Kepala Batas, Seberang Perai

For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat, see Kepala Batas (federal constituency).

For the suburb of Alor Setar, see Kepala Batas, Kedah.

Kepala Batas
Suburb of Seberang Perai and district capital
Other transcription(s)
• Mandarin	甲抛峇底
• Tamil	கெப்பாலா பத்தாஸ்
Kepala Batas Location within    Seberang Perai in    Penang
Coordinates: 5°31′0″N 100°25′0″E
Country	Malaysia
State	Penang
City	Seberang Perai
District	North Seberang Perai
Government
• Local government	Seberang Perai City Council
• Mayor of Seberang Perai	Hj Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid
Area
• Total	0.2 km^2 (0.08 sq mi)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	361
• Density	1,800/km^2 (4,700/sq mi)
Demographics [1]
• Ethnic groups	36.3% Chinese 35.7% Bumiputera 35.7% Malay 27.7% Indian 0.3% Non-citizens
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed
Postal code	13200
Area code(s)	+6045

Kepala Batas (UK: /ˌkəpɑːlɑː bɑːtɑːs/, Malay: [kəpala batas]) is a suburb of Seberang Perai and the seat of the Northern Seberang Perai District in the Malaysian state of Penang. It lies about 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Butterworth and 15km (9.3 mi) southwest of Sungai Petani.

Etymology

Kepala Batas means "front end of the paddy field" in Malay; Kepala is the top or front end of something, and Batas is the earthern dykes bordering a paddy field.[2][3]^[additional citation(s) needed]

Dykes in a Malaysian paddy field.

Kepala Batas is mostly a muddy region, where paddy cultivation became a major agricultural activity for its residents.[4] The abundance of paddy fields in the area thus gave rise to the place's name.^[citation needed]

Geography

200m
220yds

  

Map of Kepala Batas.
Click link at the top right corner to zoom in.

Demographics

Ethnicities within Kepala Batas in 2020[1]
Ethnicities / Nationality			Percentage
Chinese			36.3%
Malays			35.7%
Indians			27.7%
Non-Malaysians			0.3%

As of 2020^[update], Kepala Batas had a population of 361.[1] Chinese and Malays each formed about 36% of the population, followed by Indians at 27%.

In popular culture

• A British plantation bungalow in Kepala Batas, the Bertam House, was featured in A House Of its Time, a documentary series created by Freestate Productions and broadcast by Mediacorp.[5][6]

Notable people

• Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi, 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia (31 October 2003 – 3 April 2009).[7]
• Abdul Rahman Abbas, 7th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of the state of Penang, Malaysia (2001–2021).[8]
• Nor Mohamed Yakcop, former Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Minister of Finance II.
• Reezal Merican bin Naina Merican, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (29 July 2015 - 9 May 2018), Minister of Youth and Sports (10 March 2020 - 16 August 2021), Minister of Housing and Local Government (30 August 2021 - 24 November 2022), Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the seat of Kepala Batas (2013-2022) in the state of Penang and Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly for the seat of Bertam (since 2023).

References

1. "MyCensus 2020: Mukim/Town/Pekan". Department of Statistics Malaysia. Putrajaya: 174–175. February 2024. ISBN 9789672537069.
2. "Kepala - Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu". Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
3. "Batas - Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu". Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
4. Low, James (1836). A Dissertation on the Soil & Agriculture of the British Settlement of Penang, Or Prince of Wales Island, in the Straits of Malacca: Including Province Wellesley on the Malayan Peninsula. With Brief References to the Settlements of Singapore & Malacca, and Accompanied by Incidental Observations on Various Subjects of Local Interest in These Straits. Singapore Free Press. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024.
5. "A House of Its Time". meWATCH (Video). Mediacorp. 2 January 2016. Ep 7 MALAYSIA: Plantation Bungalows. Archived from the original (MOV IMX30) on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
6. "A House Of Its Time". National Archives of Singapore. Mediacorp. 10 January 2016. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
7. "Pak Lah is Prime Minister". The Star. 1 Nov 2003. Archived from the original on 5 Aug 2019. Retrieved 12 Apr 2024.
8. Kaur, Balvin (29 Apr 2017). "Penang Governor Abdul Rahman sworn in for seventh term". NST Online. Archived from the original on 12 Apr 2024. Retrieved 12 Apr 2024.

5°31′12″N 100°25′48″E