landmark
Bukit Lawang
A river village on the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park and the main jumping-off point for trekking to wild Sumatran orangutans. The Bohorok River runs straight through the guesthouse strip.
60 km · about 70 min drive
AsiaIndonesiaNorth Sumatra
Medan
North Sumatra, Indonesia · Asia
About Medan
Medan sits on the route: 10 minutes from Sunggal, 60km from Bukit Lawang.
Medan is in North Sumatra, Indonesia, with about 2.4 million people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Sunggal, about 6 km away.
Medan ( meh-DAHN, Indonesian: [ˈmɛdan] , Batak: ᯔᯩᯑᯉ᯳) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multicultural metropolis, acting as a financial centre for Sumatra and aRead more
gateway to the western part of Indonesia. About 60% of the economy in North Sumatra is backed by trading, agriculture, and processing industries, including exports from its 4 million acres of palm oil plantations. The National Development Planning Agency listed Medan as one of the four main central cities in Indonesia, alongside Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar. In terms of population, it is the most populous city in Indonesia outside of the island of Java. Its population, as of 2024, is approximately equal to the country of Moldova.
As of the 2020 Census, Medan had a population of 2,435,252 within its city limits; the official population estimate as of mid 2024 was 2,486,283 - comprising 1,237,602 males and 1,248,681 females - and projected to rise to 2,498,293 at mid 2025. When the surrounding urban area is included, the population is over 3.4 million, making it the fourth largest urban area in Indonesia. The Medan metropolitan area—which includes neighbouring Binjai, Deli Serdang Regency, and a part of Karo Regency—is the largest metropolitan area outside of Java, with 4,744,323 residents counted in the 2020 Census, rising to 4,944,979 in mid 2024.
The city was founded at the confluence of the Deli River and the Babura river by a Karonese man named Guru Patimpus. Then called Kampung Medan Putri, it became part of the Deli Sultanate, established in 1632. In the late 19th century, colonial Dutch seeking new plantation areas chose Medan and Deli as plantation hubs to found the Deli Company. Within a few years, the Dutch tobacco trade transformed Medan into an economic hub, earning it the nickname Het Land Dollar ("the land of the money"). The Deli Railway, established to ship tobacco, rubber, tea, timber, palm oil, and sugar from Medan to the Port of Belawan for worldwide export, brought further rapid development to Medan. The city became first the capital of the State of East Sumatra, and then the provincial capital of North Sumatra.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Medan?
Within an hour or so of Medan: Bukit Lawang (60 km).
Are there any good drives near Medan?
The nearest famous roads are Lake Toba Ring Road.
Where is Medan?
Medan is in North Sumatra, Indonesia, about 6 km from Sunggal.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 2,435,252
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Indonesia
- Region
- North Sumatra
- Timezone
- Asia/Jakarta
- Coordinates
- 3.5833, 98.6667
Tags
Worth the detour from Medan
1 notable place within an hour's drive.
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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