Pematangsiantar
Location of Pematangsiantar in Indonesia
Pematangsiantar Location of Pematangsiantar in Indonesia
Coordinates: 2°57′36″N 99°3′36″E / 2.96°N 99.06°E / 2.96; 99.06
Country	Indonesia
Province	North Sumatra
Government
• Mayor	Hulman Sitorus, SE
Area
• Total	79.97 km2 (30.88 sq mi)
Population (2004)
• Total	227,51
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Website	http://www.pematangsiantarkota.go.id/

Pematangsiantar (sometimes written as Pematang Siantar, acronym PT. Siantar or P. Siantar, colloquially just Siantar but the official name has no space)^[1] is an independent city in North Sumatera, Indonesia, surrounded by, but not part of, the Simalungun Regency. Pematangsiantar formerly had the status of a second level district (daerah tingkat dua) and has been elevated to Kota - its population was 219,319 in 1990 Census, 242,756 in 2000 Census, and 229,525 in the 2005 Intercensal count.^[2] making it the second largest city in the province after the provincial capital Medan.

History[link]

Street scenery at Pematangsiantar in 1910s

Dutch house in Pematangsiantar (1923)

Aerial view of Siantar in 1938

Before 1907, Pematangsiantar was a Kingdom led by the Damanik. Damanik is one of the clans of the Simalungun ethnic group of the Batak people. The last king of the dynasty was Tuan Sangnawaluh Damanik who eventually embraced Islam. In 1907, the Dutch took control, turning Pematangsiantar into their colony. The city remained under Dutch control until 1942 when the Japanese invaded and ruled over Indonesia.

After Indonesia proclaimed its freedom in 1945, Pematangsiantar was granted the autonomous status. In 1974, Pematangsiantar became a second level district, and was appointed as the capital of Simalungun Regency.^[3]

Inhabitants[link]

Pematangsiantar's native inhabitants are the Simalungun Batak people. Nowadays, Chinese and ethnic Malays (including Javanese) also inhabit some parts of the city, especially around the downtown area. The most developed part of the town is along the streets named Jalan Merdeka and Jalan Sutomo.^{[citation needed]}

Agriculture[link]

Pematangsiantar has plantations for palm tree, tea, and rubber. The palm tree fruit is usually exported or made into palm oil.

Transport[link]

Pematangsiantar is an hour away from Lake Toba on the Trans-Sumatran Highway. Lake Toba is one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world, and a major tourism destination. It is common to see some tourists stopping over in Pt. Siantar. Pematangsiantar can also be reached from Medan by train.

Culinary[link]

Most of Pematangsiantar's food styles are inherited from Batak and Chinese traditional food. Foods such as saksang (pork cooked in its own blood), roasted pork, and tuak (an alcoholic beverage made from sugar palm and sometimes from coconut) from the Batak people are very popular.

Chinese food restaurants can also be found across the city. One of the very popular local delicacies inherited from Chinese food is "Mie Pangsit" (Wonton Noodle).

Some food from West Sumatera is also quite popular, especially nasi padang (various dishes with rice), and sate padang (spicy satay, usually eaten with rice-cake).

Coordinates: 2°57′36″N 99°3′36″E / 2.96°N 99.06°E / 2.96; 99.06

References[link]

v t e Regencies and Cities of North Sumatra, Indonesia Capital: Medan Regencies Asahan Batubara Dairi Deli Serdang Humbang Hasundutan Karo Labuhan Batu South Labuhan Batu North Labuhan Batu Langkat Mandailing Natal Nias West Nias South Nias North Nias Padang Lawas North Padang Lawas Pakpak Bharat Samosir Serdang Bedagai Simalungun South Tapanuli Central Tapanuli North Tapanuli Toba Samosir Cities Binjai Gunung Sitoli Medan Padang Sidempuan Pematangsiantar Sibolga Tanjung Balai Tebing Tinggi See also: List of regencies and cities of Indonesia