Malacca Island (Malay: Pulau Melaka) is a man-made islet approximately 0.5 km off the coast of Malacca City – the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca, just south of its business district of Taman Melaka Raya. It is formed from the reclamation of land around two islets named Jawa Island (Malay: Pulau Jawa, not to be confused with Indonesia's Java Island) in the mid-1990s, when the Malacca State Government under then Chief Minister, Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik was planning to turn it into a "Malacca Manhattan" for business and recreational purposes.[1][2]
Native name: Pulau Melaka | |
|---|---|
 Malacca Straits Mosque and apartments on Malacca Island seen from the nearby pier on the mainland | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Strait of Malacca |
| Coordinates | 2°10′46.98″N 102°15′3.82″E / 2.1797167°N 102.2510611°E |
| Area | 1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| State |  Malacca |
| District | Melaka Tengah |
| Mukim | Malacca City Centre |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| Postal code | 75000 |
History
editThe original islet was also known as Pulo Malaca or Ilha Das Naos (Portuguese for 'Islands of the Ships') during the Portuguese era and Fort Rood Eiland (Dutch for 'Red Fort Island') during the Dutch era.
It was part of the RM 2 million "Twin Island City Centre" waterfront project undertaken by Pulau Kembar Sdn Bhd (formerly Inno Enhance Sdn Bhd), a defunct joint-venture of Larut Consolidated Berhad and Talam Corporation Berhad, which involved the reclamation of two islands measuring 40ha and 50ha respectively and launched in May 1996 by then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. This project was planned to comprise mixed residential and commercial development together with leisure-cum-tourism amenities such as marine theme park, marina, hotels and waterfront activities.[3][4] It was the first artificial island project and the only twin-island development project in the country. The reclamation of the first island and a 300m bridge linking to the mainland had been completed so far, but the second island was never built, with the project experienced numerous completion delays since construction began.[5][6]
Following the subsequent abandonment of its twin-island project by the original developer in the late-1990s due to Asian Financial Crisis,[7] KAJ Development Sdn Bhd intervened and revived the project under the name of Melaka Gateway in 2014. The revived project was planned to have four artificial islands with additional port and industrial zone facilities, including one planned island and this island under the original developer and one adjacent natural island – Panjang Island (Malay: Pulau Panjang).[8] However, due to a series of obstacles, the project was scaled down to only this island alone with a cruise terminal.[9]
Education
editJT International School Melaka is the only school on Melaka Island. Its site was formerly an animal theme park called Wildlife Theatre Melaka. This school offers Cambridge curriculum from pre-school level until year 11.[10][11]
Tourist attractions
edit| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Malacca Straits Mosque | A mosque built on top of columns above the water, with a lighthouse-like minaret, located on the southern shore of the island. |
Cancelled development projects
edit| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Arab City Melaka (Phase 1) | Arab-themed commercial development project currently on hold, with the first of three phases built on the island, but abandoned halfway through construction. |
| Eye on Malaysia | Planned ferris wheel project, but never built. |
See also
editReferences
edit
- ^ Malacca offers more areas for reclamation
- ^ Malacca must rethink approach to preservation of historical buildings
- ^ Pulau Melaka project logs sales of RM150m
- ^ RM2b project a catalyst for Malacca
- ^ Housebuyers to meet Pulau Berkembar developer over completion delay
- ^ Abandoned housing and commercial projects: Call on the Prime Minister to solve the problem before his retirement
- ^ Kate Mayberry (2 December 2016). "Land reclamation in Malaysia puts environment, endangered turtle at risk". news.mongabay.com.
- ^ Melaka Gateway 2018 Archived Website
- ^ Tham Siew Yean (15 February 2024). "The Return of Melaka Gateway: Scaled-down Ambitions". fulcrum.sg.
- ^ "JT International School Melaka website".
- ^ "Wildlife Theatre Melaka Website". Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
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