Kepala Batas is a town in the northern part of Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

, Malaysia, in Seberang Perai Utara

Seberang Perai

Seberang Perai / Beseran Darul Hidayah, 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...

 district. The Member of Parliament for Kepala Batas is the former Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Malaysia

The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...

 of Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...

, as this is his hometown. In the past, about the 60's, Kepala Batas became densely populated around Bertam, Pinang Tunggal and the surrounding area with suppliers of daily supplies and agricultural products. Kepala Batas is surrounded by paddy field

Paddy field

A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...

s. Bertam area with estate of rubber plantation and later been replaced with oil palm plantation. Therefore, the majority of the early Malay community worked as paddy growers and early immigrants & foreigners were working in the plantation estate. Nowadays, the work in the paddy fields have been replaced by machinery. Most of Kepala Batas area has been developed by the authorities and private companies. In Bertam area, the estate has been aggressively developed with mixture of developments consisting huge area of golf resort, residential units, boarding schools and higher educational institutions.

The heart of Kepala Batas Town became more famous after Datuk Seri Abdullah Hj. Ahmad Badawi, who was born in Kepala Batas has emerged to become the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia. Kepala Batas is now actively developing into a modern, planned city equipped with facilities such as hospitals, schools, a matriculation institute, agricultural research institutes, the Millennium Hall and many more. Kepala Batas has been chosen as the main government district hub for Seberang perai north district. Among the town's attractions is the Kepala Batas night market that sells a variety of cuisines from the north, and noodles with boiled shrimp are sold around the town of Kepala Batas. In the recent general election

Malaysian general election, 2008

The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...

held on 8 March 2008, Abdullah won the seat with a majority of 11,232 votes. He then terminated his services after 6 years of ruling as PM. However, Kepala Batas development keep continue & become one of the fastest growing town in seberang perai - northern district.

Higher Education Institutes in Kepala Batas

• Community College (Kolej Komuniti)
• Penang Matriculation College (Kolej Matrikulasi Pulau Pinang)
• Pusat Giat Mara Kepala Batas
• ACMS (Allianze College of Medical Sciences)
• UiTM (MARA Institute of Technology University)
• Advanced Research & Dental Institute (USM)
• Nursing College (USM)
• Industrial Learning Institute (ILP)

Middle & High Schools in Kepala Batas

• [ms:Sekolah_Menengah_Kebangsaan_Datuk_Haji_Ahmad_Badawi SMK Datuk Haji Ahmad Badawi]
• SMK Datuk Haji Abdul Kadir
• SMK Agama Al-Irshad
• SMK Pokok Sena
• SMK Bertam Indah
• SMK Kepala Batas
• SM Sains Kepala Batas
• MRSM Kepala Batas
• Sekolah Agama Daeratul Maarifil Wataniah

Authorities & Public Facilities in Kepala Batas

• Argricultural Institute
• MARDI
• Kepala Batas Stadium
• Millenium Hall
• MPSP Gymnasium
• MPSP Hockey Stadium
• MPSP Tennis Court
• Public Library
• Kepala Batas Hospital
• Penang Golf Resort
• Handicraft Department of Malaysia (Jabatan Kraftangan Malaysia)
• Dato' Kailan Bus Station
• Mosques & Surau
• Temples (Hindu & Budhha)
• Health Clinics (Ministry of Health)
• District Syariah Court
• Wisma Persekutuan Building (Departments of Ministry)
• Education Department Building (IPD)
• District Office Building (State/Local Authority Offices)
• Police Department (IPD)
• Fire Department
• Bank (Muamalat, Public, Commerce, Islam, Maybank, Rakyat, Persatuan,BSN)
• Tabung Haji

Attractions

• Largest paddy field in Penang State and second largest in Malaysia.
• Kamloon Recreation Park - birdwatching, fishing, and tropical.
• Malay Culture and Homestay
• Hotel Seri Malaysia
• Char Kuey Tiaw, Shrimp Noodles, Satay, Ketupat, Ais Kacang, and others.
• Penang Golf Resort (with swimming pool, tennis court, event halls, food&beverage).
• Kiosk@Bertam - Open Space of Food Court with free Wi-Fi
• KFC
• Secret Recipe
• Vision park (Man-made retention pond, jogging track)