| Seremban | |||
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| Nickname(s): S'ban | |||
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Seremban
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Malaysia | ||
| State | Negeri Sembilan | ||
| Establishment | 1840 | ||
| Granted municipal status | 1979 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Administered by | Majlis Perbandaran Seremban | ||
| • Yang DiPertua (President) |
Dato' Haji Abd. Halim [1] | ||
| Elevation | 79 m (259 ft) | ||
| Population (2009)[2] | |||
| • Total | 419,536 (19th) | ||
| • Demonym | Serembanese | ||
| Time zone | MST (UTC+8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC) | ||
| Postal code | 70xxx to 75xxx | ||
| Mean solar time | UTC + 06:46:48 | ||
| National calling code | 06 | ||
| License plate prefix | Nxx (for all vehicles include taxis) | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | MY-14 | ||
| Website | Official Seremban Municipal Council Website | ||
Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Sembilan. The town's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Seremban. On 9 September 2009, Seremban was to be declared as a city, however it was later deferred due to technical reasons.
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Seremban was originally founded as Sungei Ujong (or Sungai Ujong), named after a nearby river of the same name. While the town was renamed Seremban thereafter, the Sungai Ujong name most prominently persists as a street name for a road adjoining the southern side of town (Sungai Ujong Road, or Jalan Sungai Ujong).
The town is also referred alternately as "Fu Yong" (Chinese: 芙蓉) among the Chinese-speaking community, although the name is unrecognised officially.
Sungai Ujong came into existence with the discovery of tin ore in the 1870s like most major towns in Peninsular Malaysia. The discovery of tin in a nearby area called Rasah, saw an influx of Arab, Malay and Chinese immigrants to work on the mines and trade there. Most of the local Malays were farmers.
Renamed to Seremban, the town flourished not only as a mining area but also a business centre. The Linggi River served as the sole outlet to ferry tin and supplies in and out of the town. Revenue came not only from tin trade but also from the large amount of taxes collected, much to the displeasure of the traders and the British colonialists at the neighbouring port of Malacca.
The local chieftains, namely the Dato’ Kelana and the Dato’ Shahbandar of Sungai Ujong were at odds with each other on the rights to collect taxes and ownership and control of the mines. The rivalry to assert influence and authority opened the door for British intervention in Negeri Sembilan. The British sided with the Dato’ Kelana upon invitation and defeated the forces of the Dato’ Bandar who was later sent into exile to Singapore. In a show of gratitude to the British for helping him win the war, the Dato’ Kelana had no choice but to accept a British Resident whose job was to advise him on matters other than religion and Malay customs.
Captain Murray was appointed the first resident and later set-up his residence at Channer Road, now renamed Jalan Dato’ Siamang Gagap. Soon after, the people living around Rasah moved to Channer Road for the sake of security and its orderly administration.[3]
Seremban is one of four state capitals that has not achieved city status (Bandar raya) other than Kota Bharu, Kuantan and Kangar. However, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government has approved Seremban to be declared a city by 9 September 2009. To achieve the city status, the state government has agreed that Majlis Perbandaran Nilai and Majlis Perbandaran Seremban will be merged together.[4]
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said during the Tuanku Muhriz birthday
| “ | The state government wants to ensure all the necessary infrastructure, public transport and amenities and services which include garbage collection and safer neighbourhoods, were in place before it did so.[5] | ” |
Seremban is situated about 30 kilometres inland from the coast. It is in the Linggi River valley, at the foothills of the Titiwangsa Range. The terrain is generally hilly, and the soil is mostly reddish laterite soil, suitable for the cultivation of rubber and palm oil, thus making Seremban the agricultural centre for the state. Since the establishment of Seremban, the Linggi River has played an important role in the development of the town. During the boom period of tin mining, the Linggi River was the major transportation route for tin traders. Today, it is one of the major sources of water for Seremban and Negeri Sembilan.
The climate of Seremban, like most parts of West Malaysia, is generally hot and humid (tropical) with a mean temperature of about 27-30 degrees Celsius. Most rainfall is experienced during the inter-monsoon periods of April and October. The weather remains generally dry for the rest of the year with occasional showers.
The rail connection was first constructed in the late 1890s as a stop on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore main line, and until today, the Seremban railway station still serves as one of the major stops along the line. Seremban station also serves as the southern terminal of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu electrified commuter network, KTM Komuter, which links the town to Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley on Rawang-Seremban Line.[6] Federal Route , the oldest major roadway that connects the major towns and cities of the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia runs through Seremban. It connects Seremban with neighbouring towns such as Rembau and Tampin to the south and Kajang, Selangor to the north. Seremban also provides access to the towns of Kuala Klawang and Kuala Pilah to the east and the well-known coastal town of Port Dickson to the west.
Negeri Sembilan is one of the two states in Malaysia that are not accessible via air transportation (Perlis being the other state). However the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is less than a 30 minutes drive from Seremban, essentially making the airport closer to Seremban rather than Kuala Lumpur.
Historically, Negeri Sembilan is influenced by the Minangkabau's and thus, Seremban is the centre of the Minangkabau culture in Malaysia. Minangkabau, derived from the Malay word menang kerbau, which means "winning buffalo", are famous for their unique roof architecture which resembles buffalo horns. Many buildings in Seremban adapted this feature, such as the Seremban Municipal Council Hall, the Wisma Negeri and the State Museum.
People of Negeri Sembilan are also known for the practice of an ancient Malay tradition called Adat Perpatih, where women are given a higher social status than men.
Seremban currently serves as the home ground of Negeri Sembilan football team. The team is the state representative of Negeri Sembilan in the top tier Malaysia Super League. They play their home games in the 30,000 capacity Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium which is located in Paroi on the outskirt of the city.
Seremban is famous for its special delicacies comprising Malay, Chinese, and Indian cuisine. Among the famous local cuisine is Seremban Siew Pau that is well known throughout the country. It is flaky pastry bun filled with meat fillings either pork, the traditional flavour or chicken which is halal.[7]
Aside from the famed Siew Pau, Seremban is also well known for its Nasi Padang or Minangkabau dishes. It is rich in coconut cream and is generally accompanied by a generous serving of cili padi (bird's eye chili).
Local desserts include ABC or air batu campur meaning shaved ice with brown sugar syrup and rose flavouring, corn, beans, and cendol.
The state, which been home to a number of multinationals from Japan, South Korea, the United States and the European Union. The manufacturing sector today forms the backbone of the state economy, contributing almost half of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP), followed by services and tourism (40.3%), agriculture (6%), construction (2.2%) and mining (0.3%).[8]
Seremban is the business and commercial centre for most towns and villages in Negeri Sembilan. During the weekends, residents from outlying areas come to Seremban by commuter train or buses to shop in Seremban. Amway opened their first concept shop in Seremban in August 2008 as on-going expansion strategy to give its distributors and customers a new shopping experience.[9]
ÆON Jusco Seremban 2, one of the premier shopping destinations in the town was the only outlet operated in the state.
Besides Jusco Seremban 2, many shopping outlets are concentrated in town centre; Wisma Punca Emas, KM Plaza, Parkson Seremban Parade, The Store, Terminal 1 and Era Square. As the population increases from time, it attracted two major hypermarkets in Malaysia, namely Giant Hypermarket, Tesco Extra, Econsave to open their outlet here and on February 2010, Carrefour launched their grand opening at Seremban Forest Heights.
Apart from shopping complexes, Seremban has designated numerous zones in the city to market locally manufactured products such as antiques, textiles, fabrics and handicrafts. Local municipal council has gazetted Jalan Utam Singh as morning flea market during weekend.[10] In 2009, Sungai Ujong Walk located in Jalan Dr. Murugesu was opened by local council president. The walk is using the Malacca well known Jonker Street and was provided 72 business site where 30 sites will sell food and beverage while the rest is general requirement in the area besides providing stage to enable any show or cultural shows held. It is perceived as a future location that will revive night atmosphere apart from enliven the area around.[11]
Seremban has a small number of hospitals and medical centers, which include a government hospital and three private owned hospitals.
Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital, formerly known as Seremban General Hospital is the state and referral hospital for the state of Negeri Sembilan. Established in 1930 with total capacity 800 beds and 20 clinical specialities and various supportive services. Situated at Bukit Rasah, Seremban, the hospital occupying an area of 212 acres (0.86 km2) of land.
The other hospitals include Columbia Asia Medical Center, which opened in 1999 and now has 80 beds and offers outpatient and inpatient specialist services, a 24-hour clinic and emergency services.
In 2004 a new hospital was established, Seremban Specialist Hospital which has total capacity of 109 beds. The hospital located at the outskirt of Seremban which is just behind State Museum.
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