State of Penang map with George Town and Seberang Perai

Seberang Perai, formerly Province Wellesley, is a narrow hinterland opposite Penang island on the Malay Peninsula, which together with the island forms the Malaysian state of Penang. Its principal town is Butterworth. From the 2010 National Census, Seberang Perai has a population of 815,767.^[1]

History[link]

Seberang Perai was originally named Province Wellesley after Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, Governor of Madras and Governor-General of Bengal (1797–1805).

It was originally part of the state of Kedah. It was ceded to the British East India Company by the Sultan of Kedah in 1798, and has been part of the settlement and state of Penang ever since.

Geography[link]

The chief town is Butterworth. Other towns in Seberang Perai include Bukit Mertajam, Seberang Jaya, Sungai Puyu, Prai, Nibong Tebal and Kepala Batas.

Seberang Perai is connected to Penang island by the Penang Bridge and by ferry services. There is a Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) train station and a container terminal at Butterworth.

The highest peak in the region is Bukit Mertajam hill, looming over Bukit Mertajam town at 541m above sea level. This hill is accessible by hiking through the jungle trail starting from the water catchment area in Cherok Tok Kun. ^[2] The hill is a prominent landmark in mainland Penang as it can be seen from Penang island and one can view Penang island by hiking to the peak of the hill. ^[3]

Administration[link]

The local authority in Seberang Perai is the Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai (MPSP) or Municipal Council of Seberang Perai, while the Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP) or Municipal Council of Penang Island is the local authority for Penang island. Seberang Perai is also divided into three administrative districts—North Seberang Perai, Central Seberang Perai, and South Seberang Perai. Each district has its own District and Land Office which deals with land matters and other matters not dealt with the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai. The municipal council is one of the few local councils in Malaysia which governs more than one districts.

Transport[link]

Two large projects are the Butterworth Outer Ring Road(BORR) and the recently approved RM2.6bil Penang Second Bridge connecting Batu Maung on the island and Batu Kawan on the mainland. Scheduled for completion by 2011, the second link spanning 22.5 km will help reduce the traffic volume at Penang Bridge by half. The new link will bring much relief to Penangites who have to bear with horrendous traffic jams on the existing bridge. The RM500mil BORR is another much awaited development as it provides an alternative road for motorists to get to their destinations in Prai and Butterworth faster. A majestic and vital feature of BORR is the Prai Bridge, connecting Old Prai Town to Bagan Dalam.

Shopping[link]

• AEON Seberang Prai City is located at Bandar Perda. It is the latest and largest shopping centre in Seberang Prai. It opened on 22 August 2008.
• Sunway Carnival Mall is located at Seberang Jaya. It is the first shopping mall in Malaysia to have an IT information provider. It also houses a cinema and retail shops.
• Megamal is located at Prai and is one of the largest shopping arcades. It houses a hypermarket, cineplex, and many retail shops.
• Carrefour is a hypermarket for the locals located in Seberang Jaya and Bukit Minyak.
• Giant Hypermarket is a major supermarket and retailer chain in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. It is located in the roadside of the Butterworth Outering Bridge and inside Sunway Carnival Mall.
• Tesco Extra Seberang Perai (formally known as Makro), it is one of the hypermarkets in Seberang Perai which is located in the area of the residence living quarter.
• Tesco is located in Alma, Bukit Mertajam.
• Summit Bukit Mertajam Plaza is located in the heart of the central business district of Bukit Mertajam town. It incorporates the Summit Hotel, The Store departmental store and a bowling centre.

Economy[link]

Seberang Perai has come a long way from a sleepy cowboy town to what it is today - a bustling and developing giant. Many major developments are now focused in Seberang Prai which has been touted as Penang's catalyst for growth in the 21st century.

Divided into three districts of northern, central and southern, Seberang Prai is strategically located near neighbouring industrial estates like the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone and Kulim High Tech Park. It is without doubt that Seberang Prai will become an important industrial and commercial hub for it houses the country's largest industrial base.

The mainland is also where a string of mega commercial and residential projects have mushroomed over the years especially in the thriving business and commercial townships of Butterworth and Seberang Jaya. Penang has 1.4 million people and at least 54% live on the mainland. New townships like Batu Kawan are also taking shape. Plans are afoot to transform Batu Kawan into the third satellite town in Penang after Bayan Baru and Seberang Jaya. The first phase of eco-tourism projects in Batu Kawan, which involves the Batu Musang jetty has been completed. The second phase will see the construction of a seafood centre, gallery and chalets. Penang has everything to offer visitors as a leisure destination from heritage buildings and culture to good food and eco-tourism.

Naza Corp Sdn Bhd recently announced it had chosen Bertam to site its new RM1.2bil plant in which the manufacturing operations will create some 6,000 jobs. It was reported that over 10,000 landed residential properties will be developed in Bertam, the new growth centre in the northern region, until 2020 to cater to the needs of its rising population that is expected to hit 100,000 by then.

On the housing front, notable projects like Taman Tambun Indah, Juru Heights, Harbour Place and Bandar Perda have given new meaning to luxury living. Bandar Perda, the proposed RM3bil integrated regional centre for Penang is shaping up nicely to emerge as the "mini Putrajaya" of the northern region. An imposing address here is the RM83mil Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) headquarters.

Seberang Prai has also carved its niche as a shopping haven with shopping complex such as Megamall Pinang, Carrefour Seberang Jaya and Makro. The Giant chain of hypermarkets have an outlet in Taman Inderawasih, Prai and Sunway Carnival Mall in Bandar Sunway. Aeon Co (M) Bhd is also planning for a Jusco store (AEON Seberang Prai City) in Bandar Perda. The very successful Auto City in Juru has become the talk of the town with its impressive list of food and entertainment outlets including Subway, Swensens, Tao Asian Cuisine and the Manhattan Fish Market.

Education[link]

There are several higher learning institutions located in Seberang Perai but the most prominent are Universiti Sains Malaysia Engineering Campus located in Nibong Tebal; Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Penang branch, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Bertam branch and Politeknik Seberang Perai (PSP). Both are situated in the district of Permatang Pauh.

Tourism[link]

Penang Bird Park in Seberang Jaya boasts a collection of over 300 species of birds with enormous walk-in aviaries and is the first and largest bird park of its kind in Malaysia. Popular among bird enthusiasts, the park was built in a garden landscaping concept with natural ponds and a vast collection of flora and several other wildlife including mousedeer, giant alaipaima fish, phytons and monitor lizards. ^[4]

A popular recreational park among locals and outsiders alike, the Bukit Mertajam Recreational Forest in Cherok Tok Kun, Bukit Mertajam is a tropical rain forest reserve sprawls over 37 hectars of hilly terrain including the Bukit Mertajam hill. The forest contains indigenous rain forest trees that could be over a hundred years old such as the Meranti Seraya (Shorea curtisii) and Meranti Rambai Daun (Shorea acuminate). For the adventurous hikers, there are numerous jungle trail branching out towards the peak and also accessible by jeep and cycling. Other activities include picnicking, swimming by the waterfall and camping. ^[5]

A small village of Mengkuang Titi provides homestay programmes for foreign tourists which is the opportunity to live with the local Malay family while experiencing Malay culture and the laid-back lifestyle of rural living. Among the activities during the programme were fruit picking in the orchard, visiting a handicraft centre, Mengkuang-mat-weaving demonstration, a trip cottage industry factories(Malaysian Muffins),bedak sejuk (traditional beauty powder made from rice flour) and soy bean products), visiting the Mengkuang Dam vicinity and the Air Itam Dalam mangrove reserve, a cultural performance, a stroll through a rubber plantation and an oil palm plantation. ^[6]

Bukit Tambun, a small tranquil fishing village located in the South Seberang Perai district, remains a seafood heaven for local and foreign tourists alike. It consists of seafood restaurants dotting along the river mouth with the dining area hovering over the water, serving local delicacies which are fresh daily catch from the sea. ^[7]

Pulau Aman is an island off-coast of Bukit Tambun located at the south-east of Penang island. It consists of a quaint Malay fishing village. The island is accessible to the public via ferry boat from the Batu Musang jetty in Batu Kawan. There is an old well, Telaga Emas (Golden Well) located right next to the sea. ^[8]

One of the highlights in the town of Nibong Tebal include the firefly watching along the river of Sungai Krian. This can be done late in the evening by boat as visitors can have the opportunity to enjoy the dazzling display of fireflies in the mangrove swamp. ^[9]

In fact one of the major events in Seberang Perai is the St. Anne's Novena and Feast which is held end of July annually at the St. Anne's Church, Bukit Mertajam which attract nearly over 100,000 pilgrims from all over the country and as far as neighbouring countries such as Philippines, Singapore and Australia.

Recently, the North Seberang Perai Local Plan 2020 Draft have developed several heritage trails, namely the Archeo-Tourism Trail, Heritage Trail and Beach Recreation Trail. The Archeo-Tourism Trail would cover an old fort at Kota Kuala Muda, an archaeology complex in Sungai Emas, the Langkasuka ruins in Kota Aur, an early archaeology site in Guar Kepah, a candi (temple) in Permatang Pasir, the Merdeka Bridge-cum-fort in Bumbung Lima and a border cornerstone in Ekor Kucing. Besides that, The Heritage Trail would commence from the Butterworth railway station through the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal, a traditional blacksmith shop in Permatang Benuan, the Capal Jago chapal maker’s shop in Kepala Batas and terminates at the whispering market in the Kuala Muda fishing village. Aside from that, the Beach Recreation Trail would cover the Pantai Bersih beach, Bagan Ajam beach, Pantai Teluk Molek (Robina Park) beach, Teluk Air Tawar recreation park, Kuala Bekah beach, Pantai Penaga, Sungai Muda sanctuary park, Pantai Kamloon recreation park, Bertam Vision Park, Padang Cempedak recreation park and Air Hitam Dalam recreation park. ^[10]

Furthermore, the Central Seberang Perai Local Plan 2020 draft would include the upgrade of the Penang Bird Park, the Seberang Jaya Expo, proposals of rural homestay project in Sama Gagah, Pematang Pasir and Kampung Kubang Semang, promoting education-based tourism with MICE facilities in Prai and eco-tourism in Mengkuang Dam and Cherok Tok Kun. ^[11]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website of Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai in Malay
• Official website of Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai in English

Perai is a main industrial area in Penang, Malaysia. It is situated in Seberang Perai, which is on the mainland.

v t e Penang Districts North-East Penang Island South-West Penang Island Northern Seberang Perai Central Seberang Perai Southern Seberang Perai Cities George Town (capital) Towns Air Itam Bagan Ajam Balik Pulau Batu Ferringhi Batu Kawan Batu Maung Batu Uban Bayan Lepas Bukit Gelugor Bukit Jambul Bukit Mertajam Bukit Tambun Butterworth Ceruk Tok Kun Gelugor Jawi Jelutong Juru Mak Mandin Kepala Batas Nibong Tebal Pantai Aceh Paya Terubong Penanti Permatang Pauh Perai Pinang Tunggal Seberang Jaya Sungai Ara Sungai Bakap Sungai Dua Sungai Jawi Sungai Nibong Tanjung Bungah Tanjung Tokong Tasek Gelugor Teluk Bahang Teluk Kumbar Valdor Villages Gertak Sanggul Kampung Buah Pala Mengkuang Titi Permatang Pasir Permatang Manggis Permatang Sintok Permatang Bertam Islands Pulau Aman Pulau Betong Pulau Gedung Pulau Jerejak Pulau Kendi Pulau Pinang Pulau Rimau Pulau Tikus

Coordinates: 5°23′N 100°23′E / 5.383°N 100.383°E / 5.383; 100.383

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