Mersing (Terengganu Malay: Merecing or Ngesing) is a town, mukim and the capital of Mersing District, Johor, Malaysia. The town is located at the southern end of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 70,894.[3]
Mersing
Merecing/Ngesing (Terengganu Malay) | |
|---|---|
Town and district capital | |
| Mersing Town Bandar Mersing | |
Mersing Bridge Mersing Harbour Centre Mersing monument Mersing Town Mosque | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Motto(s): Perkhidmatan Untuk Rakyat "Service For The People" (motto of Mersing District Council) | |
  Mersing Mersing in Johor  Mersing Mersing (Peninsular Malaysia)  Mersing Mersing (Malaysia) | |
| Coordinates: 2°26′N 103°50′E / 2.433°N 103.833°E | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Johor |
| District | Mersing |
| Government | |
| • Type | Local government |
| • Body | Mersing District Council |
| • President | Abdul Karim Bakar (since 16 October 2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 761.47 km2 (294.01 sq mi) |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 70,894 |
| • Density | 93.102/km2 (241.13/sq mi) |
| Postcode | 86800 |
| Vehicle registration | J |
| Website | www |
Mersing District Council Majlis Daerah Mersing | |
|---|---|
Emblem | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 26 May 1977 |
| Leadership | |
President | Abdul Karim Bakar (since 16 October 2025)[1] |
Secretary | Muhammad Lufti Abas[2] |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 24 |
Political groups | Councillors: |
Length of term | 1 April 2024–31 December 2025 |
| Motto | |
| Perkhidmatan Untuk Rakyat (Service for the People) | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| No. 1 Jalan Tun Dr. Ismail, 86800 Mersing, Johor Darul Takzim | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Mersing town is particularly significant for a number of reasons: it is one of only two major towns in the eastern half of Johor state (the other being Kota Tinggi); it lies on the main trunk road that connects southern as well as eastern Johor with the east coast of Pahang state including Pahang's capital Kuantan (part of Federal Route; and it is the main departure point for ferries to the nearby offshore islands such as Rawa Island of Sultan Iskandar Marine Park (Malay: Taman Laut Sultan Iskandar) and also Tioman Island, Pahang.
Government and politics
editMersing District Council (Malay: Majlis Daerah Mersing) is the local authority of the whole Mersing District including Mersing town. It was formed on 26 May 1977 through the merger of the Mersing Town Council (Malay: Majlis Bandaran Mersing) and the local councils (Malay: Majlis Tempatan) of Jemaluang, Endau, Kampung Hubong, Kampung Pengkalan Batu, Kampung Sri Pantai and Mersing Kecil.[5]
Departments
edit- Management Services (Khidmat Pengurusan)
- Finance (Kewangan)
- Public Health and Municipal Services (Kesihatan Awam dan Perkhidmatan Perbandaran)
- Valuation and Property Management (Penilaian dan Pengurusan Harta)
- Developmental Planning and Landscape (Perancang Pembangunan dan Landskap)
- Engineering (Kejuruteraan)
- Licensing and Enforcement (Pelesenan dan Penguatkuasaan)
Units
edit- Internal Audit (Audit Dalam)
- Law (Undang-undang)
- One Stop Centre (Pusat Sehenti)
- Public Communications (Perhubungan Awam)
Administrative areas (zones)
editAs of 2025, Mersing town is divided into 24 zones represented by 24 councillors to act as mediators between residents and the city council.[6] The councillors for the 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2025 session are as below:
| Zone | Councillor | Political affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Jemaluang Kiri | Ng See Sian | MCA |
| Jemaluang Kanan | Ngiau Wei Chen | MCA |
| Taman Sri Pantai | Rina Farhana Abdullah | UMNO |
| Taman Wawasan 1 | Mohd Haidil Yusof | UMNO |
| Taman Wawasan 2 | Nor Janah Jamaian | UMNO |
| Taman Sri Mersing | Abdul Razak Abd Majid | UMNO |
| Taman Sri Nakhoda | Md Hodari Abu Rahim | UMNO |
| Mersing Kechil | Krishnan Balasebaramaniam | MIC |
| Taman Mersing | Ayathura Arumugam | MIC |
| Taman Sri Daik | Mahmood Dolmat | UMNO |
| Town centre | Wong Kam Nam | MCA |
| Mersing Kanan | Mohd Rasul Kushairi Mohd Mustapha | UMNO |
| Taman Pantai Timur | Jamaliah Muhamed | UMNO |
| Taman Air Merah | Rufiah Shawal | UMNO |
| Sri Lalang | Mohd Salleh A Rahman | UMNO |
| Taman Intan | Azhar Zainal Abidin | UMNO |
| Islands | Sheikh Zulkifli Sheikh Abdul Rahim | UMNO |
| Endau | Eric Ng Khye Loon | MCA |
| Rumah Murah | Mohd Sofian Hussain | UMNO |
| Jalan Merlimau | Chew Yuh Ling | MCA |
| Desa Sri Endau | Kan Pei Ying | MCA |
| Taman Markisa | Tan Teck Kin | MCA |
| Taman Fajar | Goh Guo Yong | MCA |
| Taman Haji Ariffin | Azmi Mahmood | UMNO |
Climate
edit| Climate data for Mersing (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.3 (95.5) |
33.6 (92.5) |
34.8 (94.6) |
37.4 (99.3) |
38.2 (100.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.5 (97.7) |
35.7 (96.3) |
36.2 (97.2) |
34.8 (94.6) |
35.3 (95.5) |
38.2 (100.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.2 (84.6) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.2 (88.2) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.8 (91.0) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.8 (89.2) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.4 (84.9) |
31.3 (88.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.4 (79.5) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.6 (79.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.3 (75.7) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.7 (74.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 19.3 (66.7) |
19.9 (67.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.2 (70.2) |
20.2 (68.4) |
20.8 (69.4) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.0 (69.8) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.0 (69.8) |
19.3 (66.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 363.6 (14.31) |
130.4 (5.13) |
135.9 (5.35) |
111.4 (4.39) |
140.0 (5.51) |
138.2 (5.44) |
163.6 (6.44) |
168.4 (6.63) |
156.8 (6.17) |
191.6 (7.54) |
315.5 (12.42) |
532.9 (20.98) |
2,548.2 (100.32) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.9 | 6.3 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 11.8 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 12.9 | 18.7 | 18.6 | 146.6 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 169.6 | 200.4 | 229.8 | 211.5 | 222.8 | 200.6 | 199.1 | 193.7 | 175.7 | 175.8 | 142.5 | 129.0 | 2,250.5 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA[8] | |||||||||||||
Culture
edit
The Malays of Mersing are unique compared to the rest of Johor is that many of them are of Terengganu ancestry, this are proven by the Keropok Lekor industries which is popular in the town and many still speak Terengganu Malay along with the Johor dialect of Malay.
The Chinese community in Mersing mainly belongs to the Cantonese dialect group and speak Cantonese, however, many locals, especially business owners have no issue conversing in Mandarin.
Transportation
edit
Car
editBeing located along Federal Route 3, Mersing is relatively accessible for a town its size. Northward this highway goes to Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu and Kota Bharu before terminating at Rantau Panjang at the border with Thailand. Southwards highway 3 goes to Jemaluang and Kota Tinggi and terminates at Johor Bahru, the state capital. Jalan Felda Nitar connects Felda Nitar, Kluang, Ayer Hitam and Batu Pahat, also connects to North–South Expressway Southern Route via Ayer Hitam Interchange to Kuala Lumpur.
Bus
editMersing Bus and Taxi Terminal (Malay: Terminal Bas dan Teksi Bandar Mersing) on Jalan Tepian Sungai is served by various companies including Transnasional and Causeway Link. Long-distance services are offered to most major cities in peninsular Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Malacca, as well as local buses to towns and cities around Johor state.[9]
Water
editMersing port in the mouth of Mersing River is also the main port for ferries to Tioman Island and the more than 40 other islands in the Seribuat Archipelago.
References
edit- ^ "President Profile". mdmersing.gov.my.
- ^ "Directory". mdmersing.gov.my.
- ^ Helders, Stefan. "Johor (State, Malaysia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". World Gazetteer. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ^ Said, Halim (10 September 2017). "Sultan of Johor launches Mersing Harbour Centre". nst.com.my. New Straits Times. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "Background". mdmersing.gov.my.
- ^ "Councillor list". mdmersing.gov.my.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Mersing Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Bas - Express Bus Schedule". mdmersing.gov.my. Majlis Daerah Mersing. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
