Medan

Medan – Where commerce runs in everyone's veins

Ever since the 11th century, North Sumatra's provincial capital of Medan has always been a multicultural haven for trade. Evidence of Medan's widespread commercial reach can be seen through the many ancient coins archaeologists have discovered that hail from places as far and wide as Sri Lanka and China, alongside pottery, ceramics and beads from various countries like India. It is within the city's 281.99 square kilometer limits that its ethnically 2.47 million residents live out their daily lives and make Medan the largest and busiest city outside of Java (the third largest overall in the country), while also helping contribute to the city's rich cultural landscape that has made it quite the popular food tourism destination.

After all, it is in Medan where ethnic Chinese, Javanese, Toba-Batak, Minangkabau, Batak, Indians and many other groups come together and share their unique dishes with one another. Once your stomach is full from any of the endless food stalls you can find throughout the city, you can visit places like the Daoist Gunung Timur Temple, the Islamic Great Mosque of Medan, the Catholic Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni, the Buddhist Maha Vihara Maitreya and the Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple to learn about Medan's rich religious diversity. Even secular destinations like the Maimoon Palace (for the Sultanate of Deli) feature interior designs that blend Islamic, Spanish, Malay, Indian and Italian styles. The Rahmat International Wildlife Museum and Gallery provides visitors with an immense treasure trove of global taxidermy.

Befitting Medan's size, it has experienced tremendous economic growth in the past few years. It grew 5.04 percent in 2023, up from 4.71 percent in 2022, with a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at current prices totaling at Rp 303,311 billion. A big chunk of this was from wholesale and retail trade, at Rp 80,787 billion (or 26.64 percent). The other biggest contributors were the construction industry (at Rp 56,404 billion or 18.60 percent) and the manufacturing industry (at Rp 42,679 billion or 14.07 percent).