North Sumatra Information & North Sumatra Links at HealthHaven.com

Province of North Sumatra
	; Motto: Sipature hutana be (Batak)
Capital	Medan
Governor	Syamsul Arifin
Area	71,680 km2 (27,676 sq mi)
Population	12,834,371 (2007)
Density	179.1 /km2 (464 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Batak (41,95%), Javanese (32.62%) Nias/Kono Niha (6.36%), Malay (4,92%), Minangkabau (2,66%), Banjarese (0.97%), other (9,72%)
Religion	Islam (65.5%), Christianity (31.4%), Buddhism (2.8%), Hindu (0,2%)
Languages	Malay, Batak, Angkola-Mandailing, Indonesian
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Web site	http://www.pempropsu.go.id/

North Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Utara) is a province of Indonesia. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java.

[edit] 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 on the southeast. It has an area of 70787 km². The province contains a broad, low plain along the Strait of Malacca coast; the provincial capital, Medan, is located here. 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. Intercensal estimates for 2007 show a population of 12,834,371.^[2]

[edit] Agriculture and economy

Sumatra Mandheling and Sumatra Lintong coffee beans are grown in North Sumatra and largely exported to the U.S. 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.

[edit] 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	Cities Tebing Tinggi Tanjung Balai Medan Binjai