Kluang is a town and district located roughly in the middle of the state of Johor in Malaysia. Johor (alt English spelling Johore, Jawi scriptجوهر is a state of Malaysia between 1°20"N and 2°35"N For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Kluang lies about 110km north of Johor Bahru, east-southeast of Batu Pahat, west of Mersing and south of Segamat. Johor Bahru, also spelled Johor Baharu, Johor Baru, ( "Baru" means "new" in Malay) or Johore Bahru and abbreviated Batu Pahat district lies south-east of Muar, south-west of Kluang, north-west of Pontian, and south of Segamat and the new Ledang district Mersing is the name of a town and district in the northeast corner in the state of Johor, Malaysia. Segamat is a town and district located in the north of the state of Johor in Malaysia, bordering two other states of Malaysia ( Negeri Sembilan on the The population of Kluang district now exceeds 250,000 residents and the town itself has over 140,000 residents.
Contents |
History
The name Kluang derives from the Malay word 'keluang' which means a type of flying fox or rather a type of fruit bat. The Malay language ( ISO 639-1 code MS is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people and people of other ethnic groups who reside in the Bats of the genus Pteropus, belonging to the Megachiroptera sub-order are the largest Bats in the world These used to be plentiful in the district decades ago. They have almost completely disappeared due to the combination of hunting and destruction of their natural habitat (deforestation). Deforestation is the conversion of Forested areas to non-forest land for use such as Arable land, Pasture, urban use logged area or wasteland
Kluang was founded in 1915 as the administrative capital for central Johor[1]. The main railway line linking north to south Malaya was built passing through Kluang and this helped in its growth. British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula that were colonized by the British from the 18th and the 19th until the 20th century Roads were built to link Kluang to Johor Bahru towards the south, to Batu Pahat towards the north-west and to Mersing towards the east. Johor Bahru, also spelled Johor Baharu, Johor Baru, ( "Baru" means "new" in Malay) or Johore Bahru and abbreviated Batu Pahat district lies south-east of Muar, south-west of Kluang, north-west of Pontian, and south of Segamat and the new Ledang district Mersing is the name of a town and district in the northeast corner in the state of Johor, Malaysia. Kluang is divided into two district councils namely Simpang Renggam District Council (Malay: Majlis Daerah Simpang Renggam) based at the town of Simpang Renggam and Kluang Municipal Council (Malay: Majlis Perbandaran Kluang) based at the town of Kluang which is also the district capital.
During World War II, the town of Kluang was captured relatively uncontested by Japanese forces advancing southwards as it was abandoned by Allied forces retreating towards Singapore. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Singapore General Yamashita moved his headquarters forward from Kuala Lumpur to Kluang on the 27th of January, 1942 as he advanced southwards. General was a General of the Japanese Imperial Army during the World War II. [2] The Japanese later used the airbase in Kluang to launch air attacks on targets ranging from Singapore to Sumatra.
From 1963 onwards the airfield was used by the British Army as a base for 4 Aircraft workshops together with REME and a Ghurka regiment until the early 1970's when the base was closed down.
Geography
Kluang lies in an area of undulating hills.
The highest point in Kluang is Gunung Lambak, a 510m tall mountain and one of the southernmost mountains in the Malaysian main range which lies not far from the town.
The Mengkibol River runs through the town. The Mengkibol River is a small river that flows through the town of Kluang in the state of Johor, Malaysia. Kluang is landlocked and has no seafront.
Kluang is served by a railway and roads linking it to all neighbouring districts. It has a railway station as well as a bus interchange. The closest on-ramp to the North-South Highway is at Air Hitam although travellers approaching Kluang from the south may find exiting at Simpang Renggam more convenient. Ayer Hitam is a rest town (Bandar persinggahan in Johor, Malaysia. Simpang Renggam is a town in Kluang district of Johor, Malaysia. There is an airfield in Kluang but it is a military airfield, not a civilian one.
Urban sprawl in Kluang over the last three decades or so from the 1970s to 2000 has been roughly along the major roads. The town center itself has more than tripled in size in terms of the number and land area occupied by commercial and retail buildings in that time.
Agriculture
Kluang initially grew as a rubber planting district. Rubber planting has, however, since then taken a back seat to other types of crops. Kluang now boasts large tracts of oil palm plantations as well as pineapple,koko and tea plantations. The oil palms ( Elaeis) comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family Pineapple ( Ananas comosus) is the common name for an edible Tropical Plant and also its Fruit It is native to the southern part of Brazil Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market New kinds of plantation such as dragon fruit and organic vegetables are also popular.
Industry and commerce
From its early days as an entirely agricultural economy, Kluang has developed various industries including polymer, paper, textiles, ceramics, industrial paints and electrical products. Most of Malaysia's major banks have branches in Kluang. In the last few years, several stock brokerages have opened shop in Kluang.
Infrastructure
Kluang is served by a district hospital, a district police station and fire station. It has numerous primary schools, several secondary schools and a public library. Sekolah Menengah Sains Johor, a government boarding secondary school with a special emphasis on science subjects, was built in the 1970s on the outskirts of Kluang along the Batu Pahat road.
Kluang High School or Sekolah Tinggi Kluang is one of the best known schools in Kluang, and the Chong Hwa High School is the second biggest Chinese secondary school in Malaysia. Kluang High School ( Malay: Sekolah Tinggi Kluang is a Secondary school in Kluang, Johor, Malaysia. A number of other schools were built between 2000 to 2006.
Tourism
It is said that the famous coffee shop at Kluang Railway Station, serves the best coffee in Malaysia (plus the shop’s specialty “Roti Bakar” - toasted bread with half boiled eggs). This local dish is available for breakfast between 7. 00am and 12. 00noon and for afternoon tea between 2. 30pm and 6. 00pm. . .
Gunung Belumut and Gunung Lambak are popular with jungle trekkers. Mount Belumut ( Gunung Belumut) standing at, is located in the State of Johor, Malaysia. The area of Machap (on the road between Simpang Renggam and Air Hitam) is well known for its pottery and porcelain. This is not to be confused of Machap Baru of Malacca, which is 1-hour drive away from Machap Johor Simpang Renggam is a town in Kluang district of Johor, Malaysia. Ayer Hitam is a rest town (Bandar persinggahan in Johor, Malaysia. Pottery is the Ceramic ware made by potters It also refers to a group of materials that includes Earthenware, Stoneware Porcelain is a Ceramic material made by heating raw materials generally including Clay in the form of Kaolin, in a Kiln to temperatures
Also noteworthy is an authentic coffee shop located in no. 56, Jalan Lambak by the name of Tong Fong Cafe (a. k. a. Eastern Cafe) which was very popular with the British soldiers during the heyday when Malaya was still under British rule. The operator is a second generation descendant of the owner and the coffee shop has been operating since 1954.