Kulai District | |
|---|---|
| Daerah Kulai | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Interactive map of Kulai District | |
  Kulai District Location ofKulai District in Malaysia | |
| Coordinates:1°38′51″N103°37′28″E / 1.6476098°N 103.6245690°E /1.6476098; 103.6245690 | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| State |  Johor |
| Seat | Kulai |
| Local area government(s) | Kulai Municipal Council |
| Government | |
| • District officer | Haji Mohd Khir Johari bin Salleh |
| Area | |
• Total | 753.75 km2 (291.02 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
• Total | 329,497 |
| • Density | 437.14/km2 (1,132.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+8 (Not observed) |
| Postcode | 81xxx |
| Calling code | +6-07 |
| Vehicle registration plates | J |
TheKulai District is adistrict in the state ofJohor, Malaysia. Its district capital isKulai Town. It coversKulai Town,Ayer Bemban,Bandar Putra Kulai,Bukit Batu,Indahpura,Bandar Baru Kangkar Pulai,Kelapa Sawit,Saleng,Sedenak,Seelong,Senai, and Sengkang. Kulai is also withinIskandar Malaysia economic zone.
The district was formerly a part of thePulai Valley, which coveredMukim Pulai and the current subdistrict. The name Kulai 龟来 (pinyin:Guīlái), which meansturtles are coming, was a Chinese mispronounciation of Pulai.Chinese Hakka peoples led by a man named Huang Guo Mao emigrated to Johor fromQing China during the late 19th century and opened a settlement in the area, and had renamed the place after the influx of turtles coming to the area after heavy flooding.[3]
Kulai is one of three landlocked districts of Johor (the other two beingKluang andSegamat) with an area of 753.75 km2 (291.02 sq mi), which is slightly smaller than the size of Singapore, asovereign country situated approximately 12 km (7.5 miles) to the south of the district.[4] It has a population of 223,306 at the 2010 Census (provisional result). It has a mix of urban and rural settlements with a majority of the population settling in towns near Johor Bahru. These population centers, such as Kulai and Senai effectively became suburbs of the greater metropolitan area in Kulai district.
The earliest settlement in Kulai is located at Sayong River, now at Bandar Tenggara, which have existed since theSrivijayan era. TheOrang Asli settlement at the upstream of Sayong River was the hometown to theMalay Singaporean folklore heroBadang. Badang was theHulubalang during the reign ofSri Rana Wikrama of theKingdom of Singapura, a city kingdom prior to the establishment ofSultanate of Malacca. This suggest that the settlement in Sungai Sayong should have been established no later than the 12th century.[5]
In 1548, after the demise of lastSultan of Melaka in exile,Mahmud Shah, his princeAlauddin Shah moved his capital fromKampar, Sumatra to Sayong and established the new Kota Sayong Pinang. Kota Sayong was the first capital ofSultanate of Johor on the peninsular mainland. The Sultan later moved the capital city to Kota Batu at the mouth ofJohor River.
The modern district of Kulai was a former sub-district ofJohor Bahru. The subdistrict was upgraded to the full district status on 1 January 2008 as District ofKulaijaya.[6] The district is recognised as the state's 9th district.[7] On 28 August 2015, Sultan of JohorSultan Ibrahim Ismail ibni Sultan Iskandar decreed to revert Kulaijaya's name back to its original name.[8][9]
The local authorities of Kulai areKulai Municipal Council andIskandar Puteri City Council, the part of southern Kulai, etc.:Kangkar Pulai.Kulai Town also the administry centre of Kulai District and Kulai Municipal Council.
Kulai District is divided into 4mukims:[10]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 245,294 | — |
| 2020 | 329,497 | +34.3% |
| Figures before 2008 is included underJohor Bahru District. Source:[11] | ||
Malay made up 55% of the total population in Kulai. This is followed byMalaysian Chinese (33.7%) andMalaysian Indian (10.7%).[12]
List of Kulai district representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat)
| Parliament | Seat Name | Member of Parliament | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| P158 | Tebrau | Jimmy Puah Wee Tse | Pakatan Harapan (PKR) |
| P162 | Iskandar Puteri | Liew Chin Tong | Pakatan Harapan (DAP) |
| P163 | Kulai | Teo Nie Ching | Pakatan Harapan (DAP) |
List of Kulai district representatives in the State Legislative Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri)
| Parliament | State | Seat Name | State Assemblyman | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P158 | N41 | Puteri Wangsa | Amira Aisya | MUDA |
| P162 | N49 | Kota Iskandar | Pandak Ahmad | Barisan Nasional (UMNO) |
| P163 | N50 | Bukit Permai | Mohd Jafni Md Shukor | Barisan Nasional (UMNO) |
| P163 | N51 | Bukit Batu | Arthur Chiong Sen Sern | Pakatan Harapan (PKR) |
| P163 | N52 | Senai | Wong Bor Yang | Pakatan Harapan (DAP) |
The main economy activities in the district are information and communication technology, biotechnology and logistics.[13]
Skudai Highway orFederal route 1 is the most important inner link in Kulai District, with many access along the road such asSenai Airport Highway 16,Skudai–Pontian Highway 5,Jalan Kulai-Kota Tinggi 94, Diamond Interchange (access to Bandar Putra, Indahpura and proposed new NSE exit), proposedKulai Inner Ring Road. The government proposed to open a new road, Kulai-Senai Bypass, to resolve the traffic jam problem of theSkudai Highway.
Kulai was an important stopover on the Johor Bahru-Kuala Lumpur trunk road in the 1970s and 1980s until theNorth–South Expressway (NSE) E2 opened in 1994, which bypassed the town. Senai North Interchange (NSE)253 is the connection to Singapore (from the east to the west).NSE is also one of the access points to theMount Pulai nature reserve.Senai Airport, the international airport which serves Johor is within the municipality.
TheSecond Link Expressway E3 is also an access to connect toIskandar Puteri, Singapore (Tuas). TheSenai–Desaru Expressway (SDE)
Senai–Desaru Expressway connectsSenai andDesaru more quickly.
The district also has one railway station run by theMalayan Railway (KTM) inKulai Town.
The district houses theSenai International Airport which is located inSenai. The airport has flights to as far asChina,Saudi Arabia, andIndonesia.[14]
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