Teluk Bahang is a town 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 ...

of Penang. 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 ...

, near the northwestern tip of

Penang Island Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...

. Established as a fishing village, Teluk Bahang has evolved into a tourist destination, with a number of attractions built within the vicinity of the town. Notably, it is also home to the Teluk Bahang Dam, the largest reservoir on Penang Island. Teluk Bahang Forest Reserve is part of Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve, recognized by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

as the third Biosphere Reserve in Malaysia listed in the World Network of Biosphere Reserve (WNBR).

Etymology

Teluk Bahang literally means 'the bay of heat' in Malay. It was named as such due to the high temperature of the incoming sea breeze at the area.

History

Teluk Bahang was founded as an agricultural village, where fishing provided subsistence for the village's residents. In the latter half of the 20th century, the town was developed into a tourist destination. Teluk Bahang was one of the hardest-hit areas during the

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

. As a result, a network of tsunami warning systems has been set up throughout Penang, including in Teluk Bahang.

Demographics

The town of Teluk Bahang straddles two mukims – Telok Bahang and Pantai Acheh. According to the 2010 National Census conducted by

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 ...

's Department of Statistics, these mukims cumulatively contained a population of 7,494.

Ethnic Malays Malays ( ms, Orang Melayu, Jawi: أورڠ ملايو) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to eastern Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and coastal Borneo, as well as the smaller islands that lie between these locations — areas that are col ...

formed almost 68% of Teluk Bahang's population, while the Chinese made up over of the population. Another 4% of the population consisted of ethnic Indians.

Transportation

Jalan Teluk Bahang is the main thoroughfare within the town and forms part of the pan-island Federal Route 6. The road links Teluk Bahang with Balik Pulau to the south and

Batu Ferringhi Batu Ferringhi is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located along the northern coast of Penang Island and about northwest of the city centre, it is the prime beach destination in Penang among locals and tourists. To cater to the inf ...

to the east.

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (styled as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand in the Penang, 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 ...

bus routes 101, 102 and 501 include stops within Teluk Bahang, connecting the town with various destinations, such as Penang'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.Sungai Nibong and Balik Pulau. The '' Hop-On Hop-Off'' bus service, which utilises open-topped

double-decker bus A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and also in cities such as Sydney; the best-known example is the ...

es, caters mainly for tourists. It includes four stops within Teluk Bahang – the Tropical Spice Garden,

Penang National Park The Penang National Park ( Malay: ''Taman Negara Pulau Pinang''; تامن نݢارا ڤولاو ڤينڠ; Chinese: 槟城国家公园; ''Bīnchéng guójiā gōngyuán''; Tamil: பினாங்கு தேசியப் பூங்கா� ...

, Entopia Butterfly Farm and the Teluk Bahang Forest Eco Park.

Education

Teluk Bahang is served by two

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 Telok Bahang * SRJK (C) Eok Hua High school * SMK Teluk Bahang

Tourist attractions

Teluk Bahang is home to several tourist attractions, which include forest reserves,

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

sites and

theme parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

. *

The

, gazetted in 2003, spans of the northwestern tip of

and is the smallest national park in the world. It encompasses mangrove swamps and rainforest interspersed with hiking trails, as well as beaches such as Monkey Beach and Kerachut Beach. One of the hiking trails leads to the Muka Head Lighthouse, which is situated at the northwestern tip of the island. The forest reserve is home to over 600 species of flora and fauna. * Tropical Spice Garden

The Tropical Spice Garden was also opened in 2003 and is an secondary forest consisting of 500 species of floras and faunas. Local varieties of spices can be found within the garden, which includes a culinary school dedicated to the famed local cuisine. This spice repository was also featured in the reality television show ''

The Amazing Race 16 ''The Amazing Race 16'' is the sixteenth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world. The season premiered on CBS on Sunday, February 14, 2010, and th ...

''. * Tropical Fruit Farm The Tropical Fruit Farm, opened in 1993, contains about 250 types of locally-grown fruits. * Entopia Butterfly Farm Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm

Established in 1986 as the Penang Butterfly Farm, it was the first butterfly sanctuary in

. Following an upgrade in 2016, it was renamed as the Entopia Butterfly Farm. This butterfly sanctuary is home to about 13,000 butterflies from 120 different species, including the rare Indian Leafl (''Kallima paralekta''), the endangered Yellow Bird wing (''Troides helena'') and Rajah Brooke's Bird wing, as well as small reptiles. * Teluk Bahang Forest Eco Park

The Teluk Bahang Forest Eco Park, established in 1974, is a recreational area equipped with picnic and camping grounds, and encompasses a handful of waterfalls and a forestry museum. * ESCAPE Adventure Play cmglee Penang Escape adventure park

Opened on 8 November 2012, the ESCAPE Adventure Play is an eco-themed amusement park, where visitors can engage in challenging activities and games which include climbing and rope courses. * ESCAPE Water Play Launched in 2017 as the aquatic version of the ESCAPE Adventure Play, the ESCAPE Water Play consists of a variety of aquatic attractions and swimming pools, including the world's longest water slide.

Infrastructure

Completed in 1999, the Teluk Bahang Dam, the largest reservoir on

, is capable of storing 19.24 billion litres of water. It also holds the distinction of being the only dam in

to be built within a few kilometres from the sea. In addition, the dam functions as a sports venue, as the yearly Penang International Dragon Boat Festival is held within the dam. The

dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family ...

race, held every December, attracts dozens of local and international teams, such as from

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

, China and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

References

{{Authority control Southwest Penang Island District Towns in Penang