Sungai Ara is a residential

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural are ...

within the city of George Town in the

Malaysian state The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states (''Negeri'') and 3 federal territories (''Wilayah Persekutuan''). States and federal territories Ele ...

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

. It is located within the

Southwest Penang Island District The Southwest Penang Island District ( ms, Daerah Barat Daya Pulau Pinang) is a district within the Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the southwestern half of Penang Island and borders the Northeast Penang Island District to the eas ...

, adjacent to the town of

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island. Founded in the 19th century, Bayan Lepas has various industries. History Bayan Lep ...

. Sungai Ara also borders Relau to the north and

Bayan Baru Bayan Baru is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, adjacent to the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. The township was created in the 1970s following the establishment of the zone. Si ...

to the east.

Etymology

Sungai Ara literally means

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

river''' in

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

; it was named after an eponymous river which flows through the area.

History

Sungai Ara was formerly an agricultural area; to this day, the original village of Sungai Ara still stands at the intersection of Jalan Dato Ismail Hashim and Jalan Tengah. The development of Sungai Ara into a residential township only began in the late 20th century, following the creation of the adjacent

Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone Bayan Lepas is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island. Founded in the 19th century, Bayan Lepas has various industries. History Bayan Lep ...

in the 1970s.

Transportation

Jalan Dato Ismail Hashim and Jalan Tengah are the main thoroughfares within the neighbourhood. The former road was once known as Jalan Sungai Ara; the road was then renamed after a well-known Malaysian

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

reciter.

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (styled as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand in the State of Penang, Malaysia. Formed as a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia in 2007, to date it is the main public transport operator within Penang; its bus network serves commut ...

bus routes 301, 302, 306 and 308 include stops within Sungai Ara, connecting the neighbourhood with various destinations, including

's capital city of George Town, the

Penang International Airport Penang International Airport is an airport in northern Malaysia. The airport is located near Bayan Lepas at the southeastern tip of Penang Island, south of the city centre.Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island. Founded in the 19th century, Bayan Lepas has various industries. History Bayan Lep ...

Queensbay Mall Queensbay Mall is the largest shopping mall in Penang, Malaysia. Located in Bayan Lepas, the building was completed in early July 2006 and was opened to the public in December 2006. The mall covers a gross built-up area of and contains over 400 ...

, SPICE Arena and Teluk Kumbar.

Sports

The football team of the area is Sungai Ara FC

Education

Sungai Ara is served by four

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s and a single

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. Primary schools * SRK Mutiara Perdana * SRK Sungai Ara * SRJK (C) Chong Cheng * SRJK (T) Sungai Ara High school * SMK Sungai Ara

References