Sungai Pinang is a residential

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...

along the Pinang River within the city of George Town in

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Ma ...

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 ...

. The

, bounded by the river to the north and Jalan Sungai Pinang to the south, is also geographically part of the Jelutong suburb. The neighbourhood includes a number of Malay and Indian villages, some of which have a history dating back to the 18th century.

Etymology

The neighbourhood of Sungai Pinang was named after the Pinang River, which, in turn, is named after the ''Pinang'' palm, scientifically known as ''

areca catechu ''Areca catechu'' is a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is believed to have originated in the Philippines, but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in sou ...

''.Simon Gardner, Pindar Sidisunthorn and Lai Ee May, 2011. ''Heritage Trees of Penang'', p. 206. Penang: Areca Books.

History

The Malay and Indian villages along the Pinang River date back to the 18th century, possibly predating Captain

Francis Light Captain Francis Light ( – 21 October 1794) was a British explorer and the founder of the British colony of Penang (in modern-day Malaysia) and its capital city of George Town in 1786. Light and his lifelong partner, Martina Rozells, were t ...

's arrival on

Penang Island Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...

in 1786. Sumatran traders had arrived at the river's estuary in the 1780s and established settlements like Kampung Rawa and Kampung Makam. Ethnic

Tamils The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Dravi ...

also settled along the river; whilst some professed their Muslim faith, others retained their Hindu beliefs and built a handful of

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hi ...

s along the river bank. The existence of Muslim and Hindu places of worship located adjacent to one another had in the past provoked racial and religious tensions. In 1998, a minor religious clash broke out over the relocation of a Hindu temple at Kampung Rawa. What had begun as an altercation over the relatively trivial issue of the noise levels of the Hindu prayer bells turned deadly, leaving four fatalities. Almost 200 rioters were arrested in response to the incident. Among the more recent issues affecting this neighbourhood are the pollution of the Pinang River and perennial flash floods, as the neighbourhood sits on low-lying land adjacent to the river. Efforts have been made by the Penang state government to clean up the Pinang River and alleviate the flash floods, including the use of technology and river dredging works.

Transportation

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (styled as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand in the State of Penang, Malaysia. Formed as a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia in 2007, to date it is the main public transport operator within Penang; its bus network serves comm ...

buses 12, 301, 302, 303 and 401 serve the neighbourhood, by connecting it with George Town to the north and other destinations within the southern side of

, including Bukit Jambul,

Bayan Baru Bayan Baru is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, adjacent to the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. The township was created in the 1970s following the establishment of the zone. ...

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island. Founded in the 19th century, Bayan Lepas has various industries. History Bayan Le ...

Batu Maung Batu Maung is a residential neighbourhood in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island, and adjacent to the town of Bayan Lepas and the Penang Internationa ...

and

Balik Pulau Balik Pulau is a town within the jurisdiction of Penang Island City Council in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at the southwest of Penang Island, it is also the administrative seat of the Southwest Penang Island District. The agricultu ...

Education

There is one Tamil-medium

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

and a Japanese international school within the Sungai Pinang neighbourhood. Primary school * SRJK (T) Jalan Sungai International school * Penang Japanese School

References

{{Penang Neighbourhoods in George Town, Penang