HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kemaman is a
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
in
Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith"). ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. Kemaman District is bordered by
Dungun District Dungun is a coastal district of the Malaysian state of Terengganu. Kuala Dungun is the capital of the district. Dungun is made up of eleven 'mukim', or subdistricts: Abang, Besol, Jengai, Jerangau, Kuala Dungun, Kuala Paka, Kumpal, Pasir Raja, Ras ...
to the north and the state of
Pahang Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
to the south and west. It is the southern gateway to the state of
Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith"). ...
. The district administrative seat and the main economic centre of Kemaman is the town of
Chukai Chukai (Terengganu Malay: ''Chuka'', Jawi: چوكاي), also known by the name of Kemaman Town (Malay: ''Bandar Kemaman'', Terengganu Malay: ''Bando Mamang'', est. pop. (2017): over 170,000) is a mukim and capital of Kemaman District, Terenggan ...
, near the Terengganu-Pahang state border. Other important towns in this district are Kijal, Kerteh, and Kemasik. The district is administered by the
Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...
. With a total area of almost 1000 square miles, it is the third largest district after
Hulu Terengganu Hulu Terengganu (Upper Terengganu) is an interior district of Terengganu, Malaysia. The seat of the district is Kuala Berang, located about from the state capital, Kuala Terengganu. The local government of this district is Hulu Terengganu Distri ...
and Dungun bordering the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
.


Administrative divisions

Kemaman District is divided into 12 ''
mukim A mukim is a type of administrative division used in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The word ''mukim'' is a loanword in English. However, it was also originally a loanword in Malay from the Arabic word: (meaning ''resident''). The clo ...
s'', which are: * Bandi * Banggul * Binjai *
Chukai Chukai (Terengganu Malay: ''Chuka'', Jawi: چوكاي), also known by the name of Kemaman Town (Malay: ''Bandar Kemaman'', Terengganu Malay: ''Bando Mamang'', est. pop. (2017): over 170,000) is a mukim and capital of Kemaman District, Terenggan ...
(Capital) * Hulu Chukai * Hulu Jabur *
Kemasik Kemasik (est. pop. (2000 census): 1,896)Dept. of Urban and Rural Planning, Terengganu State Government. ''Rancangan Struktur Negeri Terengganu 2005-2015'' (Malay), 2005 is a mukim in Kemaman District, Terengganu, Malaysia. The town's major attra ...
*
Kerteh Kerteh (est. pop. (2000 census): 3,064) is a mukim in Kemaman District, Terengganu, Malaysia. Economy Kerteh is the base of operations for Petronas in Terengganu, overseeing the oil platform operations off the state's coast as well as petroc ...
*
Kijal Kijal (est. pop. (2000 census): 4,375)Dept. of Urban and Rural Planning, Terengganu State Government. ''Rancangan Struktur Negeri Terengganu 2005-2015'' (Malay), 2005 is a mukim in Kemaman District, Terengganu, Malaysia. The town is well kno ...
* Pasir Semut * Tebak *
Teluk Kalong Teluk Kalung is mukim in Kemaman District, Terengganu, Malaysia. The Perwaja Steel The following is a list of reported scams and scandals in Malaysia since independence. These include political, financial, corporate and others. Entries are a ...


Demography

Based on the 2020 Population and Housing Census, the population of Kemaman in 2020 totals 215,582 is 17% of the Terengganu population. Based on the 2017 data, Malays were the majority ethnic group with a total of 197,941, while 7,840 were
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
, 749 were
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
, 1,378 were Bumiputeras (non Malay) and 323 were from other ethnic groups. Another 7,351 people were non citizens. Censuses until the 1940s showed that this district as the third highest populated area after Kuala Terengganu and Besut. The population distribution changed after the discovery of oil in the 1970s, placing this district second after Kuala Terengganu.


Geography

The geographical features of this district can be divided into three main areas which include coastal area, inland area and the foothill area (located only a few kilometres from the beach). The coastal area is a flat lowland with the majority of the people focus on fishing activities. This area stretches about 38 kilometres from Kuala Kemaman to Kerteh. More than half of Kemaman's population is concentrated in this area. The inland area of the district is a region of highlands with hilly features. This area is rich with tin ore, oil palm plantation and timber. So, the concentration of population here is related to local economic activities. The foothill area is the second highest populated area. The area is located between the coastal and the inland areas. The main occupation of the residents in this area is farming.


History

According to early history, Kemaman was started to be known since the second century BC by the name of ''Kole''. This is based on the map of the ''
Golden Chersonese The Golden Chersonese or Golden Khersonese ( grc, Χρυσῆ Χερσόνησος, ''Chrysḗ Chersónēsos''; la, Chersonesus Aurea), meaning the Golden Peninsula, was the name used for the Malay Peninsula by Greek and Roman geographers in cla ...
'' which has been drawn by
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
(a
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
astronomer and geographer, born in Egypt in the second century BC) noting that there were two ports in the East Coast, Perimula and Kole. Historians agreed that Perimula was the
Terengganu River The Terengganu River ( ms, Sungai Terengganu) is a river in Terengganu, Malaysia. Originated from Lake Kenyir, it flows through the state capital of Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, and flows into the South China Sea. It is bridged by the Sultan Mahm ...
estuary (present-day
Kuala Terengganu , image_seal = Seal of Kuala Terengganu City Council.png , image_flag = Flag of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.svg , image_skyline = , image_caption = From top, left to right:The Crystal Mosq ...
) and Kole was Kemaman. In spite of that, the history of the opening of this district is still vague as there is no written account and valid evidence about it. Anyway, local historian agreed that the district has begun to be explored about 300 years ago by Che Wan Teh and his followers. Che Wan Teh was from a noble Pahang family who migrated to this district from Kuala Pahang following a disorder and chaos situation in Kuala Pahang. He then set up a settlement in the coastal area and the first village found was Bukit Mengkuang Before the Malays came, the district (this particular area) was occupied by the Sakais who then moved to the inland area. After sometimes in Bukit Mengkuang, Che Wan Teh moved to a new settlement area adjacent to Kemaman River estuary known as Tanjung Geliga. This new settlement was also unsecured as it was often disturbed by pirates and robbers threat. As a result, Che Wan Teh and his followers moved to another new area on the bank of Kemaman River (about 3 kilometers from Tanjung Geliga). This place was later known as Chukai. This event is strongly proved by existence of an old cemetery in the area. It was said that Che Wan Teh died shortly after opening Kampung Chukai. His followers and generations after him continuously explored new areas following the rise in population and the need for new agricultural areas. Other than verbal explanation, there was another version which referred to some written accounts relating the opening of Kemaman District with a Pattani aristocrat known as Lebai Saras. Anyway, this version recorded the 19th century early event when Terengganu was under the rule of Sultan Ahmad Shah 1 (1808 – 1830) and indirectly coincides with the opening of Kemaman District by Che Wan Teh.


Economy

Kemaman's economy is primarily based on the petroleum, oil, and steel industries.
Petronas Petroliam Nasional Berhad (National Petroleum Limited), commonly known as Petronas, is a Malaysian oil and gas company. Established in 1974 and wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with all oil and gas reso ...
' discovery of oil in offshore Terengganu in the 1980s has attracted immigration to Kemaman from rural areas as well as other parts of the country. Terengganu Petroleum Refineries in
Kerteh Kerteh (est. pop. (2000 census): 3,064) is a mukim in Kemaman District, Terengganu, Malaysia. Economy Kerteh is the base of operations for Petronas in Terengganu, overseeing the oil platform operations off the state's coast as well as petroc ...
are the first refineries owned by Petronas.
Kemaman Port Kemaman Port is a major seaport located on the east coast of Malaysia in the state of Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of feder ...
also has a
liquified petroleum gas Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas) is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, propylene, butylene, isobutane and n-butane. LPG is used as a fuel gas in heating appliances, cooking equ ...
(LPG) export terminal managed by Petronas, the national oil corporation. The presence of petroleum and oil industry here also causing this district well developed as well. Traditional industries include fishing, anchovies and salted fish manufacturing which was pioneered by the Chinese. One well known local fishing merchant was Soh Huat Keh who was among the successful pioneers of the salted fish manufacturing industry there. These seafood produces are exported throughout Malaysia and Singapore. The presence of natural gas has also been the spur for the development of the iron and steel industry in Kemaman. A large steel making company, Perwaja, established
direct-reduced iron Direct reduced iron (DRI), also called sponge iron, is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore (in the form of lumps, pellets, or fines) into iron by a reducing gas or elemental carbon produced from natural gas or coal. Many ores are su ...
/
electric arc furnace An electric arc furnace (EAF) is a furnace that heats material by means of an electric arc. Industrial arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one-tonne capacity (used in foundries for producing cast iron products) up to ab ...
(DRI/EAF) facilities, with its own import/export facilities on the East Wharf.


Tourism

Among the beaches that can be found in this district are Kemasik Beach, Teluk Mak Nik, Telaga Simpul Beach, Cagar Hutan Beach, and Ma'Daerah Beach. Kemaman's beaches used to be nesting grounds for endangered
green turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the Family (biology), family Cheloniidae. It is the only species In biology, a spec ...
and
painted terrapin The painted terrapin, painted batagur, or saw-jawed turtle (''Batagur borneoensis'') is a species of turtles in the family Geoemydidae. It was formerly in its own genus, ''Callagur'', but has been reclassified to the genus, ''Batagur''. Distribu ...
s. However, due to local desire for turtle eggs, these sea creatures were declared extinct in the area since year 2004. Among serious efforts to get turtles back to nest on the nearby beaches is the setting up of a turtle sanctuary in Ma'Daerah Beach, called Ma'Daerah Turtle Sanctuary, which provides an undisturbed beach for nesting turtles and protection for eggs. This turtle conservation centre is operated under the joint auspices of Department of Fisheries, BP, and WWF Malaysia. The first zoo in east coast region of Peninsular Malaysia, Bukit Takal Recreational Park and Mini Zoo, is also located in Kemaman. It was opened on 11 April 2009. Occupying a 54 ha site in Kampung Ibok about 14 km from Chukai, it is a combination of fruit orchard, water theme park, herbal park, orchid park, playground and zoo. Among the main attractions of this zoo is riding the train around the zoo, walking on the hanging bridge, riding on the elephants, watching different bird species, and experiencing the natural lights of the largest
firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
habitat in Terengganu. Kemaman is famous for food-based tourism.
Keropok lekor Keropok lekor () is a traditional Malaysian Malays, Malay fish cracker snack originating from the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. It is made from fish and sago flour and seasoned with salt and sugar. It is slightly greyish in colour and gives off ...
can be easily found along the road to Kuala Kemaman. All kinds of local delicacies, such as satar, nekbat,
lemang Lemang (Minangkabau: ''lamang'') is a Minangkabau traditional food made from glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt, cooked in a hollowed bamboo tube coated with banana leaves in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo. Originating i ...
and ''
otak-otak ''Otak-otak'' (lit. brains in Malay and Indonesian) is a Southeast Asian fish cake made of ground fish mixed with spices and wrapped in leaf parcels. ''Otak-otak'' is traditionally served steamed or grilled, encased within the leaf parcel it is ...
'', are sold here and are different from those found in
Kuala Terengganu , image_seal = Seal of Kuala Terengganu City Council.png , image_flag = Flag of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.svg , image_skyline = , image_caption = From top, left to right:The Crystal Mosq ...
and unique to Kemaman. These traditional foods are also commercially made and packaged in
Kijal Kijal (est. pop. (2000 census): 4,375)Dept. of Urban and Rural Planning, Terengganu State Government. ''Rancangan Struktur Negeri Terengganu 2005-2015'' (Malay), 2005 is a mukim in Kemaman District, Terengganu, Malaysia. The town is well kno ...
, Kemasik, and Chukai. ''
Kuih ''Kuih'' (Indonesian: ''kue''; derived from the Hokkien and Teochew ''kueh'' – ) are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cake ...
'' is available at Kemaman Street Market at Jalan Sulaimani and Evening Market at Jalan Air Putih near the Chukai interchange from the
East Coast Expressway The East Coast Expressway is an interstate controlled-access highway running parallel to the northeastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The currently operational segment of the expressway runs between Karak, Pahang and Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. ...
. Along the roads leading to Kemasek, you can find a variety of stalls selling Kemaman-style
lemang Lemang (Minangkabau: ''lamang'') is a Minangkabau traditional food made from glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt, cooked in a hollowed bamboo tube coated with banana leaves in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo. Originating i ...
. Kemaman is also popular for the famous Hainanese
kopi tiam A ''kopitiam'' or ''kopi tiam'' () is a type of coffee shop mostly found in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Southern Thailand patronised for meals and beverages, and traditionally operated by the Chinese community of the ...
, Hai Peng Coffee Shop, at the Jalan Sulaimani crossroad. The shop is the original location of the business franchise Kemaman Kopitiam that can be found throughout the country. Halal food has been served in the premises since years ago as the Chinese owners have blended well with the Malay community for such a long time.


Federal Parliament and State Assembly seats


List of Kemaman district representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat)

List of Kemaman district representatives in the State Legislative Assembly of
Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith"). ...


Shopping

Popular shopping locations in Kemaman include the central area in Jalan Sulaimani and Jalan Da' Omar with the landmark being Kemaman Centre Point. In addition, branded and designer shops can be found at the Mesra Mall, located in Kemasik. Mesra Mall also hosts Terengganu's first cinema with a
TGV Cinemas TGV Cinemas Sdn Bhd (also known as TGV Pictures and formerly known as Tanjong Golden Village) is the second largest cinema chain in Malaysia. As of March 2019, TGV Cinemas had 38 multiplexes with 310 screens and more than 50,000 seats. TGV Cinema ...
outlet which opened in 2010.


Notable people from Kemaman

*
Maria Hertogh Maria Hertogh (born ''Huberdina Maria Hertogh''; 24 March 1937 – 8 July 2009), also known as Bertha Hertogh, Nadra binte Ma'arof, Nadra Adabi and simply as Natrah, was a Dutch woman of Eurasian extraction and Malay upbringing, notable for bei ...
, grew up in Kampung Banggol, Chukai. *
Rafizi Ramli Mohd Rafizi bin Ramli ( Jawi: ; born 14 September 1977) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Minister of Economy in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since December 2022 and the Member of Par ...
, Politician, grew up in Kemaman


See also

*
Districts of Malaysia Districts (Malay: '' Daerah''; ''Jajahan'' in Kelantan) are a type of administrative division below the state level in Malaysia. An administrative district is administered by a lands and district office (''pejabat daerah dan tanah'') which is ...


References

{{Districts of Malaysia