Kangar

Last updated

Kangar
Kangaq (Kedah Malay)
Town of Kangar
Bandar Kangar
Kangar (2019).jpg
Masjid Syed Alwi.JPG
Merdeka Park (Perlis).jpg
Perlis State Legislative Assembly.jpg
KPJ Perlis Specialist Hospital.jpg
From top, left to right:
Downtown Kangar, Alwi Mosque, Merdeka Square, Perlis State Legislative Assembly, KPJ Perlis Specialist Hospital and the PKENPS Tower @ K-PARC
The Seal of Kangar Municipal Council.png
Kangar
Location of Kangar in Perlis
Perlis location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kangar
  Kangar in    Perlis
West Malaysia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kangar
Kangar (Peninsular Malaysia)
Malaysia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kangar
Kangar (Malaysia)
Southeast Asia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kangar
Kangar (Southeast Asia)
Asia laea location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kangar
Kangar (Asia)
Coordinates: 6°26′N100°12′E / 6.433°N 100.200°E / 6.433; 100.200
Country Flag of Malaysia 23px.svg  Malaysia
State Flag of Perlis.svg Perlis
Founded6 April 1653; 371 years ago (as Kota Sena)
Establishment of the town council1956
Municipality status1 January 1980
Government
  Type Municipal council
  BodyKangar Municipal Council
  PresidentNorazlan Bin Yahaya
Area
  Total
29.84 km2 (11.52 sq mi)
Population
 (2005)
  Total
48,898
Time zone UTC+8 (MST)
  Summer (DST)Not observed
Website mpkangar.gov.my
Kangar Municipal Council

Majlis Perbandaran Kangar
مجليس ڤربندرن كڠار
The Seal of Kangar Municipal Council.png
Type
Type
History
Founded1 January 1980
Leadership
President
Norazlan Yahaya
Municipal Secretary
Raziff Yaacob
Meeting place
Kangar Municipal Council.jpg
192, Persiaran Jubli Emas, 01000 Kangar, Perlis.
Website
mpkangar.gov.my

Kangar (Kedah Malay: Kangaq) is the state capital and the largest town in Perlis, Malaysia. [1] It has a population of 48,898 and an area of 2,619.4 ha. It is located next to the Thailand border, in the northernmost point of Peninsular Malaysia. It is situated by the Perlis River. [2]

Contents

The town is also a gathering centre for the paddy rice production of the surrounding district. Its municipal government is unified with that of the neighbouring communities of Arau and Kaki Bukit. The centre of Kangar is Sena Province. The town is the smallest state capital in Malaysia and its inhabitants are mostly farmers and civil servants. Its industries include cement, saw milling, rubber, paper, and processing of sugar and prawns. [3]

History

Kangar Map Kangar map.jpg
Kangar Map

Kangar existed from about 350 years ago, that is since 1653 when Kota Sena was built as the administrative centre for the 14th Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Muhyiddin Mansor Shah. Kangar was then a land port or pengkalan where boats and tongkangs anchor at the confluence of Perlis River, which runs through Kangar town to Kuala Perlis. [1]

The name Kangar was derived from a type of tree. It was here at the port that trading was done, under a big tree that gave shade and respite to the traders. This tree that became a "witness" to many business deals was called Pohon Kangar. Every trader and merchant who came and went to this place began calling it the Pohon Kangar Port, in honour of the tree. [1]

Demographics

Ethnic composition of Kangar (2010) [4]
Ethnicities / NationalityPercentage
Malay
62.23%
Chinese
30.54%
Indian
4.73%
Other Bumiputras
0.1%
Others
0.3%
Non-Malaysians
2.1%

The majority of Kangar's population speaks Perlis Malay which is a sub-dialect of Kedah Malay but also has its own unique features compared to those of neighbouring Kedah.

The Han Chinese, the second largest community in Kangar are primarily Hokkien speaking, with the language serving as the lingua franca of the city's Chinese population. In addition, significant knowledge of Mandarin and English is also present amongst them.

Other languages spoken in Kangar includes Tamil, Telugu, Malayali as well as Punjabi and Hindi among the Kangar Indian population and Southern Thai by the Kedah-Siamese community.

Places of interest

Perlis State Library at Jalan Penjara. Perlis State Public Library.jpg
Perlis State Library at Jalan Penjara.

Downtown Kangar is a mixture of old and new shophouses, and has an elegant colonial State Secretariat Building and clocktower from the 1930s. Other major landmarks are:

Notable natives

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kangar Background | Kangar Municipal Council". Majlis Perbandaran Kangar. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  2. Information, Malaya Department of (1957). Fact Sheets on the Federation of Malaya. The Department.
  3. "Kangar | Malaysia". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  4. "Population Distribution and Demography" (PDF). Malaysian Department of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2013.
  5. "Perlis Public Library Corporation Website".

6°26′N100°12′E / 6.433°N 100.200°E / 6.433; 100.200