| Port Dickson | |
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| Port Dickson lighthouse | |
| Nickname(s): PD | |
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Port Dickson
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| State | Negeri Sembilan |
| Established | 1800s |
| Elevation | 79 m (259 ft) |
| Population (2007)[1] | |
| • Total | 97,834 |
| Time zone | MST (UTC+8) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC) |
| Website | Port Dickson Municipal Council |
Port Dickson or PD to locals is a beach and holiday destination situated about 32 km from Seremban and 90 km from Kuala Lumpur. It is located in the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. It takes just over an hour by car to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Port Dickson along the North-South Expressway.
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This small town used to produce charcoal, but it was later developed as a small port by the British during the Straits Settlement period. Port Dickson was also known as Tanjung. In the Malay language, that means "cape". The oldest shophouses were the four situated presently at Jalan Lama. There was also a carbon mine at the first mile of the coast road (Jalan Pantai), and therefore Port Dickson was also called "Arang" (charcoal) in the Malay language.
Tin ore was plentiful in Lukut, an area within the Port Dickson district, during the 1820s, and it attracted Chinese immigrant miners. The British considered the area to have great potential as a harbour. It was intended to supersede the port in Pengkalan Kempas. The in-charge officer's name was Dickson, and thereafter the town was named Port Dickson. Others claim that Sir John Frederick Dickson founded Port Dickson and Pulau Arang in 1889.
Port Dickson evolved into a busy trading centre. Railways were constructed to facilitate the growth and development of Port Dickson. Although Port Dickson experienced rapid development, the beautiful beaches are fairly well preserved. Now, Port Dickson has become not only a beautiful tourist destination, but a large municipality with about 89,000 residents.
The 18 km extent of beach from Tanjung Gemuk to Tanjung Tuan is a popular holiday destination for visitors coming as far as those from Kuala Lumpur itself. Many Singaporeans have invested in holiday homes in and around Port Dickson.
In the 1990s, Port Dickson boomed with new hotels and resorts being planned and constructed. Due to the Asian financial crisis of 1997 however, many of these projects stalled, leaving many unfinished buildings scattered along the Port Dickson coastline. While some of these half constructed resorts are still abandoned, with the improving economy of the 2000s many of the projects were revived and completed, though many still remain abandoned.
In September 2009, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak declared that Port Dickson shall be known as "Port Dickson—Army Town" in recognition of her role in the nation's military services.[1]
Linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the Straits of Malacca is the shortest sea route between three of the world's most populous countries - India, China, and Indonesia. Inspired by the sea trade, expats founded the Royal Port Dickson Yacht Club in 1927, which still offers dinghy sailing courses and runs regattas. Unknown to most, Malaysia's developmental sailing teams, starting at the Optimist Dinghy level, train in and sail from the RPDYC.
The newer 5-star Admiral Marina & Leisure Club has good dock facilities for yacht travelers, sailboats and luxury cruisers. It is a transit point for racing sailboats joining the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta, Royal Langkawi International Regatta and Thailand's Phuket Kings Cup regattas. Admiral Marina also hosted the disabled sailing event of the 2009 ASEAN Para Games and the 2006 FESPIC Games.[2]
Port Dickson is among the tourist attractions in Negeri Sembilan. A key factor for this coast to be visited by many foreign tourists and local people may be because this is the only beach in Negeri Sembilan. Furthermore, the close proximity between Port Dickson and states vicinity such as Malacca and Selangor also contributes to this city's development.
Port Dickson is mainly famous for the seafood, which is a delicacy in the town. There are different seafood restaurants along the street which offers a range of cheap price with fresh seafood.
Apart from that, Port Dickson has night markets. There is a weekly night market, which falls on Friday and Saturday, and monthly night market which falls on the 15th.
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