Pasir Gudang
Encyclopedia
Pasir Gudang is an industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...

 town located 35 km east of Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...

 in Malaysia (LAT: 01°2′6"N 103°5′4"E). It is the eastern end of the Johor Bahru metropolitan area. The population is around 100,000. It is connected by the 4 lane Pasir Gudang Highway
Pasir Gudang Highway
Pasir Gudang Highway, also known as Federal Route is a major highway or large road in Johor, Malaysia that connects Tampoi North in the west to Pasir Gudang, Johor Port and Tanjung Langsat in the east. Pasir Gudang Highway is a four-laned highway, unlike the wider Skudai Highway which has six lanes...

, a trunk road, and a railway line to Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...

. The main industries are transportation and logistics, shipbuilding, petrochemicals and other heavy industries, and oil palm
Oil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...

 storage and distribution.

It is the site of one of two major power stations in the state of Johor, the Sultan Iskandar Power Station
Sultan Iskandar Power Station
Sultan Iskandar Power Station is a Malaysian gas turbine power station located in Pasir Gudang, Johor.-History:Construction of the plant began in 1977 and completed in 1980...

.

History

Established in 1918, Pasir Gudang, which was formerly known as Kampung Pasir Udang, was founded by Long Abu who is believed to have originated from Riau, Indonesia. Four more villages were established by the expanded population of about 83 families.
  • Kampung Pasir Gudang Baru. (known as Kampung Pasir Gudang Lama located at TNB Sultan Iskandar Power Station)
  • Kampung Sungai Perembi. (currently the Pasir Gudang Police Station)
  • Kampung Ulu (currently MSE dockyard)
  • Kampung Tengah (currently the Tenaga Nasional area)
  • Kampung Hilir.


In 1920, 4 more villages were established :
  • Kampung Air Biru (now the port).
  • Kampung Pasir Merah (now the port).
  • Kampung Pasir Puteh
    Kampung Pasir Putih
    Kampung Pasir Putih is a village in Pasir Gudang, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. This village was established in 1920, along with three other villages, and is the only one that still exists today in Pasir Gudang. The primary sectors that contribute to the economy of this village are agriculture and...

    , which is still in existence today.
  • Kampung Pulau Tekong, now the territory of Singapore.


The name Pasir Gudang originated from the existence of a sand mine at Kampung Ulu. Sand or 'pasir' in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

 are dug and stocked in sand pits/stores or 'gudang' in Malay, to be exported to Singapore, hence the name 'Pasir Gudang'.

The surrounding areas further inland were developed in the mid-19th century by Chinese travellers of the Teochew
Teochew people
The Chaozhou people are Han people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province of China who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the...

 clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...

. Issuance of the 'river deed' by the Sultan of Johore allowed them to develop the Kangkar Masai, Kangkar Plentong and Kangkar Lunchu areas under riverheads known as 'kangchus'. It was on these riverbeds that they cultivated catechu and black pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...

. Falling catechu
Catechu
For the region in India, see Kutch District.Catechu is an extract of any of several species of Acacia—but especially Acacia catechu—produced by boiling the wood in water and evaporating the resulting brew....

 and black pepper prices forced some estate owners to cultivate pineapples.

The introduction of rubber into Malaysia in the early 20th century resulted in the opening of big estates by the British and Singaporean cultivators. Up till 1916, six estates covering an area of 15,000 acres (61 km²) were opened in the Mukim of Plentong. In 1916, Kampung Pasir Gudang became the centre for Police, Customs and opium-control besides being a centre for the 'penghulu' of the Mukim of Pasir Gudang. The formation of estates had also resulted in influx of labourers from China and India.

The Japanese occupation
Japanese occupation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak
Throughout much of World War II, British Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak were under Japanese occupation.The Japanese Empire commenced the Pacific War with the invasion of Kota Bahru in Kelantan on 8 December 1941 at 00:25, about 90 minutes before the Attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii at 07:48 on 7...

 during the Second World War and guerrilla movements after the war did not have much effect on the agricultural activities here. Under the Emergency Law in the 1950s, new villages were set up at Plentong, Masai, Johor
Masai, Johor
Masai is a town located in east Johor Bahru District, Malaysia, and is the oldest part of Johor Bahru. It is located 25 kilometres from the Johor Bahru city centre. Masai is located on route J10 which leads to Kong Kong, a fishing village along Johor River...

 and Pasir Gudang. The estate labourers were either placed in these new villages or at guarded estate barracks.

Land schemes under the FELDA scheme were founded in Ban Foo, Plentong Baru and Felda Cahaya Baru after 1969. To further develop Johor, the State Government further took the estate lands to be converted into industrial and housing areas to the develop Pasir Gudang into an industrial area. Establishment of the Johore Port in 1977 was seen as a reaction to counter the entrepôt hub in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

.

Administration

Pasir Gudang is administered by the Pasir Gudang Local Authority, or Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan Pasir Gudang, a subsidiary of Johor Corporation. It is the first local authority in Malaysia that was privatised, although Johor Corporation is the investment arm of the Johor State Government.

Pasir Gudang Local Authority receives no financial support from either the state or federal government.

On 1 July 2007, This agency was granted municipal status and changed its name to Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang
Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang
Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang or Pasir Gudang Municipal Council is a local authority which administrates Pasir Gudang and other areas of the Iskandar Malaysia area. This agency is under subsidiary of Johor Corporation and Johor state government...

 (MPPG) or Pasir Gudang Municipal Council.

Tourist and holiday attractions

Pasir Gudang Kite Museum is located here, on top of Kite Hill. It is the first kite museum in Malaysia and has a unique working windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...

 whose mechanism works to generate enough electricity to supply the daily needs of the museum. It also hosts the annual Pasir Gudang International Kite Festival.

The 3.86 km Johor Racing Circuit
Johor Circuit
Johor Circuit is the only racing circuit in the state of Johor, Malaysia. Located in Pasir Gudang. The circuit was officially opened on 1986 by Sultan Iskandar of Johor ....

is located here, hosting one of the legs of the World Motorcycle Championship. It is one of only two legs held in Asia. Other events annually hosted here are World Superbike Championship, the World Endurance Race and the Johor Racing Series for motorcycles and cars.

Pasir Gudang has one golf course, the Tanjung Puteri Golf Resort. It has an area of 8.3 km² and 3 courses named Alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....

, Buaya and Crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...

.

External links

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