Kluang District 居鑾 (Chinese) குலுவாங் (Tamil) |
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District of Malaysia | |||
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Coordinates: 2°2′1″N 103°19′10″E / 2.03361°N 103.31944°ECoordinates: 2°2′1″N 103°19′10″E / 2.03361°N 103.31944°E | |||
Country | Malaysia | ||
State | Johor | ||
Establishment | 1915 | ||
Municipal Council Status | 8 May 2001 | ||
Seat | Kluang | ||
Government | |||
• District officer | Tuan Haji Muhamad Fuad Bin Haji Radzuan | ||
• Member of Parliament | Liew Chin Tong (DAP) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 2,851.8 km2 (1,101.1 sq mi) | ||
Population (2010) | |||
• Total | 298,332 (25th) | ||
Time zone | MST (UTC+8) | ||
• Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC+8) | ||
Postcode | 86xxx | ||
Calling code | +6-07 | ||
Vehicle registration | Jxx | ||
Website | www.mpkluang.gov.my |
The Kluang District (simplified Chinese: 居銮; traditional Chinese: 居鑾) is a district in Johor, Malaysia. Kluang district is one of two landlocked districts in Johor, the other being Segamat. Kluang was founded in 1915 as the administrative capital of Johor by the British. It is located in the centre of the state and is within 90 minutes of all major urban areas of Johor. Kluang, combined with Batu Pahat, encompasses central Johor with a market catchment of over 700,000. Over the 20th century, Kluang's economy transitioned from rubber to palm oil and now has some of Malaysia's largest organic farms. The industrial sector has also grown significantly with multinational investment and a critical mass of tile manufacturers enabling the district to be called the 'tile capital of Malaysia'. The organic farming sector has also boosted Kluang as an ecotourism destination with key farms such as Zenxin, UK Agro and Kahang Organic Rice Farm.
The name Kluang derives from the Malay word 'keluang' which means a type of flying fox or rather a type of fruit bat, used to be plentiful in the district decades ago. They have almost completely disappeared due to the combination of hunting and destruction of their natural habitat (deforestation).
Kluang was founded in 1915 as the administrative capital for central Johor by the British. The main railway line linking north to south Malaya was built passing through Kluang and this helped in its growth. Roads were built to link Kluang to Johor Bahru towards the south, to Batu Pahat towards the north-west and to Mersing towards the east. Kluang is divided into two local councils namely Simpang Renggam District Council (Malay: Majlis Daerah Simpang Renggam) based at the town of Simpang Renggam and Kluang Municipal Council (Malay: Majlis Perbandaran Kluang) based at the town of Kluang which is also the district capital.