Setiu is one of the

districts 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, Malaysia. This district is bordered by Besut to the north, Hulu Terengganu to the south, and on the east,

Kuala Nerus District Kuala Nerus is a district in Terengganu, Malaysia. It is the youngest district in the state, having been declared a separate district in 2014. Formerly it was part of Kuala Terengganu district (North Kuala Terengganu) but still governed by Kuala T ...

. Setiu is the second youngest and least populated district in Terengganu. Its capital is

Bandar Permaisuri Bandar Permaisuri is a small town and the capital of Setiu District, Terengganu, Malaysia old capital of Terengganu. Climate Bandar Permaisuri has a tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial ...

which also serves as its economic and commercial centre. Other towns are Chalok, Sungai Tong, Guntong and Penarik.

Etymology and history

The district of ''Setiu'' is believed to have taken its name from a ''Tok Setiu'', a

Bugis The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawe ...

commander who escaped the Dutch conquest of the Indonesian archipelago in the 19th century and immigrated to Terengganu. The

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

allowed Tok Setiu and his followers to open a

kampong A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay and Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous people, and has also been used t ...

in the plains located north of Kuala Terengganu. Setiu, as a district, had existed as early as the 1920s, with a smaller territory than its present-day borders, during the early days of British protection over Terengganu. In 1923 it was annexed into the neighbouring Besut District until 1935, when it was made a separate district. That same year Setiu district was partitioned between Besut district and the state capital Kuala Terengganu. Setiu district with its present-day borders was reorganised in 1985, merging Mukim Merang, Mukim Hulu Nerus and Mukim Belara (portion) from Kuala Terengganu (now Kuala Nerus) and Mukim Caluk, Mukim Guntung, Mukim Pantai Tasik and Mukim Hulu Setiu from Besut.

Demographics

Majority of the inhabitants of Setiu are ethnic Malays, with remainder from the minority Chinese, Siamese and Indian communities. Most Malays in Setiu especially in the northern part speaks Kelantan-Pattani Malay however those that live in southern Setiu speaks

Terengganu Malay Terengganu Malay ( ms, Bahasa Melayu Terengganu; Terengganu Malay: ) is a Malayic language spoken in the Malaysian state of Terengganu all the way southward to coastal Pahang and northeast Johor. It is the native language of Terengganu Malays an ...

Administrative divisions

Setiu is divided into 7 ''

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: * Chaluk * Guntung * Hulu Nerus * Hulu Setiu * Merang * Pantai * Tasik

Tourist attractions

Among the places of interest in this district are Terengganu International Equestrian Park (TIEP), Setiu Wetlands, Lata Payung, Lata Changkah, Mount Tebu, Rhu Sepuluh Beach, and Terrapuri CUltural Village.

Federal Parliament and State Assembly Seats

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

List of LMS district representatives in the State Legislative Assembly of Terengganu

References