Ayer Keroh

Ayer Keroh (also written as Air Keroh, translated as murky water) is a town situated in Melaka Tengah District, Malacca, Malaysia. Formerly part of a virgin forest with a quiet village, it was established by the state government in the late 1960s as a satellite town of Malacca City (then Malacca Town) with housing, industrial and recreational areas, to solve the housing issues of Malacca Town and to curb the state's brain drain phenomenon.

This town is the seat of the state government since 2006, being the home of the state secretariat building complex – Seri Negeri complex. It is also home to the country's oldest artificial lake, originally built as a water reservoir during the British colonial era. In 2010, Ayer Keroh along with few neighbouring towns of Batu Berendam, Bemban and Durian Tunggal formed the Hang Tuah Jaya municipality.

Economy

Ayer Keroh houses two main industrial areas: the Ayer Keroh Industrial Area (State-owned), which includes the Mamee Double-Decker headquarters and manufacturing plant and Taman Tasik Utama Industrial Area (Private).

Education

Politics

Public health

Sports and recreation

Tourist attractions

The town is a major tourist spot of the state, apart from the old Malacca City, due to its recent hosting of various interesting attractions. List of tourist attractions here are:
* Aborigines Museum - A museum which showcases the native people relics found in the country.
* Ayer Keroh Overhead Bridge Restaurant () - A bridge restaurant built over the North–South expressway. Tenants include A&W Restaurants, KFC and Malay cuisine stalls.
* Ayer Keroh Gateway Arch () - A landmark arch located on Lebuh Ayer Keroh to mark the district border of Melaka Tengah and Alor Gajah. Three towers on both sides of the arch represent the three major races in Malaysia: Malay, Chinese and Indian.
* Garden of Thousand Flowers () - A park under the management of Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council, it was officiated by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on 30 June 2007 and spans over an area of 5.3 hectares. This park is located just next to the Seri Negeri Complex.
* Malacca Bee Gallery - A bee gallery which showcases around 250 type specimens of bee hives and hornet nests.
* Malacca Bird Park - The largest bird park in Asia, with a total area of 2.02 hectares.
* Malacca Botanical Garden - This garden was established in April 1984 as Ayer Keroh Recreational Forest, and got its present name on 1 June 2006.
* Malacca Craft Complex () - A One-Stop Craft Centre in operation since October 2013. It has an in-house Craft Gallery that brings together various local craft products from all over Malaysia.
* Malacca Zoo - A 54-acre (22 ha) zoological park located beside Lebuh Ayer Keroh, which hosts more than 1200 animals of 215 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals. It is the second-largest zoo in Malaysia behind the National Zoo of Malaysia, both were established in 1963.
* Melaka Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary - A 11-hectare wide private zoo which mainly exhibits butterflies and reptiles, but also hosts other animal species such as amphibians, birds, fishes and insects.
* Melaka Crocodile Farm - The largest crocodile farm in Malaysia, with an area of 3.5 hectares. Though mainly exhibits crocodiles, it also hosts other reptile species such as snakes, tortoise, turtles and terrapins, and animal species such as birds and mammals.
* Melaka International Trade Centre - A meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions (MICE) convention centre which includes a 13,090 square metres wide exhibition hall. It was officially launched in June 2003 by Mohammad Ali bin Rustam, the former Chief Minister of Malacca.
* Melaka Planetarium - The second planetarium in the state after the Al-Khawarizmi Astronomy Complex in Masjid Tanah.
* Melaka Wonderland - A 9.2 hectare water theme park and resort which featured 16 attractions, it was constructed with a cost of RM80 million and was opened to the public on 15 May 2010.
* Prison Product Gallery () - A prison products gallery that displays and sells handicraft products crafted by prisoners from all over Malaysia. It is located at the Ministry of Home Affairs' complex.
* Malaysia Heritage Studios - A cultural theme park which is divided into two sections: the Mini Malaysia section, which the traditional houses from every state in Malaysia and the Mini ASEAN section, which showcases the traditional houses from every member countries of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Transportation

The Ayer Keroh toll is the main entry point into Malacca state using the North South Expressway. This makes it easily accessible from any part of Peninsular Malaysia. The town is about 2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur and one hour from Seremban. Ayer Keroh is also about 3 hours drive from Singapore. Lebuh Ayer Keroh (Federal Route 143), the town's main dual-carriageway highway, connects state capital Malacca City to the North–South Expressway via Ayer Keroh Interchange.

Gallery

File:Ayer Keroh Highway.JPG, Ayer Keroh Highway
File:Taman Tasik Utama Industrial Area.JPG, Taman Tasik Utama Industrial Area

References

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Melaka Tengah District