Gertak Sanggul is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

. It is located at the southwestern coast of

Penang Island Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainla ...

, about southwest of the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

. Gertak Sanggul is an agricultural village, with

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farm ...

and

pig farming Pig farming, pork farming, pig production or hog farming is the raising and breeding of domestic pigs as livestock, and is a branch of animal husbandry. Pigs are farmed principally for food (e.g. pork: bacon, ham, gammon (meat), gammon) and l ...

as its economic mainstays.

Etymology

According to urban legend, Gertak Sanggul was named during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when

was under Japanese occupation. The Malay ladies in the area, who typically tied their hair into

buns A bun is a type of bread that is round and small enough that it can generally be eaten hand-held. Whether a bun is considered sweetened or unsweetened differs between countries: it is considered sweetened in the United Kingdom, a savory bread in ...

( Malay: ''sanggul''), would ride their bicycles along the area's uneven roads, causing their buns to come undone. The Japanese administrators on

henceforth referred to the area as Gertak Sanggul.

Geography

Demographics

, the subdivision of Bukit Pasir Panjang, where Gertak Sanggul is located, was home to a population of 1,444. Ethnic Chinese comprised over 54% of the population, followed by Malays at 43%.

Transportation

The main thoroughfare within Gertak Sanggul is Jalan Gertak Sanggul, which forms part of the pan-island Federal Route 6. The road links the town with

Balik Pulau Balik Pulau is a suburb of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Located southwest of the city centre, it lies near the southwestern corner of Penang Island and is also the administrative seat of the island's Southwest district. ...

to the north and Teluk Kumbar to the east.

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (stylised as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand operating within the George Town Conurbation in Malaysia. Established in 2007 as a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia, it serves as the main public transport system within the sta ...

bus route 308 is the sole

public bus Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications o ...

service that runs into Gertak Sanggul, connecting the town with a handful of destinations along the eastern seaboard of

, including

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located near the southeastern tip of Penang Island, south of the city centre, it is home to the Penang International Airport, the third busiest airport in Malaysia, as we ...

Bayan Baru Bayan Baru is a neighbourhood of George Town, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. Located south of the Central George Town, Penang, city centre, it lies within the suburb of Bayan Lepa ...

, Queensbay Mall,

Universiti Sains Malaysia Universiti Sains Malaysia ( 'University of Science Malaysia'; abbreviated as USM) is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is the oldest institute of higher learning ...

and Sungai Nibong.

Education

Gertak Sanggul is served by a single

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, SJK (C) Poi Eng.

References

{{Penang Southwest Penang Island District Towns in Penang