| Sungai Petani | |||
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| Nickname(s): SP | |||
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Sungai Petani
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Malaysia | ||
| State | Kedah | ||
| Establishment | |||
| Government | |||
| • Yang DiPertua | Haji Adzmi Bin Din | ||
| Population (2010)[1] | |||
| • Total | 421,530 | ||
| Time zone | MST (UTC+8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC) | ||
| Website | http://www.mpspk.gov.my/ | ||
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Sungai Petani (abbreviated "Sg. Petani" or "SP")[2] is a town in the state of Kedah, in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Sungai Petani is the second largest town in Kedah after Alor Star.
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The name Sungai Petani has its roots from sungai meaning river and petani meaning farmer in the Malay language. Sungai Petani in full means "Farmer's River", due to the huge concentration of paddy fields and farmers in the state. The word "petani" may also refer to "Pattani", a city in present day Thailand to which the river was once connected. Even the old spelling of Sungai Petani was "Sungei Patani", without any reference to farming.
Sungai Petani is designated as a parliamentary area in its own right, with an electorate of 983,851 people (2008). It is currently represented by Johari Abdul from Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
The parliamentary area of Merbok and part of parliamentary area of Yan (Gurun) is also part of Sungai Petani Municipal administrative area.
Sungai Petani has a high and medium sized business community. Small and medium industry also play a part in the local economy, producing numerous products, from semiconductors to television tubes and from textile to wood products.
Sungai Petani has many malls and shopping centers such as Central Square, Village Mall, Lagenda Height Tesco, Sungai Petani North Tesco, Sungai Petani South Tesco, Giant Hypermarket, Econsave, Billion, Sp Plaza and Parkson.
The town is accessible through the Federal Route 1 and also the North-South Expressway. Sungai Petani has two highway exits while the Federal Route I runs across the city. Apart from that, it also has a train station and an make-shift express bus hub that caters to any destination within Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.
Sungai Petani also has a relatively below average local bus service called City Liner,[3] with air-conditioned red coaches.The express bus station not far from Sungai Petani Railway Station. The railway station is managed by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad.
The nearest airport is the Penang International Airport on Penang Island. Another alternative airport is the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport, Alor Star (the state capital of Kedah).
Sungai Petani has various health amenities such as the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, a USD150-million hospital and various private medical facilities. It is a 498-bed hospital which provides secondary and tertiary specialist services.
There are also two private hospitals: Metro Specialist Hospital and Hospital Pantai Utara.
The District Education Department located in Sungai Petani administers two districts of Kuala Muda and Yan with the highest number of primary and secondary schools in the state of Kedah.
Sungai Petani hosts a large number of reputable schools such as the famous Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Ibrahim,[4] and Sekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Mohamad Jiwa.
Other schools include Convent Father Barre (Primary and Secondary), Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bakar Arang, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Khir Johari, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Sungai Petani, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Ismail, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Pasir and Sekolah Menengah Teknik Sungai Petani 1 & 2.
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Amanjaya, Sg. Lalang (6 km north of Sungai Petani) and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bedong (7.5 km north of Sungai Petani) is the most crowded school in Kedah state and second most crowded school in the country.
SRJK(T) Saraswathi is also one of the premier Tamil primary schools in Kedah. Recently the school celebrated its 85th anniversary.
Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Sin Min （新民国民型中学） and its Chinese primary school counterpart, SJK(C) Sin Min, are both also famous nationally for its academic performance. Besides, there is also a well established Chinese primary school called SJK(C) Sin Kwang which built at the year of merdeka .
There is also a Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Merbok (MRSM) located in Merbok about 11 km north west of Sungai Petani.
The AIMST University, (the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology), was previously situated in Amanjaya. In April 2007, the university moved to its new futuristic Semeling campus.
Universiti Teknologi Mara has a branch campus located at Merbok, Sungai Petani. Universiti Utara Malaysia also has a branch campus here.
Other government institutions with campuses in Sungai Petani include Institusi Kemahiran Malaysia (IKM). Located ten minutes from Sungai Petani town, Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Abdul Halim (IPG KSAH) is an institution set up by the government to provide teaching courses for trainee teachers.
One of the country's fastest growing private universities, the Open University Malaysia (OUM) Regional Learning Center for the state of Kedah and Perlis are also located in Sungai Petani. There are also private colleges like PTPL College and Cosmopoint College offering a variety of courses.
The Kolej Universiti Insaniah (KUIN) is a private university operating from two campuses in Kedah and one of them is located in Sungai Petani.
The major of Sungai Petani is a clock tower located on the main street, Jalan Ibrahim. The clock tower was built in 1936. It is 12.1 m in height. It is topped by a dome-shaped and gold coloured structure. The tower was a present from Lim Lean Teng to George V and Queen Mary to commemorate the Silver Jubilee.
Sungai Petani is also known for its green lungs and attractions.
In the heart of the town is the famous Jubli Perak (Silver Jubilee) public park and also Bird Park. There are more than five golf courses around Sungai Petani as well as various streams and rivers. Many lakes dot the land and have been attracting fishing fans for years.
A recreational venue for the residents of Sungai Petani is the Sungai Petani Club, or SP Club as it is fondly called. Situated in the middle of the town, it is the oldest golf club in the State of Kedah, having been established in 1922 by British planters. The unique colonial facade and antique wooden interiors of the clubhouse would render it as a heritage site in Sungai Petani. The 9-hole golf course covers 40 acres (160,000 m2) of prime land which acts as a green lung to the city centre.
The Carnivall is a newly opened water park in Sungai Petani within the grounds of Cinta Sayang Golf and Country Resort. The Carnivall is the first water park in Kedah. It was opened on 25 December 2006. Weekdays rates are cheaper than weekend rates, and the good accessibility of the place makes it one of the most well known attractions in Sungai Petani.
The only beach in mainland Kedah, it is a major attraction for beach goers from all over mainland Penang and Kedah State. Various accommodation is available for rent to experience the beach and other attractions in the area which includes harvesting Kepah, Siput Kemudi and Kerang (local seafood) in Kampung Tepi Sungai, Kota Kuala Muda, Pantai Merdeka itself and also at Pulau Sayak. Pantai Merdeka is also a gateway to island activities in small islands called Pulau Bidan and Pulau Telor which are a few minutes boat ride away. These areas are good for fishing and its beaches. In addition to that Kota Kuala Muda has an old fort used to be the fort of the Raja Muda of Kedah during its time. There is also an archeology site in Kota Kuala Muda where precious stones panning were done few hundred years ago.
Sri Subramaniya Swami Devasthanam temple in Jalan Kuala Ketil is a 97 year old temple. The temple was built by philanthropist Sri Annaasamy Pillai, in 1914. The temple, held its first "Maha Kumbhabhishekam" (part of the consecration ceremony in a Hindu temple) in 1924. It has a majestic looking monumental tower, or "Raja Goburam", at the entrance. The temple has 70-year-old wooden chariot, bearing the statue of Lord Muruga. Thaipusam is celebrated grandly every year with 10 days of Ubayam and 3 days of offering milk pots and kavadis. Around 6000 milk pots and 700 Kavadis are carried by devotees from local and other states.
There are two cinemas, Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) Central Square Sungai Petani and Grand Cineplex Village Mall Sungai Petani, that are operating at Sungai Petani. GSC Central Square is a three-screen cinema located on the fifth floor of Central Square, one of the famous shopping complexes at Sungai Petani, while the newly opened Grand Cineplex is a four-screen cineplex located on level two of the Village Mall. The seating capacity of GSC Central Square and Grand Cineplex are 666 and 680 respectively.[5][6] Before February 2010, the only place to watch a movie was GSC Central Square as it was the only one that has been operating since 1997.[7] Grand Cineplex Village Mall is located near Tesco Sungai Petani, Lagenda Heights, which is at the northern part of Sungai Petani that is growing rapidly at the moment. The opening of Grand Cineplex on 2010 provides patrons with another choice on where to watch a movie at Sungai Petani.
About 30 kilometres away, is Gunung Jerai. Gunung Jerai is 1,217 metres from the sea level. This is the tallest mountain in the northern region and is surrounded by a vast jungle. It is a navigational point for ships entering the Straits of Malacca from the north because it is visible from far. There is an 18 km trekking route to the top of the mountain through a winding road. Atop the Jerai is a resort and the mountain boasts some tall and cooling waterfalls. Historically, the Jerai mountain served as the navigational point for traders from the east and west. There was a Hindu temple on top of the mountain that was built nearly a thousand years ago during the Bujang Valley Hindu Civilization.[8]
Tanjung Dawai is a place which is known as a seafood spot in Sungai Petani. It is located 30 minutes from Sungai Petani. It has about twenty seafood restaurants.
Sungai Petani is known for its Nasi Kandar and Mee Goreng Mamak which is a Indian Muslim cuisine. Sungai Petani also has various selection of franchise restaurant and cafes
The Bujang Valley or Lembah Bujang, sometimes referred to as the Ancient Wonder of Kedah, is a rich historical site covering an area of about 400sq. km situated in Merbok (17 km from Sungai Petani), bounded by Bukit Coras (Choras Hill) and Gunung Jerai. This archaeological area was the site of an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that ruled the region from the 4th century AD. There i also an archaeological museum situated here which is known as The Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum.[9]
| Gurun, Kedah | Alor Setar | Baling | ||
| Sungai Petani | ||||
| Kepala Batas, Penang | Butterworth, Penang | Kulim |
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