Binjai

Kota Binjai is an independent city in the North Sumatra province of Indonesia. Binjai is connected to Medan (the provincial capital), about 22 km, by the Sumatra highway that goes to Banda Aceh, and effectively forms a part of Greater Medan. Its strategic and closen location to Medan has made Binjai part of the Medan-Binjai-Deli Serdang (Medibang) development project.

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.
Binjai is located between the Mencirim and Bingai rivers. On average, it is 28 m above sea level. As the crow flies, Binjai is only 8 km from Medan, although Kabupaten Deli Serdang separates the two. 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.

Binjai city is divided into 5 subdistrict (kecamatan) which are further divided into 37 villages (kelurahan).
The current mayor of the city is Ali Umri. 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.

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 majority of the population are Islamic, mainly of Javanese and Malay origin. The largest mosque is located in Kapten Machmud Ismail Street. The Christian population is 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 are mainly made up of ethnic Indians.