Medan is the capital of North Sumatra province in Indonesia. Located along the northeastern coast of Sumatra Island, Medan is the fourth biggest city in Indonesia, behind Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung. With 2,097,610 inhabitants at the 2010 census, Medan remains the largest settlement outside of Java Island. Bordered by the Strait of Malacca, Medan is a busy trading city as the strait is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.