North Sumatera Map

North Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Utara) is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.

Geography and population

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 in the southeast. It has an area of 70,787 km². The province contains a broad, low plain along the Strait of Malacca on which the provincial capital, Medan, is located. 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, and the Batu Islands.

North Sumatra recorded a population of 11.48 million in the 2000 national census. An Intercensal estimate for 2007 shows a population of 12,834,371, [2], 2010 census recorded 12,985,075 people, a sex ratio of 99.59 men per 100 women.

Agriculture and economy

Sumatra Mandheling and Sumatra Lintong coffee beans are grown in North Sumatra and largely exported to the United States. Mandheling is named after the similarly spelt Mandailing people located in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The name is the result of a misunderstanding by the first foreign purchaser of the variety, and no coffee is actually produced in the “Mandailing region”. Lintong on the other hand, is named after the Lintong district, also located in North Sumatra.

Administration
Grand Mosque of Medan, North Sumatra

Below is a list of regencies (Indonesian: kabupaten) and cities in North Sumatra.
West coast region:
Regencies — capital (seat)

* Nias Regency — Gunungsitoli
* South Nias Regency — Teluk Dalam
* Mandailing Natal Regency — Panyabungan
* South Tapanuli Regency — Sipirok
* Central Tapanuli Regency — Pandan

Cities

* Padang Sidempuan
* Sibolga

Mountain region:
Regencies — capital (seat)

* Karo Regency — Kabanjahe
* Dairi Regency — Sidikalang
* Pakpak Bharat Regency — Salak
* North Tapanuli Regency — Tarutung
* Humbang Hasundutan Regency — Dolok Sanggul
* Samosir Regency — Pangururan
* Toba Samosir Regency — Balige
* Simalungun Regency — Raya

Cities
* Pematang Siantar

East coast region:
Regencies — capital (seat)

* Asahan Regency — Kisaran
* Labuhan Batu Regency — Rantauprapat
* Langkat Regency — Stabat
* Deli Serdang Regency — Lubukpakam
* Serdang Bedagai Regency — Sei Rampah
* Batubara Regency — Limapuluh

Cities

* Tebing Tinggi
* Tanjung Balai
* Medan
* Binjai

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