Medan

Medan, in the Bible

Medan (mē`dăn), in the Bible, son of Abraham and Keturah.

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Medan, city, Indonesia

Medan (mādän`), city (1990 pop. 1,730,052), capital of North Sumatra prov., NE Sumatra, Indonesia, on the Deli River, c.15 mi (25 km) from its mouth, where the city's port (Belawan) is situated. The largest city in Sumatra and the fourth largest in Indonesia, Medan is the marketing, commercial, and transportation center of a rich agricultural area containing great tobacco, rubber, and palm oil estates. Coffee and tea are also grown in the vicinity. Industries include the production of machinery and tile, and automobile assembly. Medan, gateway to the beautiful Lake Toba region, is a tourist center, with an international airport; attractions include the Great Mosque (the largest in Sumatra) and the Palace of the Sultan of Deli. The city is the seat of the Univ. of North Sumatra and the Islamic Univ. of North Sumatra. In 1994 the city was the site of labor riots that were rooted in long-standing ethnically based tensions between Chinese business owners and Malay workers.

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Medan

City (pop., 2003 est.: 1,979,340), northeastern Sumatra, Indonesia. After tobacco plantations were introduced in 1873, Medan became the commercial centre of an agricultural region where cash crops, including tobacco and rubber, were raised for export. It was made a city by the Dutch in 1886. It was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. The sultan of Deli's palace dates to the 19th century. Medan is the seat of the University of North Sumatra and the Islamic University of North Sumatra.