Alor Setar

The name came from the combination of two Malay words: Alor ("small stream") and Setar (Bouea macrophylla Griff.; known as the marian plum, gandaria, or plum mango), a tree that is related to the mango. The city's name was changed to Alor Star during a 21 December 2003 ceremony proclaiming it a city. The city's previous name was restored on 15 January 2009.

Alor Setar was established on 30 December 1735 by Kedah's 19th Ruler, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II and was the state's eighth administrative centre since the establishment of the Kedah Sultanate in 1136. The earlier administrative centres were located in Kota Bukit Meriam, Kota Sungai Emas, Kota Siputeh, Kota Naga, Kota Sena, Kota Indera Kayangan and Kota Bukit Pinang. The pre-existing settlement was originally a small village. However, the sultan found the area to be in a strategic location. He was drawn to the area, as it was covered in lush greenery and was noted as the center at which the two estuaries of the Kedah River converged. Upon the agreement with several Kedahan nobles, they agreed to institute a new town known as "Kota Setar" (the "Town of Setar"). The name was derived from Bouea macrophylla, a type of tree that can be found in the area. …

Alor Setar is located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia, at the edge of the Malacca Strait which separates Malaysia from Indonesia. The Kota Setar district includes Alor Setar, and borders the districts of Kubang Pasu, Pokok Sena and Pendang. The city encompasses an area of 666 km2 (257 mi2), including the neighbouring district of Pokok Sena which falls under the jurisdiction of the Alor Setar City Council. Alor Setar is surrounded by important river systems such as the Kedah, Langgar, Tajar, Anak Bukit, Alor Malai and Alor Merah Rivers. Alor Setar's Hausberg is a 217.9m (715 feet) high mogote, Mount Keriang (Gunung Keriang), where there is a network of limestone caves located within it, as well as housing geodes of calcite crystals. Alor Setar features a tropical monsoon climate (Am) under the Köppen climate classification. ← Alor Setar has a very lengthy wet season. …

Alor Setar is one of the important commercial and industrial centres in Kedah, alongside Sungai Petani and Kulim. There are many international and national-level commercial banks established their branches in the city, together with a few insurance companies. Agricultural industry, especially rice production was traditionally the economic core of the community. However, by the 21st century the local economy is also equally driven by various forms of primary-based industry and tertiary sector. Other significant economic activities in Alor Setar includes manufacturing, commerce and retail, hospitality and tourism, financial services, food processing and fishery. The main industrial areas located in Alor Setar includes Mergong Barrage, Mergong 1 & 2, Tandop, Kristial Light Industrial Park and 2010 Industrial Park.

The capital of Kedah is well connected to all parts of Peninsular Malaysia by all transport modes. The North–South Expressway, which extends from Bukit Kayu Hitam (Malaysia–Thai border town) to Singapore, has made it easy to drive to Kedah. It is a 6–7-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur and a 1.5-hour drive from Penang via expressway. Songkhla province in Thailand is also about a 1-hour drive from Alor Setar via Padang Besar–Sadao Highway. Alor Setar is approached from the east coast via East–West Highway (Lebuhraya Timur Barat). Towns such as Butterworth and Kangar etc., can also be accessed from Alor Setar. Car rental services are available. Most of bus companies in Peninsular Malaysia provide air-conditioned express bus services. Tickets can be bought at bus terminals or ticket offices. All buses that arrive in Alor Setar stop at Shahab Perdana Terminal Bus. …

There is no well-known nor formal adjective or demonyms for the people from Alor Setar. A casual way to address a person from the city is "Orang Alor Setar"; the term derived from Malay where people is being referred to "Orang". The following is based on Department of Statistics Malaysia 2020 census. The city of Alor Setar recorded a population of 374,051, according to 2020 census data. The 2010 Malaysian census reported that ethnic Malays formed the majority of the city with 269,317 (72.0%), predominantly of Kedahan Malay origin, with smaller numbers of Malays from other territories. The Alor Setar-Chinese forming 83,413 (22.3%). The local Chinese community are mainly Hokkien-speaking together with other Chinese-dialect minorities. Other visible communities includes Indians (mostly Tamils) with 7,107 (1.9%) and other Bumiputeras with 374 (0. …