the core of the city, at Merdeka Field areal or Balai
Kota Road, built by private sectors together with the local
government on 2005, Merdeka Walk is famous for its Eastern
like tent, live music and karaoke, local and international
food such as Pizza and Fried Chicken from McDonald.
Lili Suheri Park
This park is located at the intersection of Listrik Street
and Zainul Arifin Street, near by Selecta Building and Gleanegles
Hospital. Medan’s food you can find here are dim sum,
sop langsa, sate etc.
Pagaruyung Street
Famous by the name of Kampung Keling, at Pagaruyung Street
and mostly occupied by India Tamil tribes. Snacks found at
night time are Martabak India, Kwe Tiau etc.
Sri Deli Park
Located at SM Raja Street, across The Great Mousqe of Medan
and near by Maimunah Palace, with fishpool in the center sorrounded
by café in tents, visitors can fish while enjoying
snack time. |
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| Representative
Restaurants |
GARUDA
IV (Indonesian Food)
Jl. Gajah Mada No. 8 Medan
CENDANA
(Indonesian Food)
Jl. Pemuda No. 20C Medan
Jl. Palang Merah No. 26 Medan
Jl. Gatot Subroto No. 135-136 Medan
RATU
KURING (Indonesia Food/Sunda Food)
Jl. Jend. S. Parman No. 88 Medan
TIP
TOP (Chinese/Europe/Indonesian Food)
Jl. A. Yani No. 92 Medan
ELITE
INTL. SING HALL (Sea Food/Chinese Food)
Jl. Surabaya No. 88 Medan
TAIPAN
(Sea Food/Chinese Food)
Jl. Pemuda No. 10 Lt. III Medan
TAMIRA
TARACO (Korea/Japan Food)
Jl. Thamrin (Thamrin Plaza) Medan |
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| Transportation |
| 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. 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 tollroad connects Medan to Belawan and Tanjungmorawa.
Medan–Lubuk Pakam and Medan–Binjai roads are
being planned.
Medan's taxis are available for a convenient way of getting
around. It may cheaper to insist driver to use the meter;
for longer distances it is usually more economical to agree
to a price before you get in the car. Charter taxi is also
available.
Oplets are the main form public transport. Just stand by
the roadside and call out your destination. |
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| Places |
There
are many older 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.
The newest food court in the center of Medan
is Kesawan Square, a street which is closed to vehicles
after sunset. Many kinds of Indonesian, Western and Chinese
cuisine are available, as well as stalls selling various
items and a large Karaoke screen. It is very busy on Friday
and Saturday nights
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Glimpse
of North Sumatra
Lake Toba North Sumatra
The
province of North Sumatra stretches across the island of Sumatra
between the Indian Ocean and the Strait Malacca. It borders
Aceh province on the northwest and Riau and West Sumatra provinces
on the southeast. North Sumatera’s mainland extended
until 71.680 km². It's consisted of 25 regencies, 328
sub regencies, and the total of 5.468 villages.
The province contains a broad, low plain along the Strait
of Malacca coast; the provincial capital, Medan, is located
here. In the south and west, the land rises to the mountain
range that runs the length of Sumatra; the mountains here
are dominated by Lake Toba, formed from the caldera of an
ancient volcano. Several large islands in the Indian Ocean
off the coast of Sumatra are part of North Sumatra, most notably
Nias, Tanah Bala, Tanah Masa, and Pini.
North Sumatra has a population of approximately
11.48 million (2000 census) with Medan and Pematang Siantar
as the main cities.
The Region can be reached within one hour
by plane from Singapore and about 55 minutes from Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. As the third international gate way after
Jakarta and Bali, Medan has direct flight services to Singapore,
Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh and Hat Yai Thailand. The main
seaport of the region is Belawan which is situated on the
eastern coast face to international shipping route on Straits
Melaka.
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| Tourism |
Well
blessed by nature, North Sumatra has tourism features; the
impressive Bahorok
Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center dedicated towards protecting
the fast dwindling numbers of the orang utan, Lake
Toba, the vast, scenic and largest inland lake in South-East
Asia which is delightful spectacle for every eye. Its Samosir
island is inhabited by friendly and sentimental Batak people.
Another tourism attraction include the flower and fruits town
of Brastagi,
the cascading Tongging Waterfall, the cool, seaside resort
of Pandan Beach, and the curious sporting custom of Nias
Island. North Sumatra's capital Medan, and harbor town
Belawan, are in themselves picturesque places of interest. |
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| Agriculture |
The
plantation, wich exented by private and government company
produced rubber, cacao, tea, oil palm, coffee, clove, coconut,
cinnamon and tobacco. Its’ products expanded throughout
the province in the regencies of Deli Serdang, Langkat, Simalungan,
Asahan, Labuhan Batu and East Tapanuli, exported to several
countries as the province most contributing devisa to Inmdonesia.
Beside plantation, North Sumatera is also priority in horticulture
commodities (vegetables and fruits), which of those are oranges
from Medan, guava from Deli, cabbage, tomato, potato and carrots
from Karo, Simalungun and North Tapanuli regencies. These
products become the mainstay export to Malaysia and Singapore. |
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| Main Commodities |
Agriculture
Commodities
Agriculture Commodities become the major exertion for farmers
in North Sumatera and also as the staple food of mostly Indonesian.
Commodities potentially developed are rice plant, maize, sweet
potato, cassava, soybean, mungbean, and peanut.
Plantation Commodities
Plantation commodities from North Sumatera are rubber, palm
oil, patchouli, coffee, ginger, candlenut, sugar palm, areca
nut, kakao, coconut, vanilla, kemenyan, cinnamon bark and
clove. These commodities give great opportunities to establish
plantation manufacture industries.
Horticulture Commodities
Horticulture Commodities, supporting and as a supplement of
staple food, from North Sumatera are several kind of vegetables,
fruits, herbal plants and spices. |
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Visit
these sites for more information about Medan and North Sumatra: |
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