Pontian District

Pontian 笨珍
District of Malaysia
Flag
Location of Pontian笨珍
Country	Malaysia
State	Johor
Seat	Pontian Kechil
Area
• Total	907 km2 (350 sq mi)
Population (2007)
• Total	54,922
• Density	61/km2 (160/sq mi)
MAS	82000
MAS	07
Vehicle registration	Jxx

Pontian Kechil is a town and district headquarters of Pontian, Johor.

Pontian is a district in southwest Johor, Malaysia. The name Pontian is also used in the names of two towns in the district, Pontian Besar and Pontian Kechil, of which the latter serves as its district capital. The capital was formerly a fishing village which has developed into a small town.

Pontian is noted for its variety of seafood which is sold at a reasonable price. Visitors from neighbouring towns and Singapore regularly visit Kukup, a fishing village about 20 km from Pontian Kechil. Notable national parks in Pontian include Tanjung Piai.

Pontian Kechil is situated 1.5 hours (via bus) from Johor Bahru (Capital of Johor State) via Jalan Johor. Other notable towns in Pontian include Ayer Baloi and Benut, north of Pontian Kechil. To the south and east of Pontian Kechil respectively are the towns of Teluk Kerang and Pekan Nanas.

Especially along coastal areas, Pontian is populated by Malays of Bugis and Javanese descent. The Chinese community in Pontian predominantly belongs to the Fujian (Hokkien) dialect group.

This town is also site as the observatory to look for the crescent moon to mark the beginning of Muslim month of Ramadhan, Shawwal, and Zulhijjah, to celebrate fasting month of Ramadhan, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Aidiladha.

Pontian Kechil is subdivided into few area namely:

1. Jalan Kukup - South of Main Traffic Junction heading to Kukup.
2. Jalan Bakek - North of Main Traffic Junction until Sg Pontian Kechil Bridge.
3. Jalan Alsagoff - North of Sg Pontian Kechil Bridge until Sg Pontian Besar Bridge.
4. Jalan Johor/Batu 36 - East of Main Traffic Junction heading to Johor Bahru.
5. Jalan Parit Mesjid - East of Old Police Station Junction. Another Highly Populated Area.

History

The name of Pontian transformed from a Malay word "Perhentian" which means a stop. Previously Pontian was a stop for both merchants and pirates. Pontian was also the landing point for Indonesian navy during Konfrontasi Malaysia-Indonesia during the 1960s.

Places of interest

Seaside places

• Old Pontian seaside near Padang. A must-see photography spot for couples from the 1950s-2000s. Includes a rest-house, a helipad, children's playground and a newly-built royal park.
• Perdagangan Pontian Seaside. A land reclamation area which creates Pontian Business Centre, New Bus Station and longer sealine for Pontian. Here you can have tea and mamak food by the sea.
• Rambah Seaside; A renovated seaside located at Rambah Village. It is a wonderful seaside for couples to stargaze and enjoy at night.
• Telok Kerang seaside; Very nice seaside with a sandy beach.
• Pulau Pisang; An island with a lighthouse famous for its Kuini Fruit.
• Pasar Awam Pontian (Public Market); Famous for its fresh-from-the-sea products and vegetables. Their Pontian Black Pomfret are a must buy.
• Pineapple Plantation - Hundreds of acres of pineapples located at Ayer Baloi, Pekan Nanas and Parit Sikom. Has an endless view of pineapples. A nice place for photography. Pontian was once the largest exporter of pineapples in the world.
• Tanjung Piai

Entertainment

• Show box Karaoke - A new karaoke outlet, the first family karaoke in Pontian.

Landmarks

• Lian Hua Theater
• Emporium
• Parkson Ria
• Nilai
• Old Pasar now transformed to Billion Building

Education

Secondary schools

• Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Pontian
• SMK Dato' Penggawa Barat
• SMK Sri Perhentian
• SMK Dato' Ali Haji Ahmad
• SMK Ayer Baloi
• SMK Benut
• SMK Telok Kerang
• SMK Sri Kukup
• SMK Kayu Ara Pasong
• SMK Pekan Nenas
• SMK Dato' Mohd Yunos Sulaiman
• Sek Men Agama Maahad Pontian
• SMK Tan Sri Osman Mohd Sa'at
• SMK Parit Betak
• Pei Chun High School (Independent Chinese High School)
• SMK Sri Tanjung
• SMK Sri Bandar

Primary schools

• SK Parit Sulaiman
• SK Parit Rambai
• SK Seri Bunian
• SK Seri Sinaran Chokoh
• SK Sungai Boh
• SK Api-Api
• SK Telok Kerang
• SK Rambah
• SK Rimba Terjun
• SK Sungai Durian
• SK Andek Mori
• SK Serkat
• SK Pekan Nanas
• SJK (C) Gau San
• SJK (C) Chien Hwa, Kampung Jawa
• SJK (C) Chi Chih, Ayer Baloi
• SK Tengku Mahmood Iskandar I & II
• SJK (C) Pei Hwa, Telok Kerang
• SK Bandar Pontian
• SJK (C) Pei Chun 1&2
• SJK (C) Tah Tong
• SK Sungai Bunyi
• SJK (C) Yu Ming 1 & 2, Pekan Nanas
• SK Parit Sapran
• SK Kayu Ara Pasong
• SK Seri Al - Ulum
• SJK (C) Cheow Min
• SK Pulai Sebatang
• SK Parit Kudus
• SK Sri Kembar
• SK Parit Markom
• SJK(C) Siu Woon
• SK penerok
• SJK(T) Parit Ibrahim
• SK Seri Pulai

External links

• Official government website
• Kata-kata Aluan
• Pontian Community Portal