Kuantan

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Kuantan is a town in Malaysia, and is the state capital of Pahang, the largest state in the peninsular, covering around 36,000 km². The city comprises 62% of Malays, 28% of Chinese, 4% of Indian and 6% of other races. It is in Peninsular Malaysia, facing the South China Sea and at the mouth of the Kuantan River about halfway up the east coast from Singapore to Kota Bharu.

The Pahang state government shifted the administrative centre of Pahang from Kuala Lipis to Kuantan in 1976.

History

Kuantan is believed to have been established since the 1850s. The existence of Kuantan had been recorded by Abdullah Abdul Kadir Munshi circa 1851/2 as below:

"On thursday night came a boat from KUANTAN. Then it told the ship crews there's a pirate ship at Tanjung Tujuh, forty of them and at Pulau Kapas, and as well as at Pulau Redang; it is spotted by two Kuantan boat and they set off...."

In its early days it is known as Kampung Teruntum (Teruntum Village). It is situated around the mouth of Sungai Teruntum which is in front of the current hospital and has been established by Hj. Senik and his followers in 1850s. Their primary economic activities is fishing and small businesses. The prime proof of establishment of the village is the cemetery that is situated near Taman Esplanade in front of the current hospital.

Economic Activities

Known as a tropical getaway, one of its major economic activities is tourism. Domestically it is famous for the production of handicrafts, batik and keropok lekor. Serving as the administrative and commercial capital of Pahang, trade and commerce largely supports the economy of the town.

Timber industry and fishing industry also play vital roles in the local economy.

Other than tourism and business, Kuantan is active with petrochemical industries situated in Gebeng, near the Kuantan Port. Major companies operating at Gebeng include BASF, PETRONAS Chemicals, BP Chemicals, MTBE, Flexsys Chemicals, Eastman Chemicals, Kaneka, Polyplastics, MIECO and WR GRACE.

Infrastructure

Kuantan is connected to Kuala Lumpur via the East Coast Highway and Karak Highway. The East Coast Highway also links Kuantan to other major towns in Pahang although locals still prefer the old trunk road. Two other important east coast towns are Kota Bharu and Kuala Terengganu, connected via coastal trunk roads.

Medical needs are served by several hospitals and clinics. The main hospital is Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, which is equipped with various state-of-the-art equipment such as a CT Scanner and MRI. It also serves as the teaching hospital for the [Kulliyyah of Medicine], International Islamic University Malaysia. A Community Health Centre serves suburbs such as Beserah, while smaller clinics are situated in smaller suburbs such as Indera Mahkota. Two private medical centres also operate in Kuantan,namely the Kuantan Medical Centre and Kuantan Specialist Hospital.

Kuantan also has several insitutes of higher learning such as the Medical Campus of International Islamic University Malaysia and University College of Engineering and Technology Malaysia[link] (KUKTEM).

Tourism

Teluk Cempedak Beach, Kuantan

State Mosque, Kuantan

Kuantan's main sightseeing attraction is the beach of Teluk Cempedak. There are also other scenic beaches popular with vacationers in the town's vicinity, such as Batu Hitam, Balok, and Cherating. Nearby Cherating Club Med, there is a Turtle Sanctuary. A few kilometers away from Cherating is Pulau Ular (Snake Island). A legend could be heard here about 'the snake and the fishing village'.

Kuantan is also known to tourists for its waterfalls. The most established one is Sg. Pandan Water Fall. Two other waterfalls are Sg. Berkelah Water Fall and Jerangkang Waterfall. There are also 3 parks within the town. There are the Gelora Park, Teruntum Mini Zoo and Agriculture Park at Indera Mahkota. A small park located in front of the Hospital is named Esplande Park. Here it is possible to take a river cruise from the small jetty. The Kuantan area also produces handicrafts and batik. Other tourist attractions include the State Mosque (Masjid Negeri).

The main shopping facilities in Kuantan include Berjaya Megamall, Kuantan Parade, Kuantan Plaza, and Teruntum. The only 5-star hotel in Kuantan is the Holiday Village of Malaysia while the 4-star hotels include MS Garden Hotel, Mariana Beach Resort and The Legend Resort. 5-star resorts are often chosen by foreign visitors. The more popular ones include Hyatt Regency, De Rhu Beach Resort, Cherating Holiday Villa Beach Resort, [link]Swiss-Garden Resort, Impiana Resort, Club Med Cherating, and the Legend Resort.

Food

Kuantan is also famous for its fried fish crackers (called keropok) and salted fish, where the fish are marinated mainly with salt and left out to dry in the sun for days and also for its 'Ikan Bakar' or grilled fish at Tanjung Lumpur.

Residential Areas

There are some residential areas in Kuantan including : Air Putih, Tanah Putih, Bukit Setongkol, Bukit Sekilau, Alor Akar, Kubang Buaya, Medan Tok Sira, Damansara Kuantan, Taman Tas and Galing suburbs.

Trivia

The Tengku Mahkota (Crown Prince) of Pahang resides at Kuantan. The Istana Abdul Aziz Palace is situated at Indera Mahkota, a suburb of Kuantan.

External links

• http://www.swissgarden.com
• http://www.kuantanonline.com
• http://www.malaysia-one.com/kuantan
• from Wikitravel

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