City (pop., 1995 est.: 1,843,919), northeastern Sumatra.
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.