Gelugor | |
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Suburb ofGeorge Town | |
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.svg)  Gelugor | |
| Coordinates:5°22′7.91″N100°18′22.29″E / 5.3688639°N 100.3061917°E /5.3688639; 100.3061917 | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Penang |
| City |  George Town |
| District | Northeast |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.9 km2 (1.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 18,662 |
| • Density | 6,400/km2 (17,000/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic groups |
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| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed |
| Postal code | 11700 |
Gelugor[a] is a suburb ofGeorge Town in theMalaysian state ofPenang. Named after a plant species, Gelugor lies along the eastern seaboard ofPenang Island, betweenJelutong andSungai Dua, and nearly 5 km (3.1 mi) south of thecity centre.
Gelugor had been populated as early as the late 18th century by Malay fishermen who arrived fromSumatra.[2] The area was then cleared for agricultural plantations by David Brown, a partner of CaptainFrancis Light.
Urbanisation of the area began in earnest in the 1960s, when residential estates were established within the area. Gelugor gradually turned into a suburb, helped by its strategic location right in between the city centre andBayan Lepas to the south. In 1969,Universiti Sains Malaysia was founded at Gelugor and is now one of the top Malaysian public universities.
Gelugor was named afterGarcinia atroviridis, known inMalay asasam gelugor.[3] Widely endemic in theMalay Peninsula, this species is especially cultivated onPenang Island for its medicinal properties.
Gelugor was one of the first areas of Penang Island to be inhabited. Fishermen had moved into the area fromSumatra in the 18th century, predating CaptainFrancis Light's founding of Penang Island in 1786.[2] They settled around the mouth of the Gelugor River (Malay:Sungai Gelugor) and Bukit Gelugor.
Soon after Light came ashore in what is now thecity centre in 1786, his Scottish partner, David Brown, cleared the jungles around Gelugor to make way for agricultural purposes, including spice and coconut plantations.[4] Brown also brought in labourers fromIndia to work in the estates. He eventually became the largest landowner on the island in the early 19th century.
Up until the end ofWorld War II, Gelugor remained a rural area. Prior to the war, theBritish Army converted one of David Brown's houses into the Glugor Barracks, to be renamed later as Minden Barracks.[4] The army camp was occupied by theImperial Japanese Army during the war. It was again put in use during theMalayan Emergency and theIndonesian Confrontation, before being closed for good in 1971 following the withdrawal of allBritish armed forces fromSoutheast Asia.
The development of residential estates at Gelugor began in the 1960s, originally to house civil servants. Also in the 1960s, a proposal to establish Penang's first university was mooted. Eventually, the Penang University (Malay:Universiti Pulau Pinang) was founded in 1969, before being relocated to the former Minden Barracks in 1971. The university has since been renamedUniversiti Sains Malaysia, now one of the foremost public universities inMalaysia.
| Ethnicities within Gelugor in 2020[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicities / Nationality | Percentage | |||
| Malays | 47.2% | |||
| Other Bumiputeras | 1.5% | |||
| Chinese | 33.1% | |||
| Indians | 12.9% | |||
| Others | 0.5% | |||
| Non-Malaysians | 4.8% | |||
As of 2020[update], Gelugor was home to a population of 18,662, resulting in a population density of 6,435/km2 (16,670/sq mi).[1]Malays formed 47% of the suburb's population, followed byChinese at 33% andIndians at nearly 13%.
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Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah serves as the main thoroughfare within Gelugor.[5] In recent years, much of the pan-island and incoming traffic from the Penang Bridge have been diverted to theTun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway that runs along the suburb's periphery. Construction of the 6 km (3.7 mi) longAyer Itam–Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway Bypass, part of thePenang Transport Master Plan, is ongoing and expected to be completed by 2025.[6] The bypass was designed to relieve congestion on the expressway by providing an alternative route through the suburb toPaya Terubong.[7]
Rapid Penang routes 11, 13, 102, 206, 301, 302, 303, 304 and 401 serve the residents of the suburb, by connecting Gelugor with the city centre and other destinations such as thePenang International Airport,Ayer Itam,Tanjung Bungah andBalik Pulau.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
In addition, a cycling lane has been installed along the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway as part of the move to encourage cycling as a form of alternative transportation.[17] This 12.5 km (7.8 miles)-long cycling lane extends from the city centre towardsQueensbay Mall, south of the Penang Bridge.
A total of twoprimary schools and ahigh school are located within Gelugor. These national schools are listed as follows.
Primary schools
High school
Gelugor is home to one of the top Malaysian public universities,Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). It was ranked fifth within Malaysia by theQS World University Rankings as of 2016[update].[21]USM is also the only university inMalaysia to be accorded APEX University status by theMalaysian federal government and one of the handfulautonomous universities nationwide.[22][23]
Places adjacent to Gelugor | |
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Capital:George Town | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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