Kuantan
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| Kuantan |
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Malaysia | ||
| State | Pahang | ||
| Establishment | 1851 | ||
| Mayor | Abdul Rahim Abu Bakar | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 2,453 km² (1,410.4 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 21.95 m (72 ft) | ||
| Population | |||
| - City (2005) | 501,965 | ||
| - Density | 204.63/km² (355.90/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | MST (UTC+8) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC) | ||
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| Website: http://mpk.gov.my/ | |||
Kuantan is the state capital of Pahang, the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia. It is situated near Kuantan River mouth and facing the South China Sea. The city comprises 58% of Malays, 32% of Chinese, 4% of Indian and 6% of other races. If measuring the distance along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it is located roughly halfway from Singapore to Kota Bharu.
The Pahang state government shifted the administrative centre of Pahang from Kuala Lipis to Kuantan in 1955.
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[edit] History
Kuantan is believed to have been established since the 1850s. The existence of Kuantan had been recorded by Abdullah Abdul Kadir Munshi circa 1851/2 as below:
"On thursday night came a boat from KUANTAN. Then it told the ship crews there's a pirate ship at Tanjung Tujuh, forty of them and at Pulau Kapas, and as well as at Pulau Redang; it is spotted by two Kuantan boat and they set off...."
In its early days it is known as Kampung Teruntum (Teruntum Village). It is situated around the mouth of Sungai Teruntum which is in front of the current hospital and has been established by Hj. Senik and his followers in 1850s. Their primary economic activities is fishing and small businesses. The prime proof of establishment of the village is the cemetery that is situated near Taman Esplanade in front of the current hospital.
In the late late 19th century and early 20th century, senttlement of Chinese miners and traders saw the early establishment of township in Kuantan and also nearby tin mines such as Gambang and Sungai Lembing. Rubber plantations also attracted Indian settlers.
[edit] Economic Activities
Known as a tropical getaway, one of its major economic activities is tourism. Domestically it is famous for the production of handicrafts, batik and keropok lekor. Serving as the administrative and commercial capital of Pahang, trade and commerce largely supports the economy of the town.
Timber industry and fishing industry also play vital roles in the local economy.
Other than tourism and business, Kuantan also has a strong presence of petrochemical industries, mostly located in Gebeng, an industrial area about 25 km to the north of Kuantan. Among the major companies operating at Gebeng Industrial Area are BASF PETRONAS Chemicals, BP Chemicals, MTBE,Flexsys, Eastman Chemical, Kaneka, Polyplastics, Mieco, KNM, JiKang, W.R. Grace, Cryovac, PPSC, AMC, etc.
Kuantan Port, situated just 5 km to the east of Gebeng Industrial Area, is a multipurpose all-weather port with sophisticated facilities to handle various kind of cargoes including containers, liquid, dry bulk and break bulk. Facing South China Sea, it has been privatised since 1998 and is currently the leading maritime trade and logistics centre in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
[edit] Infrastructure
Kuantan is connected to Kuala Lumpur via the East Coast Highway and Karak Highway. The East Coast Highway also links Kuantan to other major towns in Pahang although locals still prefer the old trunk road. Two other important east coast towns are Kota Bharu and Kuala Terengganu, connected via coastal trunk roads.
Medical needs are served by several hospitals and clinics. The main hospital is Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, which is equipped with various state-of-the-art equipment such as a CT scanner and MRI. It also serves as the teaching hospital for the Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia. A Community Health Centre serves suburbs such as Beserah, while smaller clinics are situated in smaller suburbs such as Indera Mahkota. Two private medical centres also operate in Kuantan,namely the Kuantan Medical Centre and Kuantan Specialist Hospital.
Kuantan also has several insitutes of higher learning such as the Medical Campus of International Islamic University Malaysia, University College of Engineering and Technology Malaysia (KUKTEM)and Kolej ShahPutra Kuantan (KSP).
[edit] Tourism
Kuantan's main sightseeing attraction is the beach of Teluk Cempedak. There are also other scenic beaches popular with vacationers in the town's vicinity, such as Batu Hitam, Balok, and Cherating. Nearby Cherating Club Med, there is a Turtle Sanctuary. A few kilometers away from Cherating is Pulau Ular (Snake Island). A legend could be heard here about 'the snake and the fishing village'.
Kuantan is also known to tourists for its waterfalls. The most established one is Sg. Pandan Water Fall. Two other waterfalls are Sg. Berkelah Water Fall and Jerangkang Waterfall. There are also 3 parks within the town. There are the Gelora Park, Teruntum Mini Zoo and Agriculture Park at Indera Mahkota. A small park located in front of the Hospital is named Esplande Park. Here it is possible to take a river cruise from the small jetty. The Kuantan area also produces handicrafts and batik. Other tourist attractions include the State Mosque (Masjid Negeri).
The main shopping facilities in Kuantan include Berjaya Megamall, Kuantan Parade, Kuantan Plaza, and Teruntum. The only 5-star hotel in Kuantan is Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort while the 4-star hotels include MS Garden Hotel, Mariana Beach Resort and The Legend Resort. Beach resorts are often chosen by foreign visitors. The more popular ones include De Rhu Beach Resort, Cherating Holiday Villa Beach Resort, Swiss-Garden Resort, Impiana Resort, Club Med Cherating, and the Legend Resort.
[edit] Food
Kuantan is also famous for its fried fish crackers (called keropok) and salted fish, where the fish are marinated mainly with salt and left out to dry in the sun for days and also for its 'Ikan Bakar' or grilled fish at Tanjung Lumpur.
Also, very popular sold by street vendors especially at the fascinating night markets are; the various meat varieties of satay which is in a peanut sauce coating & there is roti canai, an unrisen bread like a thick chapati in a unique curry style sauce.
Many types of local food can be found in the Pasar at the town central. A variety of famous Kuala Lipis noodle is at the corner of the Pasar entrance.
A good Malay restaurant, Zaman, (breakfast & lunch) is located 6KM from Kuantan on the Kuantan-Gambang expressway.
Popular local breakfast includes beef noodle in Jalan Beserah & "Men Fan Gou" in Jalan Air Putih.
[edit] Residential Areas
There are some residential areas in Kuantan including : Air Putih, Tanah Putih, Bukit Setongkol, Bukit Sekilau, Alor Akar, Kubang Buaya, Medan Tok Sira, Damansara Kuantan,Indera Mahkota,Taman Tas, Galing, Sungai Isap and Kampung Selamat.
[edit] Education
In Kuantan, the majority of education is provided by the means of Sekolah Kebangsaan(National School), or Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan(National Type School), which operate on a syllabus and curriculum provided and regulated by the Malaysian Ministry of Education(Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia). Besides this, international schools which do not follow the Malaysian education system are in existence, namely the Garden International School (preschool to grade 6) and the International School of Kuantan (grades 6 to 12).
Higher Level Education Institute. There are many Higher Level Education Institute lacated in Kuantan. They are known as Institut Pengajian Tinggi Awam (IPTA) and Institut Pengajian Tinggi Swasta (IPTS). IPTA is run and manage by government while IPTS by Private.
[edit] Trivia
The Tengku Mahkota (Crown Prince) of Pahang resides at Kuantan. The Istana Abdul Aziz Palace is situated at Indera Mahkota, a suburb of Kuantan.
Kuantan is notably mentioned in the Command and Conquer backstory as being a major base of operations of the Brotherhood of Nod.
