Alor Star
| Alor Setar | |||
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| City and State Capital | |||
| Other transcription(s) | |||
| • Jawi | الور ستار | ||
| • Chinese | 亚罗士打 | ||
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| Motto: Bandaraya Warisan Dalam Taman | |||
 Alor Setar
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| Coordinates: 6°7′N 100°22′E / 6.117°N 100.367°E | |||
| Country | Malaysia | ||
| State | Kedah | ||
| District | Kota Setar | ||
| Establishment | 1735 | ||
| Granted municipality status | 1 February 1978 | ||
| Granted city status | 21 December 2003 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Mohd Zohdi Saad | ||
| Area | |||
| • City and State Capital | 160 km2 (60 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 7 m (23 ft) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • City and State Capital | 405,523 | ||
| • Density | 1,358.55/km2 (3,518.6/sq mi) | ||
| • Metro | 600,000 | ||
| • Demonym | Alor Setarian | ||
| Time zone | MST (UTC+8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC) | ||
| Postal code | 05xxx | ||
| International dialling code prefix | +6047 (landline only) | ||
| Website | www |
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Alor Setar (Jawi: الور ستار), formerly known as Alor Star from 2004–2008, is a city and the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia; which is the second largest city in the state after Sungai Petani, Kedah (taking over the position in 2010); important cities in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the longest expressway, located 400 km from Kuala Lumpur. The city is home to the Central State Administration Centre and is the administrative centre of Kota Setar District.
Alor Setar is unique for Malaysia because the government sector and schools in 'tip of Malaysia' city here operate from Sunday to Thursday every week, which is different from neighbouring states.
Its location along the main travel route from Malaysia to Thailand has long made it a major transportation hub in the northern Malay Peninsula. At present, the city covers a land area of 666 square kilometres, which is occupied by more than 300,000 inhabitants (as per the 2010 census). At the local government level, Alor Setar is administered by the Alor Setar City Council.
The city is served by the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport, which began operations in 2006. The airport is not served by any commercial international flights; however, during the Haj season, there are special flights available for Muslim pilgrims journeying to Saudi Arabia to perform the Haj. The city is connected to other parts of Peninsular Malaysia by the North-South Expressway, the Shahab Perdana Bus Station and the Alor Setar railway station. The city's Kuala Kedah Jetty is served by ferries linking the city with the popular resort island of Langkawi.
Alor Setar is the birthplace of two Prime Ministers, YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first Prime Minister, and Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister.
The name came from the combination of two Malay words: Alor ("small stream") and Setar (Bouea macrophylla Griff.; known as the marian plum, gandaria, or plum mango), a tree which is related to mango.
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