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North Sumatra Sumatera Utara
Province
Province of North Sumatra
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Tekun berkarya, hidup sejahtera, mulia berbudaya (Indonesian) Work diligently, live prosperously, noble in culture
Location of North Sumatra in Indonesia
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates: 2°00′N 99°00′E / 2.000°N 99.000°E / 2.000; 99.000
Established	15 April 1948
Capital and largest city	Medan
Government
• Body	North Sumatra Provincial Government
• Governor	Hassanudin (Acting)
• Vice Governor	Vacant
Area
• Total	72,460.74 km2 (27,977.25 sq mi)
• Rank	8th in Indonesia
Highest elevation (Sinabung)	2,460 m (8,070 ft)
Population  (mid 2023 official estimate)[1]
• Total	15,386,640
• Rank	4th in Indonesia
• Density	210/km2 (550/sq mi)
• Rank	11th in Indonesia
Demographics
• Ethnic groups	45% Batak 30% Javanese 8.5% Chinese 5.7% Malay 4.1% Nias 5.4% other
• Religion (2021)	63.36% Islam 33.99% Christianity 2.43% Buddhism 0.10% Hinduism 0.12% other
Time zone	UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)
ISO 3166 code	ID-SU
GDP (nominal)	2022[2]
- Total	Rp 955.2 trillion (6th) US$ 64.3 billion Int$ 200.7 billion (PPP)
- Per capita	Rp 63.2 million (14th) US$ 4,256 Int$ 13,280 (PPP)
- Growth	4.73%[3]
HDI	0.727 (15th) – high
Website	sumutprov.go.id

North Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Utara^[4]) is a province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. It is bordered by Aceh on the northwest and Riau and West Sumatra on the southeast, with two different coastlines located on the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Malacca, and a maritime border with Malaysia to the east. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java, and Central Java, and is also the most populous province outside of Java Island. North Sumatra is also the third-largest province in area on the island of Sumatra after South Sumatra and Riau provinces. It covers an area of 72,460.74 km², which is approximately the same size as Sierra Leone or Scotland or Maine.

According to the 2020 census, the province's population in that year was 14,799,361.^[5] The mid-2023 official estimate was 15,386,640 (comprising 7,721,314 males and 7,665,326 females).^[1]

North Sumatra is a multi-ethnic province. The Malay people are regarded as the natives of the east coast of the province, while the west coast of the province is mainly inhabited by the Batak (Pakpak, Angkola, and Mandailing groups). The central highlands region around Lake Toba is predominantly inhabited by other Batak groups (Toba, Simalungun, and Karo). The Nias people are natives of Nias Island and its surrounding islets. With the opening of tobacco plantations in East Sumatra during the colonial era, the colonial government employed many contract labourers for plantations, mainly Chinese, Javanese, and Indian migrants. The majority did not return after their contract ended and decided to stay in the province.^{[citation needed]} The recent rapid urbanisation also attracted neighbouring people from Aceh, Riau, and West Sumatra.

During the Dutch rule, North Sumatra was administered under a government called the Gouvernement van Sumatra with an area covering the entire island of Sumatra, led by a governor based in the city of Medan. After independence, in the first session of the Regional National Committee (KND), Sumatra Province was then divided into three sub-provinces. With the issuance of the Law of the Republic of Indonesia (R.I.) No. 10 of 1948 on April 15, 1948, it was stipulated that Sumatra was divided into three provinces, each of which had the right to regulate and manage its affairs, namely: North Sumatra Province, Central Sumatra Province, and South Sumatra Province. April 15, 1948, was later designated as the anniversary of the Province of North Sumatra.

History

Prehistoric era

Prehistoric relics in North Sumatra show that the oldest population was Austro Melanesoid. Based on the types of artifacts that were found, it is evident that their dispersal took place in the Mesolithic era (Middle Stone Age). They spread to the eastern part of Indonesia to the island of Papua, and to the west the traces are found in North Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Austro-Melanesoid people especially in North Sumatra consumed mostly snails and clams. The shells were broken at the ends and sucked for the contents, over time the shells became hills that we now find in some places in North Sumatra. For centuries they discard the shells until they become a pile of rubbish that experts call kjokkenmoddinger (kitchen waste), some of the clam hill was found in Saentis, Hinai, Tanjung Beringin, and several areas along Deli-Langkat shore and river banks.^{[citation needed]}

Around the year 1000 BC came the second wave of migration from mainland Southeast Asia, the Young Malays or Deutero Malays. They settled on the coast and made a living from fishing or cultivating the marshy land for agriculture. Their villages were scattered along the big rivers that flow to the east coast of North Sumatra such as Besitang, Wampu, Asahan, and Barumun. The rivers are important for traffic and fishing. Larger villages grew at the mouth of the river and became the center of government or Kingdoms. Relics of the Mesolithic era were found in North Sumatra, finely honed stone axes, bone tools, and painting materials.^[7]

Linguistic and archaeological evidence indicates that Austronesian speakers first reached Sumatra from Taiwan and the Philippines through Borneo or Java about 2,500 years ago, and the Batak probably descended from these settlers.^[8] While the archaeology of southern Sumatra proves the existence of Neolithic settlers, the northern part of Sumatra was settled by agriculturalists at a considerably later stage.^{[citation needed]}

New genetic research has found that the Nias people came from the Austronesian peoples. The ancestors of the Nias people are also thought to have come from Taiwan through the Philippines 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.^[9][10]

Ten years of researching involving blood samples of 440 Nias people in 11 villages on Nias island showed the Y-chromosome and DNA mitochondria of the Nias people are very similar to the Taiwanese aborigines and Filipino peoples.

Early historic era

The eastern coastal area of North Sumatra is located on the shores of the Straits of Malacca. The strait for centuries has been widely visited, both by Hindus and by Chinese traders, with the founding of Situs Kota Cina or Chinese Town site in Hamparan Perak. Meanwhile, at that time there was a known trading port on the western coast of Tapanuli that attracted mmiddle-aged era traders to Barus, people became increasingly interested in Barus, because of its camphor which was popular in Ancient Egypt. A kingdom in North Sumatra mentioned in the Tanjoore information from 1030 issued by Rajendra Chola recorded the names of the states he defeated in one expedition to conquer Srivijaya. States that he mentioned were Sriwijaya, Malayur, Kendara, and the Panai Kingdom. Furthermore, the Negarakertagama Kingdom by Mpu Prapanca from the 14th century finds several names of countries found in North Sumatra, Pane, Haru, Mandailing, Tamiang, Lawas, and Barus. The places were mainly defeated by the Majapahit.

The earliest kingdom that was present on the eastern coast of North Sumatra was the Aru Kingdom from the 13th to the 16th century. In its height the kingdom was a maritime power, and was able to control the northern part of the Malacca strait.^[12] The kingdom was initially established as a Karo polity.^[13] The indigenous population practiced native animism as well as Hinduism. During the 13th century Islam came to be practiced alongside the existing faiths.^[14] Aru's capital was located close to present-day Medan and Deli Serdang. The people of the kingdom are believed to have been descendants of the Karo people from the interior of North Sumatra.^[12]

The Batakland (the area that was close to Lake Toba) was first mentioned in Zhao Rugua's 13th-century Description of the Barbarous Peoples, which refers to a 'Ba-ta' dependency of Srivijaya. The Suma Oriental, of the 15th century, also refers to the Kingdom of Bata, bounded by Pasai and the Aru kingdom, the batak mainly practiced animism and cannibalism at that time, it was remain untouched and isolated from foreign culture and kingdoms like Srivijaya and Majapahit. Although isolated, the Toba people are established their own kingdoms even though it was only limited to villages, the Batak Lands were divided into several kingdoms, which often also entered into ties for defense purposes, but each member was fully independent. Of the many kingdoms, the position of the King of Bakkara or known as Sisingamangaraja is considered more important. This more important position is due to customs and traditions which regard the area as the place of origin of the Batak people. The same thing happened to Nias people on Nias Island, the island remained isolated during its early era although its people already conducted farming, cultivating, carvings, shamanism and paganism.

Kingdom, sultanate, and colonial era

Around 1500 on the east coast of Sumatra, there were several kingdoms, namely the Nagur, Aru, Panai, and Batangiou kingdoms. In the hinterland of Tapanuli the growth of the kingdom came from each of the pushers. Each bus was a small kingdom consisting of a single farm-owning family. In the area around the sixteenth century a kingdom began to emerge which was founded by the Descendants of Sisingamangaraja. This kingdom gradually expanded its influenced throughout Tapanuli to Angkola, Mandailing, to Dairi. Thus in the 16th century in North Sumatra there were three largest kingdom, namely Nagur, the Batak kingdom under the rule of King Sisingamangaraja, and Aru. The wars between the three kingdoms made it easy for outside influences to enter, from Aceh, Melaka, Portugal, Siak, and Minangkabau. The Sultanate of Aceh succeeded in Islamization of the eastern coast, as in other parts of the Padri War succeeded in spreading Islam into the southern Tapanuli kingdom. As the result, the three big kingdom split into several small kingdoms and sultanate such as Deli, Serdang, Asahan, Langkat Sultanate, Maropat, Lingga kingdom and many more.

Malacca fell to the Dutch East India Company, known as the VOC, in 1641. This also affected trade in the coastal areas of North Sumatra because the VOC stopped the role of trade in Malacca and shifted to Batavia. For the North Sumatra area, it also resulted in more Arab, Chinese and Indian traders to came to the area. After Britain gained a position on the island of Penang, the British began to trade in this area. Until the nineteenth century, British trade with the east coast of Sumatra was very developed. In the 19th century there were important changes in this area due to the entry of Dutch influence. Prior to the nineteenth century, Dutch power was concentrated on the island of Java, and several places in the Moluccas. But in the nineteenth century the Dutch began to pay attention to areas outside Java, including North Sumatra. Since the handover of Indonesia to the Dutch in the 1814 Treaty of London which was renewed in the 1824 Treaty of London, almost all of Indonesia came under Dutch influence. However, the UK continues to strive for positions in several places that are considered important for trade, including several parts of Sumatra and in Kalimantan.

In the late 18th century, most of the Sultanates of East Sumatra and the British concession of Tapanuli had fallen to the Dutch East Indies, meanwhile the Dutch tried to invade Toba, Karo Highland, Nias and Silindung area with the help of Christian missionaries in a process of Christianization, most known missionary at that time was Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen, he successfully spread Christianity into North Sumatra. The Dutch invasion into Batakland met resistance from the Sisingamangaraja XII that caused a war lashing 30 years, but at the end the area fell to the Dutch Empire and he was killed in 1907. After the Dutch were able to break the resistance of Sisingamangaraja XII in the Bataklands, North Sumatra was completely under the influence of the Dutch East Indies government based in Batavia. As a colony, the Dutch began to set up new plantation such as Deli Maatschappij, London Sumatra within east coast, as there was a worker shortage, the Dutch began importing labourers from outside Sumatra from Java, Southern China and Southern India, this was the first big wave migration of Javanese, Chinese, and Indian into North Sumatra that still exist today. North Sumatra was under the control of the Gouvernement van Sumatra with an area covering the whole of the island of Sumatra, was headed by a governor who was based in the city of Medan.

On March 13, 1942, Japanese forces entered Medan, by bicycle. The Grand Mosque was used as the a fortress. The troops landed on the east coast of Deli Serdang (Pantai Cermin) while in the Tapanuli, they're began occupation through Sibolga. Then within a short time the Japanese army was able to occupy important cities in North Sumatra, resistance from the Dutch were almost nonexistent. When the Japanese army occupied North Sumatra, the leader of the Japanese Armed Forces was centered in Bukittinggi. Since officially the center of the Dutch government which was in Medan has been moved to Bukittinggi, the occupation was lasted for 3 years. In 1945 the Japanese occupation officially ended with Japan's surrender in the Pacific and two days later Sukarno declared Indonesian Independence; Indonesian forces spent the next four years fighting the Dutch for independence.

Independence and contemporary era

After independence, the first session of the National Committee of Regions (KND), Sumatra was then divided into three sub-provinces: North Sumatra, Central Sumatra and South Sumatra. North Sumatra province itself was an amalgamation of three administrative regions called Residencies: the Residency of Aceh, the East Sumatra Residency, and the Residency of Tapanuli.

With the publication of the Law of the Republic of Indonesia (R.I.) No. 10 Year 1948 on April 15, 1948, it was determined that Sumatra was divided into three provinces, each of which has the right to organize and manage their own governments: North Sumatra, Sumatra Province, Sumatra Province. The date of 15 April 1948 was subsequently determined as the anniversary of North Sumatra Province.

In 1946, there was a social revolution of East Sumatra, it began on 3 March 1946. Across 25 "native states", many sultanates were overthrown and mass killing of members of the aristocratic families were performed by armed pergerakan groups (Indonesian nationalists).^[15] To the opportunistic pergerakan militants (especially Communist Party of Indonesia members Xarim MS and Luat Siregar), the revolutionary movement was seen as one of the means for East Sumatra to be freed from colonial overlordship and to join the larger Indonesian National Revolution.^[16] Participants of the revolution were believed to be provoked by leaders to kill aristocrats and create violence. These belligerents had three prime objectives: to eliminate the sultans and aristocrats (who were seen as Dutch allies), to seize their wealth (as sources of funding for the Indonesian independence campaign) and to eliminate the region's feudal social structure.^[17] The revolution brought about the formation of the State of East Sumatra, which was dissolved when the region became part of the Indonesian republic.

The East Sumatra Union (Persatuan Sumatra Timur) had been formed in 1938 by the westernized Malay elites to reassert Malay and Simalungun ethnic interests through support from the Dutch. With the support of these Malays, the Dutch attempted to establish a federal Indonesia consisting of a Dutch-supported State of East Sumara (Indonesian: Negara Sumatra Timur (NST)).^[18] The threat felt by the Chinese also motivated them to co-operate with the Malay aristocrats, most of the Simalungun rajas, some Karo chieftains and the Dutch in creating the NST. Dr Tengku Mansur (a member of the Asahan royal family) was selected as head of state and the NST lasted from December 1947 to August 1950. While the Dutch wanted the NST to be seen as an orderly and progressive alternative to the republic, the western-educated aristocrats saw NST as a bastion for their own ethnic interests.^[19] The NST began to disintegrate as soon as Dutch military support was withdrawn. The short-lived state was viewed with suspicion, and Dr Tengku Mansur eventually surrendered authority to the republic in August 1950.^[20] Consequently, East Sumatra was merged into a larger province of North Sumatra, where it has remained till today.

In early 1949, the reorganization of government took place in Sumatra, with the decision of the Government Emergency R.I. No. 22 / Govt / Emergency Government on May 17, 1949, which abolished the post of Governor of North Sumatra. Furthermore, the Government Emergency Decree R.I. on December 17, 1949, established the Province of Aceh and Tapanuli Province / East Sumatra. Then, with a Government Regulation in lieu of Law No. 5 Year 1950 on August 14, 1950, such provisions were lifted and reshaped North Sumatra Province.

Following the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference in late 1949, the Dutch withdrew military support for the State of East Sumatra and its local authority began to collapse. Mansur entered into negotiations with Mohammad Hatta to reunify East Sumatra with the Republic of Indonesia in May, 1950. East Sumatra merged with Tapanuli to become the province of North Sumatra on August 15, 1950.

Act R.I. No. 24 of 1956, promulgated on December 7, 1956, established an autonomous Aceh Province, independent of the Province of North Sumatra.^[21]

Geography

The province of North Sumatra stretches across the island of Sumatra, between the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Malacca. It borders the province of Aceh on the northwest and Riau and West Sumatra in the southeast. It has an area of 72,460.74  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 west coast of Sumatra are currently part of North Sumatra, most notably Nias Island and the Batu Islands.

There are 419 islands in North Sumatra province. The outer islands include the island of Simuk (the most westerly of the Batu Islands), and the island of Berhala in the Strait of Sumatra (Malacca).

The Nias archipelago consists of the main island of that name and other much smaller islands in the vicinity, located off the coast of western Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The administration centre is located at the city of Gunungsitoli on the northeast coast of Nias.

The Batu Islands consist of 51 islands including three major islands: Pini, Tanahbala and Tanahmasa. Pulau Telo is the administrative centre on the small island of Situasi. The Batu Islands are located to the southeast of the island of Nias. Other islands in North Sumatra are Imanna, Pasu, Bawa, Hamutaia, Batu Makelele, Lego, Masa, Bau, Simaleh, Makole, Jake, and Sigata, Wunga.

Half of provinces are high plateau that runs by Bukit Barisan mountains range, mainly around central to western coastal of provinces, the tallest mountain in the provinces is Mount Sinabung with elevation around 2,460 mdpl, and it is the most active volcano in the region. Activities of the mountain (cracks where steam, gas, and lava are emitted) were last observed at the summit in 1912; recent documented events include an eruption in the early hours of 29 August 2010 and eruptions in September and November 2013, January, February and October 2014.^[22] Another volcano nearby are Mount Sibayak with 2,181 mdpl, the mountain produce crystalline sulfur, which was mined on a small scale in the past. Seepage of sulfurous gases has also caused acidic discolouration of the small crater lake, both of the volcanoes are located in the Karo highland.

Lake Toba is the site of a supervolcanic eruption estimated at VEI 8 that occurred 69,000 to 77,000 years ago,^[23] representing a climate-changing event. Recent advances in dating methods suggest a more accurate identification of 74,000 years ago as the date.^[24] It is the largest-known explosive eruption on Earth in the last 25 million years. According to the Toba catastrophe theory, it had global consequences for human populations; it killed most humans living at that time and is believed to have created a population bottleneck in central east Africa and India, which affects the genetic makeup of the human worldwide population to the present.^[25] More recent studies have cast doubt on this theory and found no evidence of substantial changes in population.^[26]

It has been accepted that the eruption of the Toba Caldera led to a volcanic winter with a worldwide decrease in temperature between 3 and 5 °C (5.4 and 9.0 °F), and up to 15 °C (27 °F) in higher latitudes. Additional studies in Lake Malawi in East Africa show significant amounts of ash being deposited from the Toba Caldera eruptions, even at that great distance, but little indication of a significant climatic effect in East Africa.^[27]

In North Sumatra, there are currently two national parks, the Gunung Leuser National Park and Batang Gadis National Park. According to the Ministerial Decree, No. 44 of 2005, the forest area in North Sumatra today covers 3,742,120 hectares (ha), which consists of a Natural Reserve Area/Natural Conservation Area covering an area of 477,070 ha, 1,297,330 ha of protected forest, 879,270 ha of limited production forest, 1,035,690 ha of permanent production forest, and 52,760 ha of production forest that can be converted.

However, the figure above is only de jure. In reality, the forests are not as large as the figures suggest. A lot of the forests are damaged, due to encroachment and illegal logging. So far, over 206,000 ha of forests in Sumatra has experienced changes in function. As many as 163,000 ha were converted to plantations and 42,900 ha were transmigration areas.

Governance

The administrative centre of North Sumatra is located in the city of Medan, governed by a governor. Earlier, North Sumatra was included in a single Sumatra province when Indonesia became independent in 1945. In 1950, North Sumatra Province was formed including the former residencies of East Sumatra, Tapanuli, and Aceh. In 1956, Aceh split off to form a separate Aceh Province.

Administrative divisions

North Sumatra is currently subdivided into 25 regencies (kabupaten) and 8 autonomous cities (formerly municipalities). When originally created as a province with its current boundaries, it was composed of 10 regencies and 6 cities, but an 11th regency (Dairi Regency) was created on 23 September 1964. Fourteen more new regencies and two new cities were created between 1998 and 2008. All these are listed below with their areas and their populations at the (1 May) 2010 census^[28] and the 2020 census,^[5] together with their official estimates for mid-2023.^[1] These in turn are sub-divided into 455 districts, which in turn are further sub-divided into 6,110 villages at the start of 2024. With proposals under consideration to create three new provinces from parts of the present North Sumatra, these regencies and cities are grouped for convenience below according to the projected new provinces within which they are situated:

Medan

Binjai

Langkat

Deli
Serdang

Serdang
Bedagai

Tebing Tinggi

Tanjungbalai

Batu Bara

Asahan

Pematang
Siantar

Simalungun

Pakpak
Bharat

Dairi

Karo

Labuhan
Batu

North
Labuhanbatu

South
Labuhanbatu

North
Padang
Lawas

Padang
Lawas

Toba

Samosir

Humbang
Hasundutan

North
Tapanuli

Central
Tapanuli

Sibolga

South
Tapanuli

Padang
Sidempuan

Mandailing
Natal

Gunung Sitoli

Nias

West
Nias

North
Nias

South
Nias

Nias Islands Region

.

This region contains the substantial island of Nias and various small offshore islands, including the Batu Islands to the south. Originally it comprised a single Nias Regency (created on 7 November 1956), but on 25 February 2003 the southern part of the island (including the Batu Islands) was split off to form a separate South Nias Regency. On 29 October 2008 two new regencies - North Nias and West Nias - together with the city of Gunungsitoli, were split off from the remainder of Nias Regency.

Notes: (a) South Nias Regency includes the Batu Islands.

The region include 124 smaller offshore islands - 87 in South Nias Regency (primarily the Batu Islands), 11 in West Nias Regency, 19 in North Nias Regency and 7 in Nias Regency.

Tapanuli Region

This region comprises the southwestern part of the province on the island of Sumatra, and equates to the former Tapanoeli Residency which existed at the time of independence (except for Nias Island). When the province was created, the region comprised three regencies (North Tapanuli, Central Tapanuli and South Tapanuli) and the city of Sibolga. A fourth regency - Dairi - was created on 23 September 1964 from part of North Tapanuli Regency. Two more new regencies were formed on 23 November 1998 - Mandailing Natal from part of South Tapanuli Regency, and Toba Samosir from another part of North Tapanuli Regency. The city of Padang Sidempuan was split off from South Tapanuli Regency on 21 June 2001. Two further regencies were formed on 25 February 2003 - Humbang Hasundutan from part of North Tapanuli Regency, and Pakpak Bharat from part of Dairi Regency. A new Samosir Regency was created from part of Toba Samosir Regency on 18 December 2003 (more recently, the remaining part of this regency was renamed Toba Regency). Another two regencies were created on 17 July 2007 - Padang Lawas and North Padang Lawas, both from parts of South Tapanuli Regency.

The region includes 61 small offshore islands - 24 in Mandailing Natal, 31 in Central Tapanuli (the largest being Mursala Island off Sibolga), 5 in Sibolga City and 1 in North Tapanuli, plus 6 islands in the landlocked Lake Toba comprising 5 in Samosir Regency and 1 in Humbang Hasundutan Regency.

East Sumatra Region

The region comprises the northeastern part of the province on the island of Sumatra, and equates to the former State of East Sumatra which existed at the time of independence. It now covers ten regencies and five cities, but originally there were just six regencies and the five cities. The new regency of Serdang Bedagai was formed on 18 December 2003 from part of Deli Serdang Regency, and the new regency of Batubara was formed on 2 January 2007 from part of Asahan Regency. Two further regencies were formed on 24 June 2008 - North Labuhanbatu and South Labuhanbatu - both from parts of Labuhanbatu Regency.

The region includes 38 offshore islands - 11 in Langkat Regency, 1 in Deli Serdang, 1 in Medan City, 2 in Serdang Bedagai, 1 in Simalungun, 2 in Batubara, 4 in Asahan, 8 (riverine islands) in Tanjungbalai City, 2 in North Labuhanbatu and 6 in Labuhanbatu Regency.

Demographics

Population

North Sumatra recorded a population of 12,985,075 in the 2010 national census,^[28] making the 4th most populous province in Indonesia, with a sex ratio of 99.59 men per 100 women.^[29] The 2015 Intermediate census gave a total of 13,923,262, while the 2020 census gave a total of 14,799,361,^[5] and the official estimate for mid-2023 was 15,386,640.^[1]

Migration

It was reported in January 2024 that a group of 140 Rohingya people, consisting mostly of women and children had landed in Indonesia and been directed by the military to the North Sumatra region. This has been one of several groups that have arrived in the area over the preceding months.^[30]

Ethnic groups

North Sumatra is a multi-ethnic province. The Malay people are regarded as the majority people of the east coast of the province, while the west coast of the province is mainly inhabited by the Batak (Pakpak, Angkola and Mandailing groups). The central region around Lake Toba to the northern Karo highland is predominantly inhabited by other Batak groups (Toba, Simalungun and Karo). The Nias people are indigenous to Nias Island and its surrounding islets. With the opening of tobacco plantations in East Sumatra during the colonial era, the colonial government employed many contract labourers for plantations, they were mainly Chinese, Javanese and Indian migrants, who were majority does not returned after end contract and decided to stay in North Sumatra. The rapid urbanisation in the province also attract neighbouring people from Aceh, Riau and West Sumatra, which is the Aceh and Minangkabau people presents.^{[citation needed]}

Bataks make up 44.95% of the population, including the Batak Karo and Mandailing. The Javanese come second with 30.62%, the Malays add up to 5.92% and the ethnic Chinese comprise 5.75%. The Nias people make up around 4.10% and the rest are Minangkabau (2.66%), Acehnese (1.07%), ethnic Indian (1.00%) and other ethnic groups (1.15%)^{[citation needed]}

The distribution of the tribes, clans, and ethnic groups in North Sumatra is as follows:^{[citation needed]}

• Batak Toba : throughout North Sumatra, forming the majority in the Toba, Samosir, Humbang Hasundutan, and North Tapanuli Regencies.
• Batak Karo : mostly in the Karo Regency, Deli Serdang and Langkat Regencies, including Berastagi and Kabanjahe.
• Batak Mandailing: majority along the western coast: (South Tapanuli, Padang Lawas, Mandailing Natal, Central Tapanuli), and the rest in Medan, Padangsidempuan, Sibolga and Rantauprapat.
• Batak Pakpak : majority in Dairi Regency and Sidikalang.
• Batak Simalungun : majority in Simalungun and Pematangsiantar
• Batak Angkola : majority in North Tapanuli, Gunung Tua, North Padang Lawas, and South Tapanuli
• Malay : mostly in the east coast rurals, especially Langkat and Asahan.
• Nias : mostly in Nias Island (including Gunungsitoli), with a small population around the west coast.
• Javanese : mostly reside in east coast rural areas, and in west coast areas like Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai, Asahan and Labuhan Batu Regencies, and in urban communities like Medan and Tebingtinggi.
• Minangkabau people : mostly in Medan, Sibolga and Mandailing Natal.
• Indian : major east coast cities such as; Medan, Binjai, Tebing Tinggi, Pematangsiantar, Kisaran, Tanjungbalai and Deli Serdang.
• Acehnese people : Medan, Binjai up to northern parts such as Langkat.
• Chinese : major cities such as; Medan metropolitan area: (Medan, Binjai, Deli Serdang), Tanjungpura, Stabat, Tebing Tinggi, Tanjungbalai, Kisaran, Limapuluh, Rantauprapat, Pematangsiantar, Balige, Sibolga, Padangsidempuan, and Gunungsitoli.

• 
  Moyo dance in Nias Island
• 
  Bataknese Tor-tor dance in Samosir Island
• 
  Cap Go Meh festival in Gunungsitoli, Nias Island
• 
  Malay-Deli bride in Maimoon Palace, Medan
• 
  The Indian community celebrated Thaipusam festival in Medan
• 
  The Javanese Bujang Ganong masked dancer, part of Reog, in North Sumatra

Languages

In general, the widely used language is Indonesian. The Malays around Deli Serdang and Langkat mostly speak the Malay language, which is similar to the Perak Malay language. The Javanese people, especially around rural and plantation areas, use Javanese in daily conversation, while the urban Javanese mostly speak Indonesian.^{[citation needed]}

The Batak people speak Bataknese, which is divided into four dialects (Silindung, Samosir, Humbang and Toba). The Batak Karo people use the Karo language, and the Batak Mandailing people around South Tapanuli, Padang Lawas and Mandailing Natal speak the Mandailing language. The Nias language is spoken among the Nias people.^{[citation needed]}

Mostly ethnic Chinese in North Sumatra are fluent in Hokkien, with small communities speaking Cantonese, Hainanese and Mandarin unlike their counterpart in other part of Indonesia. Most Indians in and around Medan speak Tamil and Punjabi. The Acehnese people speak the Aceh and Gayo languages.^{[citation needed]}

Religion

More than 95% of all residents are either Muslim or Christian; the remainder are Buddhists, Hindus, or follow folk religions such as Confucians, Parmalim, and Taoists. These are the recognized religions of North Sumatra:

• Islam: especially embraced by the Malays, Minangkabau, Javanese, Aceh, Mandailing, Angkola, partly Nias, and partly Batak Toba, Karo, Simalungun and Pakpak
• Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism): especially embraced by Batak Toba, Karo, Simalungun, Nias, Pakpak and partly Batak Angkola, partly Javanese, Chinese and Indian
• Buddhism: mainly embraced by Chinese in urban areas
• Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese folk religion: predominantly embraced by Chinese in urban areas
• Hinduism and Sikhism: especially embraced by Indian in urban areas, there are also small Batak Karo people that practising Hinduism in rural areas
• Traditional religion such as Parmalim/Pemena: embraced by most of the Batak tribe centered in Huta Tinggi, Laguboti district, Toba Samosir Regency

• 
  Azizi Mosque in Langkat, it was a royal mosque of the Sultanate of Langkat
• 
  HKBP or Batak Protestant church in Balige
Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=North_Sumatra
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