Butterworth Bagan | |
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| Etymology:William John Butterworth | |
 Interactive map of Butterworth | |
.svg)  Butterworth | |
| Coordinates:5°23′39″N100°21′59″E / 5.39417°N 100.36639°E /5.39417; 100.36639 | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Penang |
| City | _Logo.png){kind=logo} Seberang Perai |
| District | North Seberang Perai |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.6 km2 (5.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 80,378 |
| • Density | 5,510/km2 (14,300/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic groups |
|
| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed |
| Postal code | 120xx to 134xx |
Butterworth is thecity centre ofSeberang Perai in theMalaysian state ofPenang. It lies about 3 km (1.9 mi) east ofGeorge Town, the capital city of Penang, across thePenang Strait.[2] As of 2020[update], Butterworth had a total population of 80,378 residents.[3]
Butterworth was named afterWilliam John Butterworth, a formerGovernor of the Straits Settlements during the mid-19th century. Under theBritish Raj, the town came into being as a transportation hub, due to its proximity to George Town. While theBritish East India Company initially obtained Seberang Perai (then namedProvince Wellesley) for agricultural purposes, Butterworth has also witnessed massive industrialisation during the latter half of the 20th century.[4][5] In 1974, thePort of Penang was relocated into the town.[6]
Across-strait ferry service provides a direct link between Butterworth and George Town. The Port of Penang handled 1.52 millionTEUs of cargo as of 2017[update], making it one of the busiest seaports in Malaysia.[7] In addition, theButterworth railway station, situated adjacent to the town'sferry terminal, is a majorMalayan Railway station, with train services operated by both the Malayan Railway and theState Railway of Thailand.
The town of Butterworth was named afterWilliam John Butterworth, who was theGovernor of the Straits Settlements from 1843 to 1855.[8]
| Historical Affiliations | Period |
|---|---|
 British East India Company | 1831–1857 |
 British Raj | 1857–1867 |
 Straits Settlements | 1831–1941; 1945–1946 |
 Empire of Japan | 1941–1945 |
 Malayan Union | 1946–1948 |
 Federation of Malaya | 1948–1963 |
 Malaysia | 1963–Present |
A fishing village named Bagan had existed prior to the acquisition of the area by theBritish East India Company.[9] The town of Butterworth only came into being in theBritish Raj and was concurrently named after the thenGovernor of the Straits Settlements,William John Butterworth.[8][9]
Butterworth was developed as a mainland counterpart to the bustlingentrepôt ofGeorge Town onPenang Island, directly across thePenang Strait.[9] During theBritish Raj, Butterworth grew into a major transportation hub. Passengers and goods were transported across the strait bysampans, and in 1894, the first cross-strait ferry service between Butterworth and George Town was introduced.[10] By 1900, a nascent railway line running the length ofBritish Malaya was extended to Butterworth.[11][12] These developments allowed tin to be transported more efficiently to Butterworth, which functioned as a transit point whereby the tin would then be shipped to George Town for smelting and export.[13]
As with the rest ofPenang, Butterworth was occupied by theJapanese between December 1941 and September 1945. During the early days of theJapanese invasion of Malaya, theRoyal Air Force and theRoyal Australian Air Force units stationed atRAF Butterworth struggled to counter Japanese air raids overPenang and took heavy casualties. These Allied units had to withdraw southwards by 15 December, while RAF Butterworth was seized by theImperial Japanese 25th Army on 20 December.[14]
AfterMalaya's independence in 1957, as part of an effort to advocate import substitution industries in the 1960s, theAlliance-ledPenang state government, led by the thenChief MinisterWong Pow Nee, developedMak Mandin as the first industrial estate inPenang.[15] The Mak Mandin Industrial Estate was founded in 1961.[16] In 1974, the Port of Penang was relocated fromGeorge Town to Butterworth, substantially boosting the town's economy.[6]
The Butterworth Town Council had been established in 1953.[17] However, the town council was amalgamated with the Seberang Perai North Rural District Council in 1962. The local governments inSeberang Perai were eventually merged and upgraded into theSeberang Perai Municipal Council in 1976.
Towards the end of the 20th century, Butterworth underwent a period of decline. The town suffered significantly due to administrative decentralisation.[13][17] TheNorth Seberang Perai District Office, along with the district's police headquarters and a government-run hospital, was moved out of the town.[17] By the time of the relocation of the Seberang Perai Municipal Council from Butterworth toBukit Mertajam in 2006, the town's infrastructure had deteriorated extensively. In 1988,the passenger platform of the town's ferry terminal collapsed, costing 32 lives, while in 2001, a fire destroyed a three-storey bus station near the ferry terminal.
In recent years, more efforts have been undertaken to revive the town's fortunes. At present, the ongoing infrastructure projects within Butterworth includePenang Sentral, which is mooted as the main transportation hub within the State of Penang, and by extension, northern Malaysia. Plans to rejuvenate parts of the town centre through the promotion of arts and culture have also been implemented through public-private partnerships.[6][18]
Butterworth lies at the southernmost tip of theNorth Seberang Perai District, between thePerai River to the south and thePenang Strait to the west. The Perai River forms a natural boundary between Butterworth and the neighbouring suburb ofPerai, with the latter situated on the southern banks of the river. Both areas are connected via thePrai River Bridge, which spans the width of the Perai River. Butterworth spans an area of 14.6 km2 (5.6 sq mi), and includes neighbourhoods such asBagan Ajam,Bagan Dalam,Bagan Jermal andBagan Luar.[19][20]
| Ethnicities / Nationality | Percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 51.6% | |||
| Malays | 24.1% | |||
| Other Bumiputeras | 0.3% | |||
| Indians | 14.1% | |||
| Others | 0.5% | |||
| Non-Malaysians | 9.5% | |||
As of 2020[update], Butterworth was home to a population of 80,378, resulting in a population density of 5,505/km2 (14,260/sq mi).[1]Ethnic Chinese constituted more than half of the city centre's population, whileMalays formed another 24%.Indians also comprised over 14% of the population, followed by non-citizens at nearly 10%.
The economy of Butterworth is primarily driven by its industries and the maritime trade at thePort of Penang. The Mak Mandin Industrial Estate forms the heart of Butterworth's manufacturing sector and is home to a number of major local firms, including Federal Oats Mills, Fujikura Federal Cables and Zenman Industries.[21][22][23] In addition, Butterworth has active steel and tin industries.[24] The former includes steel fabrication, and smaller businesses dealing with automotive parts and scrap metal.[25] The town's tin industry players include Malaysia Smelting Corporation, the world's second largest supplier of tin and a subsidiary of theSingapore-listedStraits Trading Company.[26]
Meanwhile, the Port of Penang is the third busiest seaport in Malaysia, handling 1.52 millionTEUs of container in 2017.[7] The Port's strategic location enabled it to service not just northern Malaysia, but also southernThailand.
Butterworth is the main transportation hub within theState of Penang, due to its location by thePenang Strait and its close proximity toGeorge Town onPenang Island.
In 1974, thePort of Penang moved its cargo and container operations fromGeorge Town onPenang Island to Butterworth.[6] Currently the most important harbour within northern Malaysia, the Port of Penang now operates four facilities within Butterworth.[27]
Penang Ferry is a shuttle ferry service that links Butterworth with George Town. The oldest ferry service in Malaysia commenced operations in 1894, and to this day, serves as a convenient mode of transportation across thePenang Strait for the residents of Butterworth.[10] At present, six ferries ply the Penang Strait between theSultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal in Butterworth and George Town daily.[28]
TheButterworth railway station is one of the major stations along theMalayan Railway'swest coast route. As such, regular Malayan Railway services are available to other cities along westernPeninsular Malaysia, includingIpoh,Kuala Lumpur,Malacca andJohor Bahru, as well as on toWoodlands in northernSingapore. Aside from these, the Butterworth railway station is also the terminus of theState Railway of Thailand'sSouthern Line (viaPadang Besar) and theInternational Express fromBangkok. Notably, the train station is one of the main stops of theEastern and Oriental Express service between Bangkok and Singapore as well.
In recent years, thePenang Sentral project has been underway at a site adjacent to both the Butterworth railway station andSultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal. Mooted as the main transportation hub in theState of Penang and as Penang's answer toKuala Lumpur Sentral, Penang Sentral is intended to serve as a termini for both public bus and longer-distance intercity bus services.[29]
Public bus services are provided by two firms -Rapid Penang and Cityliner. Due to Butterworth's importance as a transportation hub, most of the Rapid Penang's routes originate and terminate within the town. Rapid Penang's bus routes 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 608, 701, 702, 703, 709 and 801 connect Butterworth with other towns withinSeberang Perai, includingPerai,Bukit Mertajam,Kepala Batas andNibong Tebal, whilst the company's Intercity routes link Butterworth withSungai Petani inKedah andParit Buntar inPerak.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42] Cityliner operates another six bus routes which link Butterworth with a handful of destinations in Seberang Perai, Kedah and Perak.[43]
Meanwhile, theButterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) was completed in 2005 in order to reduce traffic congestion along theNorth–South Expressway east of the town, as well as facilitating traffic dispersion within Butterworth itself. The BORR includes thePrai River Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge that links Butterworth andPerai to the south. Another major expressway within Butterworth is theButterworth–Kulim Expressway, an interstate highway that connects Butterworth withKulim in Kedah.
Butterworth contains a total of 20primary schools, ninehigh schools, a government-runvocational college and three private tertiary institutions.
Primary schools
High schools
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Vocational college
Private colleges
Butterworth is served by oneprivate hospital - the Bagan Specialist Centre. Established in 1988, the 150-bed hospital also contains nine operating theatres and offers, among others,orthopaedic andendocrinology treatments.[74][75]
The Tow Boo Kong Temple is aTaoist temple which is dedicated to the Taoist principal Deity,Doumu and the Nine Emperor Gods.[76][77] Built in stages between the 1970s and 2009, the temple at Jalan Raja Uda now serves as a focal point for the grand celebration ofNine Emperor Gods Festival, which occurs annually on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in theChinese calendar.[76]
TheSree Maha Mariamman Devasthanam Temple, atBagan Luar, is the oldest Hindu temple in Butterworth.[78] Founded in 1853, the temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity,Mariamman, a goddess of rain.[9] Urban legend has it that the temple was built when a statue of Mariamman was found by the seaside.[9]
As part of efforts to revive the fortunes of Butterworth, a number of alleys within the town centre have been decorated with wall murals, similar in style to the street art inGeorge Town.[18] In addition, the Butterworth Fringe Festival, inaugurated in 2015 as a spin-off to theGeorge Town Festival, is an annual arts festival held within the town centre every August.[6][79]
ARoyal Malaysian Air Force airfield -RMAF Butterworth - is located to the north of Butterworth proper. Completed by the British in 1941 just prior to theJapanese invasion of Malaya, the airfield served both theRoyal Air Force andRoyal Australian Air Force squadrons tasked with defending the airspace overPenang. However, the Japanese immediately gained air superiority, damaging the Butterworth airfield in the process. The station was then captured by theImperial Japanese 25th Army on 20 December 1941.[80]
During the post-war period, the Butterworth airfield was put to use by the Royal Air Force, and subsequently, the Royal Australian Air Force, to combat thecommunist threat in Malaya at the time. The Australian squadrons based in Butterworth also saw action during theIndonesian Confrontation in the 1960s.
In 1988, the Butterworth airfield was handed over to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Now renamed as RMAF Butterworth, the airfield housed the headquarters of the Integrated Area Defence System that covers bothMalaysia andSingapore under theFive Power Defence Arrangements.[81][82]
The following neighbourhoods are situated within Butterworth.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Places adjacent to Butterworth, Seberang Perai | ||||||||||||||||
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