Tangkak

Tangkak
تڠكق
东甲
Tangkak; تڠكق; 东甲
Town
	Flag
Country	Malaysia
State	Johor
District	Tangkak
Township	1976
Area
• Total	381.2 km2 (147.18 sq mi)
Population (The estimate 2015)
• Total	52,014
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed
Postal code	84xxx
National calling code	+6-07, +6-06
License plate prefix	Jxx
Website	www.mdtangkak.gov.my

Tangkak (Chinese: 东甲) is the principal town and capital of Tangkak District in Johor, Malaysia. The town is nicknamed "Fabric Town" or "Syurga Kain" in honour of its many textile shops. It is also well known as being a major entry point to Gunung Ledang (Mount Ophir), which is the highest mountain in Johor. The mountain is clearly visible from any part of Tangkak.

History, Etymology and Infrastructure

Tangkak is located in the north-western corner of the state of Johore, bordering Malacca by the Kesang River and was formnerly the second largest town in the district of Muar.

Tangkak was founded in the year 1901 at the foot of Mt. Ophir (1276m high) and was under the direct control of Muar district then. In 1946, the local council was established and was governed by the Assistant District Officer who in turn reported to the Muar District Office in those days.

According to hearsay, the word Tangkak came from the Malay word merangkak, meaning to crawl. It was believed that Long Mahmud had led 7 brothers from the Riau Province (in Indonesia) to start the first settlement that is today Tangkak. These 7 brothers had sailed from Riau Province and sailing along the Kesang River before finally arriving at Tangkak River. They saw the flat terrain and decided to stay put at the place. Unfortunately they had difficulties getting up the river bank as their legs got stuck at the slippery river mud. They had to use the roots of trees to help them to get on land. When other settlers asked them the name of the place, they will answer tang merangkak tu. Over a period of time, it was shortened to Tangkak, the name of the settlement today.

Tangkak has an extensive network of roads including proximity to the North-South Expressway and a police organization that would soon be upgraded as a Police District Headquarters. The town is served by the Tangkak District Hospital which offers assistance to many highway mishaps and numerous primary health centres. Tangkak District Hospital also serves as a teaching hospital for Melaka Manipal Medical College.

Developments

The sub-districts of Muar and Tangkak has separated and Tangkak has been upgraded to a full-fledged district since 2006, but it would be renamed as the Ledang district after the Gunung Ledang nearby. Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the Ledang district covers Tangkak town, Tanjung Agas, Kesang, Sungai Mati, Serom, Sagil and Bukit Gambir.

Transportation

Car

The PLUS Expressway North–South Expressway Southern Route has an exit to Tangkak. Federal highway FT 23 links Tangkak to Muar in the south and Segamat in the north.

Politics

Tangkak has its own constituency in the Johor State Legislative Assembly. The seat is currently held by Ee Chin Li of the DAP.^[2]

At the national level, Tangkak is under the parliamentary constituency of Ledang, currently held by Datuk Ir. Haji Hamim bin Samuri of Barisan Nasional, the federal ruling coalition.^[3]

Food

Tangkak is known for its beef noodles and chicken rice. Other common local dishes are:

Asam pedas
'Chi Kut' Noodles, a Chinese dry noodle served with char siew (roosted pork) which is a signature hawker dish in Tangkak
Chik Kut Teh, chicken version of Bak Kut Teh (a Chinese pork dish)
Mee Bandung
Nasi lemak
Red source noodles
Roti canai
Sate nazar
Soto Pak Ali
Nasi lemak ayam rempah (Kedai Makan & Minum MN)

References

^ [1]
^ "Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Johor". DAPMalaysia.org. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
^ "Ahli Parlimen". Portal Rasmi Parlimen Malaysia. Retrieved 11 January 2016.