Binjai

The origin of Binjai when it established itself as a city is unknown. Historically, the Binjai area was situated between two Malay kingdoms, Deli and Langkat. Binjai grew from a small village on the edge of the Bingai River.

According to oral and written accounts of the area's history, the city of Binjai grew from a small village on the edge of the Bingai River, approximately where the Pekan Binjai village is today. Traditional ceremonies were held to lay the foundations of the small village in the shade of a large binjai tree at the edge of the Bingai River, which flows into the Wampu River, which is navigable for a large portion of its length.

Around the tree were built several houses, which were gradually enlarged, until finally a village hall was built. A lively port also developed, visited by barges from Stabat, Tanjung Pura, and the Strait of Malacca. Over time, the Binjai tree gave its name to the growing city.

Binjai is located between the Mencirim, Bangkatan, and Bingai rivers. On average, it is 28m above sea level. As the crow flies, Binjai is only 8 km from Medan, although Kabupaten Deli Serdang separates the two. However, the route of the Sumatara Highway increases the effective distance between the two cities to 22 km.

The two nearby rivers, the Bingai and Mencirim Rivers satisfy the needs of the city for clean water, which is distributed by the local water company. However, on wells for their water supply.

Binjai has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

| location = Binjai

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| Jan high C = 30.7

| Feb high C = 31.5

| Mar high C = 32.1

| Apr high C = 32.3

| May high C = 32.5

| Jun high C = 32.6

| Jul high C = 32.3

| Aug high C = 32.1

| Sep high C = 31.4

| Oct high C = 31.1

| Nov high C = 30.6

| Dec high C = 30.4

| Jan mean C = 26.0

| Feb mean C = 26.4

| Mar mean C = 26.9

| Apr mean C = 27.2

| May mean C = 27.4

| Jun mean C = 27.3

| Jul mean C = 27.0

| Aug mean C = 26.9

| Sep mean C = 26.7

| Oct mean C = 26.7

| Nov mean C = 26.2

| Dec mean C = 26.0

| year mean C =

| Jan low C = 21.4

| Feb low C = 21.4

| Mar low C = 21.7

| Apr low C = 22.2

| May low C = 22.4

| Jun low C = 22.0

| Jul low C = 21.7

| Aug low C = 21.8

| Sep low C = 22.1

| Oct low C = 22.3

| Nov low C = 21.9

| Dec low C = 21.7

|rain colour=green

|Jan rain mm=135

|Feb rain mm=107

|Mar rain mm=122

|Apr rain mm=168

|May rain mm=207

|Jun rain mm=151

|Jul rain mm=168

|Aug rain mm=193

|Sep rain mm=255

|Oct rain mm=295

|Nov rain mm=274

|Dec rain mm=221

|source 1 = Climate-Data.org{{cite web

|url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/51009/

|title = Climate: Binjai

|publisher=Climate-Data.org

|access-date = 6 November 2020}}

}}

Binjai City is divided into five districts (kecamatan), which are further divided into 37 villages (kelurahan).

The mayoral office is located in the Town Hall, at General Sudirman Road No. 6. In 2009, Muhammad Idhaham, Msi was elected to this position from 2009 to 2014.

Formerly, Binjai was the location for the headquarters of the Langkat Police Force, which had responsibility for policing both the city of Binjai and Kabupaten Langkat. However, in 2001 the police force was split, with the creation of a Binjai police force, while the headquarters for the Langkat Police Force moved to Stabat.

Directly in front of the town hall is the Lapangan merdeka (Freedom Square), a civic open space, as well as the Pendopo Umar Baki, a building used for a variety of official and unofficial functions.

The city of Binjai is divided into five administrative districts (Indonesian: kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and the 2020 Census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. together with the official estimates as of mid-2023.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kota Binjai Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1275) The table also includes the number of administrative villages (all classed as urban kelurahan) in each district and its postcodes.

Note: (a) mainly suburban districts of Langkat Regency, outside the city's administrative boundaries.

Binjai is a multi-ethnic city, with Javanese, Batak, Chinese, Indian, and Malay citizens. This complex ethnic mix gives Binjai a rich cultural and religious life. The total population for the city of Binjai was 291,842 in the 2020 Census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. and the official estimate as of mid-2022 was 300,009.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2023, Kota Binjai Dalam Angka 2023 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1275) Along with Deli Serdang Regency, the city functions effectively as a commuter town for Medan.

The majority of the population is Islamic, mainly of Javanese and Malay origin. The largest mosque is located in Kapten Machmud Ismail Street. The Christian population is the next largest and is mainly made up of Sumatran Christians, while the majority of Buddhists are of Chinese origin. There is one Hindu temple in Binjai, located on Ahmad Yani Street, and the Hindu population is mainly Indian ethnic.

File:Rambutan Binjai Pasar Baru.JPG

The commercial centre is located in the heart of the city. The industrial area is in the north, while farming is concentrated in the east, south, and west of the city, with the west being the main area for animal husbandry. There is a 3 km² business park in the Kelurahan Cengkeh Turi. There is also oil and gas exploration occurring in the Tandam Hilir region, to the north of the city.

In 1999, 29% of economic activity consisted of trade in goods and services, while the industrial sector contributed 23% of economic activity. The per capita income for Binjai was 3.3m rupiah, below the average for North Sumatra Province as a whole, which stood at 4.9m rupiah.

The most important agricultural sector is rambutan production, which covers 4.25 km² with a production capacity of 2,400 tons per year. At present, the industry consists solely of the sale of fresh rambutan fruit; there is plenty of scopes to modernise this industry, for instance, by introducing canning processes and more sophisticated marketing.

There are four traditional markets in Binjai serving buyers and sellers from both Binjai and Kabupaten Langkat. These are: the Tavip, Kebun Lada, Brahrang, and Rambung markets. There are also several modern shopping centres, including Suzuya, Mini Market Tahiti, Toserba Ramayana, the Ramayana Mall, Asia King, and Binjai Supermall.

General Sudirman Street and Ahmad Yani Streets are the main shopping avenues, while the biggest and food court in Binjai is Bangkatan with Chinese and Indonesian food as specialties.

As of 2005, there are 154 primary schools, 37 middle schools, 9 Islamic middle schools, 31 high schools, 10 Islamic high schools, 4 academies, and 5 universities. Approximately 78,000 children are attending these 241 schools.

File:BinjaiStation.jpg]]

The major forms of public transport within the city are becak, a three-wheeled motorised vehicle, and small minibusses called "Angkot" (Angkutan Kota, Eng.="City Transport"). Aside from road transport out of the city, there is also a commuter train Sri Lelawangsa connecting Binjai with Medan; the continuing line to Kuala Bingai, Langkat Regency. Binjai also has a bus line called Trans Binjai that connects the whole city.

The nearest airport is Medan's Kuala Namu International Airport, and the nearest harbour is Port of Belawan, Medan.

An important icon for the city is the Struggle of 1945 Statue, which welcomes visitors from outside the city. Binjai also used to have a historic water fountain built by the Dutch, which was used as a water source for the local population, however, this was demolished and replaced by shops several years ago.

Binjai is also an important transit point for visitors to Bukit Lawang, in the Gunung Leuser National Park, an important site for the conservation of the red orangutan. Bukit Lawang is located 68 km west of Binjai.

Binjai is also the site of a nationally important military cemetery.

There are three large hospitals serving the needs of the population of Binjai. These are Korem Hospital, Binjai Public Hospital, and PTP IX Hospital.

{{reflist}}

{{North Sumatra}}

{{Most populous cities in Indonesia}}

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Category:Cities in North Sumatra

Category:Wampu basin