| Butterworth Bagan 北海 பாகன் |
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| — Town — | |
| A Chinese temple in Butterworth | |
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Butterworth
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Malasia |
| State | Penang |
| District | North Seberang Perai |
| Government | |
| • Member of Parliament | Lim Guan Eng |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 107,591 |
| Time zone | Malaysian Standard Time (UTC+8) |
Butterworth is the principal town of Seberang Perai in the state of Penang in Malaysia. Named after William John Butterworth, Governor of the Straits Settlements (1843–1855), Butterworth was established in the mid-19th century as a landing place across the channel from the capital of Penang, George Town. The town has a population of 107,591[1] and it is also known unofficially in Malay as Bagan, meaning "jetty". Butterworth is the site of the Malayan Railway station for Penang, and is linked to the island by the Penang Ferry Service and by the 13.5 km Penang Bridge.
The Penang Bird Park, a landscaped park with over 300 species of birds from all over Southeast Asia, is situated in this town. Butterworth is also the location of a Royal Malaysian Air Force station, RMAF Butterworth, formerly operated by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force, and is now the Headquarters of the Integrated Area Defence System (HQIADS) of the Five Power Defence Arrangements.
Butterworth will be the site of an integrated transport hub called Penang Sentral, which will integrate rail, ferry and bus transport. It is the parliamentary seat of Bagan and its Member of Parliament is the current Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng.
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When the British East India Company acquired Province Wellesley (Seberang Perai) in 1798, Butterworth did not exist as a settlement. It was later developed by the British. A railway station was constructed in Butterworth to transport tin ore from Taiping (then known as Larut), which was then loaded onto steam ships docked at Butterworth's wharves.[2] The name of this town is derived from British Colonel V.T. Butterworth.
Railway passengers from George Town were transferred to the railway ferry which took them to the train.[2]
Butterworth is a major transportation hub in the state for railway lines and bus routes that do not serve Penang Island. The railway station, bus terminal and ferry terminal are all located within walking distance of each other.
The Butterworth railway station is the main railway station in Penang as it connects to George Town via the ferry service. This station is served by the Malayan Railway service via the Eastern and Oriental Express, which connects Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok in the north and Singapore in the south, as well as the State Railway of Thailand via the International Express.
In terms of road connectivity, Butterworth is accessible by the Butterworth Outer Ring Road and the Butterworth–Kulim Expressway, the latter of which is part of the North–South Expressway. The Rapid Penang bus network, which operates exclusively in the state, has one stop in Butterworth at the Megamall Pinang Bus Terminal.
The Penang Ferry Service connects Butterworth to George Town. The Pengkalan Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal is located to the north of The Deepwater Wharves.[2]
There are no public airports in Butterworth, although a Royal Malaysian Air Force station is located north of the town. The town is served by the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.
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