Tanah Merah, Malaysia

This article is about the town in Malaysia. For the Singapore residential area, see Tanah Merah, Singapore.

Tanah Merah
District of Malaysia
Flag
Country	Malaysia
State	Kelantan Darul Naim
Seat	Town Tanah Merah
Government
• District officer	Ley The Great
Area
• Total	880 km2 (340 sq mi)
Population (2009)
• Total	13,000
• Density	15/km2 (38/sq mi)

Tanah Merah (meaning Red Land or Laterite) is a territory (jajahan) and town in the state of Kelantan in northeast Malaysia.The capital and main town is Bandar Tanah Merah where is situated nearby Sungai Kelantan.It is bordered by Pasir Mas in the north, Machang to the East, Kuala Krai to the South East, Jeli to the South West and Thailand in the West.

Historically it used to be a capital of a kingdom called Chi Tu. Chinese Sui Dynasty annals of the 7th century describe an advanced kingdom called Chi Tu ("Red Earth") in the area now called Kelantan. The ancient name for Kelantan was "Raktamrittika", meaning "Red Earth" — this was later changed to "Sri Wijaya Mala".

Education

See Also: List of schools in Malaysia

Several types of school can be found in Tanah Merah. Among the schools in Tanah Merah are

• Maahad Ahmadi,Padang Siam, 17500 Tanah Merah (Sekolah agama yang perlukan bantuan)
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Alor Pasir, 17500 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Batu Gajah, 17510 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Belimbing, Jln. Tanah Merah-Pasir Mas, 17500 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato' Mahmud Paduka Raja (1), 17500 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Ipoh, 17500 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kemahang, W/P Felda Kemahang, 17500 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Ladang Kerilla, Peti Surat 39, 17507 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tanah Merah (1), 17500 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tanah Merah (2)(SEMETAM2), 17500 Tanah Merah
• Kolej Vokasional Tanah Merah, Km.3, Jln. Tanah Merah-Machang, 17500 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Bunga, 17500 Tanah Merah
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato Mahmud Paduka Raja (2), 17500 Tanah Merah

Demographics

Total population in 2009 was about 130,000, the majority being Malays, with small numbers of Chinese, Indian and immigrants from neighbouring Thailand.

Most of the population be distributed among various villages (or "kampung" in Malay) and suburb areas, while only a small proportion is located in the town.

Tanah Merah used to be a small town, but has seen major changes in last decade when the younger generation started to migrate to the cities in the Malaysian west coast for higher paying jobs. Money sent back to their families has catalysed growth, expansion and development of the town.

Tourist attractions include the availability of a variety of foods, and cultural attractions. For those who want cheap and local products, they can go to Bukit Bunga. There be a variety choices of clothes, house equipment and food, and customers can negotiate prices when shopping. Last but not least, completed your visit by walking through Pasar Besar Tanah Merah for unforgettable moment.

Ranking Population Jajahan Tanah Merah.

Rank	Daerah/Mukim	Population 2000
1	Kusial(Tanah Merah)	46,737
2	Jedok	27,474
3	Ulu Kusial	27,298

Geography

The landscape of Tanah Merah is greatly influenced by the Kelantan River (Malay: Sungai Kelantan) which supplies much needed water to its agricultural plantations. Mt. Kemahang (876 m or 2,874 ft) and Mt. Kusial (723 m or 2,372 ft) are both located in the western part of Tanah Merah.

Shopping

• Aneka
• Jaya Gading
• Pantai Timor Shopping Centre
• Salamku
• Tesco (proposed)
• Merah Mall (upcoming projects)