Setiu is one of the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith" ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. This district is bordered by

Besut Besut is a district in Terengganu, Malaysia. It is bordered by the state of Kelantan to the north and west and the South China Sea to the east. It is the northern gateway to Terengganu. Kampung Raja is the district capital, though Jerteh is mor ...

to the north,

Hulu Terengganu Hulu Terengganu (Upper Terengganu) is an interior district of Terengganu, Malaysia. The seat of the district is Kuala Berang, located about from the state capital, Kuala Terengganu. The local government of this district is Hulu Terengganu Distr ...

to the south, and on the east,

Kuala Nerus District Kuala Nerus is a district in Terengganu, Malaysia. It is the youngest district in the state, having been declared a separate district in 2014. Formerly it was part of Kuala Terengganu district (North Kuala Terengganu) but still governed by Kuala T ...

. Setiu is the second youngest and least populated district in Terengganu. Its capital is Bandar Permaisuri which also serves as its economic and commercial centre. Other towns are Chalok, Sungai Tong, Guntong and Penarik.

Etymology and history

The district of ''Setiu'' is believed to have taken its name from a ''Tok Setiu'', a

Bugis The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawesi ...

commander who escaped the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

conquest of the

Indonesian archipelago * See also: Names of Indonesia , location = Southeast Asia and Oceania , waterbody = * Indian Ocean * Pacific Ocean , total_islands = ± 17,000–18,000 islands , major_islands = , area_km2 = 8,300,000 , area_footnotes = , rank = , length ...

in the 19th century and immigrated to Terengganu. The Sultan allowed Tok Setiu and his followers to open a

kampong A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay and Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous people, and has also been used ...

in the plains located north of

Kuala Terengganu , image_seal = Seal of Kuala Terengganu City Council.png , image_flag = Flag of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.svg , image_skyline = , image_caption = From top, left to right:The Crystal Mosq ...

. Setiu, as a district, had existed as early as the 1920s, with a smaller territory than its present-day borders, during the early days of British protection over Terengganu. In 1923 it was annexed into the neighbouring

Besut District Besut is a district in Terengganu, Malaysia. It is bordered by the state of Kelantan to the north and west and the South China Sea to the east. It is the northern gateway to Terengganu. Kampung Raja is the district capital, though Jerteh is mor ...

until 1935, when it was made a separate district. That same year Setiu district was partitioned between Besut district and the state capital

. Setiu district with its present-day borders was reorganised in 1985, merging Mukim Merang, Mukim Hulu Nerus and Mukim Belara (portion) from Kuala Terengganu (now Kuala Nerus) and Mukim Caluk, Mukim Guntung, Mukim Pantai Tasik and Mukim Hulu Setiu from Besut.

Demographics

Majority of the inhabitants of Setiu are ethnic Malays, with remainder from the minority Chinese, Siamese and Indian communities. Most Malays in Setiu especially in the northern part speaks

Kelantan-Pattani Malay Kelantan-Pattani Malay (; ; in Pattani; in Kelantan) is an Austronesian language of the Malayic subfamily spoken in the Malaysian state of Kelantan and the neighbouring southernmost provinces of Thailand. It is the primary spoken language of ...

however those that live in southern Setiu speaks

Terengganu Malay Terengganu Malay ( ms, Bahasa Melayu Terengganu; Terengganu Malay: ) is a Malayic language spoken in the Malaysian state of Terengganu all the way southward to coastal Pahang and northeast Johor. It is the native language of Terengganu Malays a ...

Administrative divisions

Setiu is divided into 7 ''

mukim A mukim is a type of administrative division used in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The word ''mukim'' is a loanword in English. However, it was also originally a loanword in Malay from the Arabic word: (meaning ''resident''). The c ...

s'', which are: * Chaluk * Guntung * Hulu Nerus * Hulu Setiu * Merang * Pantai * Tasik

Tourist attractions

Among the places of interest in this district are Terengganu International Equestrian Park (TIEP),

Setiu Wetlands Setiu Wetland ( Malay: ''Tanah Bencah Setiu'' or ''Laguna Setiu'') is a wetland in Setiu District, Terengganu, Malaysia. It is part of the Setiu River basin, and also of the larger Setiu-Chalok-Bari-Merang basin wetland complex. With the size of 23 ...

, Lata Payung, Lata Changkah, Mount Tebu, Rhu Sepuluh Beach, and Terrapuri CUltural Village.

Federal Parliament and State Assembly Seats

List of LMS district representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat)

List of LMS district representatives in the State Legislative Assembly of

References

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