Medan, Indonesia

Medan, the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, is a multicultural metropolis and a busy trading city bordered by the Strait of Malacca, making it one of the major economic cities in Indonesia. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main central cities of Indonesia, alongside Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar. As of the 2020 Census, Medan has a population of 2,435,252 within its city limits and it had over 3.4 million in its built-up urban area, making it the fourth largest urban area in Indonesia. Medan is a regional hub and financial center of Sumatra and a gateway to the western part of Indonesia. Medan is supported by the Port of Belawan and Kualanamu International Airport, both of which are connected to the city center via toll roads and railways. The city has a rich history dating back to the ancient Kingdom of Aru and the Deli Sultanate. The city’s rapid development came with the establishment of tobacco plantations that transformed Medan into a trade hub. Today, Medan is a financial, trading, and economic center for North Sumatra province and the whole of Sumatra Island. The city is known as a trading hub for palm oil export, with approximately 4 million acres of palm oil plantations in North Sumatra. Medan offers a large pool of human capital and talent, lower operational costs, a strategic location close to Singapore and Malaysia, and diverse natural resources. With its rich culture, history, and dynamic economy, Medan is a destination that should be on every traveler’s bucket list.