Pematangsiantar

Pematangsiantar , and also known as the City of Pematangsiantar, is an independent city in North Sumatra Province of Indonesia, surrounded by, but not part of, the Simalungun Regency, making Pematangsiantar an enclave within Simalungun Regency. Pematangsiantar formerly had the status of a second-level district and was the administrative centre of the surrounding Regency, but in 1986 it was elevated to Kota and separated from the Regency.
Its population was 229,525 in the 2005 Intermediate Census, 234,698 in the 2010 Census and 268,254 in the 2020 Census. The official estimate as of mid-2024 was 277,054, making it the second-largest city in the province after the provincial capital of Medan. In addition to the areas within the city limits, the neighbouring district of Siantar immediately to the east is administratively a part of Simalungun Regency and contains the eastern suburbs of the city; it covers 73.99 km² and had a population at the 2020 Census of 73,536, increasing to 76,989 at mid 2024.
Pematangsiantar is 128 km from Medan and 50 km from the renowned Lake Toba tourist centre of Parapat and is often a transit city for tourists who want to travel to Lake Toba and Central Tapanuli Regency. As a city that supports tourism in the surrounding area, the city has 8 hotels, 10 budget hotels, and 268 restaurants. There are still many old model English-manufactured Birmingham Small Arms Company motorcycles with a capacity of 500 cc used as Auto rickshaws which are recognized by their distinctive loud sound.
The city received the Adipura Cup in 1993 for its cleanliness and environmental sustainability. In 1996, because of orderly traffic control, the city also won the Wahana Tata Nugraha Cup award. The industrial sector is the backbone of the city's economy, due to its central location in Simalungun Regency, and consists of medium to large industrial sites. Of the total economic activities in 2000, Pematangsiantar reached a GDP of Rp1.69 trillion, with the industrial market share making up 38.18% or Rp646 billion. The trade, hotel, and restaurant sectors followed in second place, with a contribution of 22.77% or Rp385 billion.
The motto of this city is Sapangambei Manoktok Hitei which comes from the Simalungun language which means working together to achieve a noble goal.

History

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 independent king of the dynasty was Tuan Sangnawaluh Damanik. 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 autonomous status. In 1974, Pematangsiantar became a second-level district and was appointed as the capital of Simalungun Regency.

Siantar Kingdom

Before the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia, Pematangsiantar was a royal town. Pematangsiantar is domiciled in Pulau Holing, and the last independent king of this dynasty was a descendant of the Damanik clan, namely Tuan Sang Nawaluh Damanik who held power as king until 1907. Descendants of this king still hold ceremonial titles as 'Raja Siantar' which are recognized by the Simalungan people even today.
Around Pulau Holing then developed into a village where residents lived including the villages of Suhi Haluan, Siantar Bayu, Suhi Kahean, Pantoan, Suhi Bah Bosar, and Tomuan. These areas later became the legal areas of Pematangsiantar City, namely:

Pulau Holing becomes Kampung Pematang
Siantar Bayu becomes the Siantar city center
Suhi Kahean became Kampung Sipinggol-pinggol, Kampung Melayu, Martoba, Sukadame, and Bane.
Suhi Bah Bosar became a Kampung Kristen, Karo, Tomuan, Pantoan, Toba and Marimbang.
Dutch and Japanese Colonial Era

North Sumatra was one of the last areas in Indonesia annexed by the Netherlands. After the Dutch entered North Sumatra, the Simalungun area became the Dutch territory, and in 1907 the independent reign of the kings ended. The Dutch controller, who was originally based in Commerce, was transferred to Pematangsiantar in 1907. Since then Pematangsiantar has developed into an area visited by many newcomers,Chinese, and Indian communities inhabit the Timbang Galung and Kampung Melayu area, with ethnic Javanese centered in Tanah Jawa.
In 1910 the Pematangsiantar City Preparatory Agency was established. On July 1, 1917, based on Stad Blad No. 285, Pematangsiantar was designated as a Gemeente with its autonomy. After January 1939 changes to the structure of the Gemeente Council were made under Stad Blad No. 717.
The forces of Imperial Japan invaded and conquered the Dutch in Sumatra in 1942. In this Japanese era the political structure was changed by the Japanese administration to Siantar State and the Council was abolished. Based on Law No. 22/1948, Gemente's status became the City of Simalungun Regency, and the Mayor of the city was concurrently the Regent of Simalungun. This arrangement continued after independence until 1957.

Independence and Contemporary Era

After the Proclamation of Indonesian independence, Pematangsiantar again became an Autonomous Region. Based on Law No.1/1957 it was designated a Full City Praja, and with the issuance of Law No.18/1965, the status was changed to that of a City. With the issuance of Law no. 5/1974 'Concerning the Principles of Regional Government' the status was changed to Pematangsiantar Level II Regional City. This is the current status of the city.
Based on Government Regulation No. 35 of 1981, Pematangsiantar Level II Regional City was divided into four administrative districts consisting of 29 urban villages with an area of 12.48 km², as inaugurated by the Governor of North Sumatra on 17 March 1982. Following expansion of the city to include districts previously part of Simalungun Regency, the number of districts in Pematangsiantar City is now eight districts consisting of a total of fifty-three urban villages.

Geography

Because it is located near the equator, Pematangsiantar has a tropical climate with an average daily maximum temperature of 30.3 Celsius and an average minimum temperature of 21.1 Celsius. The average humidity is 84 percent.

Climate

Pematangsiantar has a tropical rainforest climate with heavy rainfall year-round. The temperatures are slightly moderated by the city's elevation.

Governance

The Mayor is the highest-ranking leader in the Pematangsiantar government. The Mayor of Pematangsiantar is responsible to the governor of the province of North Sumatra. The current mayor of Pematangsiantar City is the elected deputy mayor Susanti Dewayani. In the 2020 Pematangsiantar Mayoral Election, Susanti Dewayani was a candidate for deputy mayor, along with mayoral candidate Asner Silalahi, and together they won the election for the 2021-2024 term. However, Asner passed away before the official swearing-in ceremony.
Susanti was officially inaugurated as deputy mayor and the winner of the election by the governor of North Sumatra Edy Rahmayadi on February 22, 2022 at the North Sumatra governor's office, Medan City. Officially the position of mayor was still vacant at that point. Following that, the Pematangsiantar City Council held a meeting to elect a deputy mayor, and Susanti Dewayani was then appointed as Pematangsiantar mayor for the 2022-2024 period. Susanti Dewayani replaced Hefriansyah–Togar Sitorus who was in office from 2017-2022.

Administrative divisions

The city is divided administratively into eight districts, tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid-2024.

Name of District	Area in sq.km	Pop'n Census 2010	Pop'n Census 2020	Pop'n Estimate mid 2024
Siantar Marihat	7.825	17,872	20,933	21,610
Siantar Marimbun	18.006	14,642	20,675	22,945
Siantar Selatan	2.020	17,101	17,447	17,074
Siantar Barat	3.205	34,984	37,896	37,956
Siantar Utara	3.650	46,423	49,886	49,810
Siantar Timur	4.520	38,454	36,744	36,690
Siantar Martoba	18.022	38,368	50,350	54,318
Siantar Sitalasari	22.723	26,854	34,323	36,651
Totals	79.971	234,698	268,254	277,054

Demographics

In mid 2024 the population of Pematangsiantar City reached 277,054 people with a population density of 3,464 people per km²; the male population of Pematangsiantar amounted to 137,006 and the female population to 140,048, thus the sex ratio of the population was 97.83.

No.	District	Male	Female	Total in mid 2024	Density
1	Siantar Marihat	10,668	10,942	21,610	2,762
2	Siantar Marimbun	11,299	11,646	22,945	1,274
3	South Siantar	8,152	8,922	17,074	8,452
4	West Siantar	18,634	19,322	37,956	11,843
5	North Siantar	24,953	24,857	49,810	13,647
6	East Siantar	17,444	19,246	36,690	8,117
7	Siantar Martoba	27,314	27,004	54,318	3,014
8	Siantar Sitalasari	18,542	18,109	36,651	1,613
	Totals	137,006	140,048	277,054	3,464