Jewel of Kedah, Langkawi The Place of Islands, Malaysia.

Langkawi an island which falls within the district of Kedah (Malaysia) is surrounded by almost 100 small islands amongst which only four are inhabited. This place is known as the Jewel of Kedah which is a UNESCO Geopark. Langkawi Island consists of 479sqkm of tropical grounds and is nearby the Thai borders.  Malay is the origin of this place and almost 90% of people living here are Malay’s. This place has almost 62,000 inhabitants amongst which most of them live in the capital town, Kuah and others are scattered over a plenty of small villages, hotels, and resorts.

History

Earlier Langkawi was a place for mariners, seafarers, pirates, and fishermen to reside. Some people believed that this island was cursed for a couple of centuries. For pirates, Langkawi was a refuge or asylum which affected the northern part, Malacca Strait. By the middle of the 19th century,  the British recaptured this place from the rule of Siamese. In 1957, Malaya got its independence from the British rule. Until the late 90’s Langkawi was very underdeveloped and silent island. By 2010, the government made huge efforts and converted this place a famous and a major tourist attraction. By 2012, the annual tourist visitors of this place reached 3 million.

Cultural Identity

In Langwaki, 90% of the population residing here are Malays. Most of them speak Kedah Malay, while some speak Chinese and Siamese. Islam is practiced by most of the residents of Langkawi. The groups of other communities include Chinese, Indians, and Thais. Different religions are followed by different people at this place. Hinduism is followed by Indians, Buddhism by Chinese and Thai and Christianity by mostly Chinese people. The local people usually speak English. The local symbol here is the Hibiscus flower. This place has a culinary tradition of a combination of Chinese, Thai and Indian tradition. The Baju Melayu is the traditional male clothing and Baju Kurung is the female traditional clothing.

Natural Resources

Northern Malaysia has the state of Kedah in which this district lies. It is a cluster of 99 islands departed from mainland Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Langkawi lies 51km west from Kedah and has a land mass of about 47,848 hectares. Langkawi island is covered by forests, mountains and its natural vegetation. Here there is a lot of rainfall. The only dry season lies from December to February. The annual rainfall is more than 2400mm. Here the ecosystem comprises of tidal flats, beaches, estuaries, coral reefs, caves, limestone karsts, ancient rainforests, Palaeozoic-era rock formations, and an astounding level of geodiversity and biodiversity.

Local Guides and Tours

Mangrove Tour is a tour on a river where people can see the birds, monkeys, and eagles searching for food. The river has mangrove trees on both left and right sides. This tour is fun and enjoyable with lively experience.

Island Hopping Tours is a tour which takes people to several islands near Langkawi. The tour just costs around RM5-RM10 for four hours. The two main islands are Pregnant Maiden Island and Pulau Beras Basah.

Cable Car Ride and Hanging Bridge is an amazing an adventurous tour by which the beautiful islands and forests can be seen from the top. This tour costs around RM30.

Transportation 

By airways, direct flights from Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hat Yai, and Phuket are available to Langkawi. AirAsia, SilkAir, TigerAir, Firefly, KLIA  Malaysia airlines and Malindo Airlines are the available options to reach out to this place. Langkawi Ferry, Tropical Charters, and Telaga Harbor are the operators for traveling by ferry. There is no direct train to Langkawi, people need to take the buses to reach out this place from the nearest city’s railway station.

For traveling within Langkawi, the taxi’s are available here for traveling from one place to the other place. Here cars and bikes are also available for rent. People can hire motorbikes and cars for their transportation due to lack of public transport. Also for traveling to short distant areas, people can use and hire bicycles.

Transportation Cost

Flights from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi costs around RM150-Rm200 and flights from Singapore to Langkawi costs around RM200-RM250. To reach out Langkawi by ferry it usually costs around RM30-RM130 depending on the distance covered.

For traveling to this place by taxi it costs around RM30-RM50. The prices of these taxis are fixed. On hiring a car for traveling, the rent for a small car costs around RM50. For an air-conditioned mid-sized sedan the rent is RM70-RM150 per day. To hire a 150cc motorbike, the rent is around RM45-RM50. For people who wish to travel on a bicycle the rent for one day will cost around RM10-RM30.

Political Scenario

In Malaysia, the politics is based on the pattern of Federal Constitutional Monarchy, in Which the country is ruled by the king and the prime minister. There are 13 state governments here.  The head of this place Langkawi is Yang Di-Pertua i.e is the mayor of this place. The current Yang Di-Pertua is Sultan Muhammad V. The main purpose of the government in Langkawi is to promote the development of this place and promote tourism.

Economic Scenario

Langkawi is an agricultural based economy where there are vast rubber cultivation and fisheries. This island has beautiful ecological environment because of which it has become tourism-driven economy. The government of Langkawi take care and prevent the biological and environmental factors which can get exploited. The Northern Corridor Economic Region is a development program formed by the government of Malaysia to increase the economic growth of this place and the north peninsular region. The Northern Corridor Economic Region has the targeted the goal to reach MYR64.5 billion by 2020 from tourism expenditure. The world Geopark was the name given by UNESCO to Langkawi island.

Reasons to Select the Destination

Langkawi is an astonishing and impressive island. It is known as the Jewel of Kedah.  The archipelago of Langkawi was declared Southeast Asia’s first UNESCO World Geopark. Also, this place is known for is attractive and alluring sceneries.  The place has many beaches like Pantai Cenang, Pantai Tengah, Pantai Kok, etc. Here there is a lot of wildlife sightseeing for the wildlife lovers. People can spend an enjoyable and delightful time here. There are many cruises and marine restaurants to enjoy the cultural and traditional cuisine at Langkawi. There are many shopping malls and markets for shopping. This place is tax-free i.e duty-free. There are lots of things that are tax-free at Langkawi. The mangrove forests and rainforests, sandstone mountains and tidal flats, caves, and reefs, are some natural resources which exist in Langkawi in abundance. The people living here are very generous and kind. The alcohol here is relatively cheaper than any other place in Malaysia. Langkawi is one of the places where people can enjoy, have fun, relax, and spend a wonderful time with family and friends.