INTRODUCTION 1.1 The term development and its varied meanings and criteria of measurement According to Van Nieuwenhinjze (1969): He thought, "Development is like a variable that is a complex term that has different meanings and is not consistent,..." (Rahimah Abdul Aziz, 2001, p. 34) According to Brandt, the "Short term development is not possible and can not be explained to the satisfaction of mankind." (Rahimah Abdul Aziz, 2001, p.34). development was renovated again after World War

1.2 The term region and its typology and justifications for the state as a region Development is a process of change from less advanced stages to more advanced stage either in terms of human thought and or physical or environmental aspects The development concept:- Efficiency fair distribution of wealth Sustainable empowerment of citizens

1.3 State level variations in development in Malaysia and incorporation of regional development planning as a strategy to remove regional imbalances in Malaysia Strategy development in Malaysia has undergone various changes in accordance with development time and date National Development Plan was started in 1957 the development phase:- New Economic Policy (DEB). First Rural Transformation Second Rural Transformation

2.0 THE STATE AND ITS RESOURCE ENDOWMENT Figure 1 Location of Regions in Peninsular Malaysia Source: Malaysia 1981, Fourth Malaysia Plan 2.1 Geographic extent and neighborhood

Cont… State Kedah or also known as Kedah Darul Aman one of 14 states that make up the Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) located in the north of Peninsular Malaysia and has an area of 9,425 km2 Bordered:- Songkhla and Yala (international borders ) Perak (south) Penang (southwest) Perlis (north)

2.2 Brief historical introduction of the state history of the state can be seen through the invention of writing Sanskrit during the period Sanskrit writings that mentioned Kedah as Kataha or Kadara and writing Tamil mentioned Kedah as Kadaram or Kalagam which means the pan is large and black Kedah position located at the entrance of the Straits of Malacca and guided Mount Jerai China and India has made it an important role as a center for exchange of goods (entrepot) at that time.

2.3 Abiotic and biotic resources – Land, water and minerals; forest, livestock, fisheries etc. Kedah is a leading agricultural state in the country considered "Rice Bowl of Malaysia" which covers one third of the total rice production in Malaysia Other agricultural products include rubber, palm oil and tobacco farming and fishing can be carried out in the state but only on a small scale. Tourism- Pulau Langkawi Recently Kedah economy:- automotive and aerospace industries

3.0 HUMAN RESOURCE Since more than five decades, the population composition has changed both in terms of birth rate, raising the age and gender structure, mortality and migration the formation of a more modest size of the family and the smaller the acquired communities especially in urban areas Improved living standards of people especially in the field of education

3.1 Population – Number, distribution and growth Total Population by Region and areas in Kedah

Studies made by the Department of Statistics showed the number of people in the country had a total of 2,046,300 people in is comprised of 12 districts in the state had to. Each region has a different number of population distribution

3.2 Population – Composition (Ethnic)

3.3 Population – Composition (Gender) Population of Kedah by Gender, 2010 – 2013

According to the State Statistics 2013 (EPU) increase in population is evenly among men and women between 2010 and 2013 The number is increase year by year It was causes by several factor

4.0 HUMAN SETTLEMENTS 4.1 Rural – Villages and new settlement areas Development of Kedah Darul Aman as a state in northern Malay Peninsula occur rapidly pattern of trade based on based on agriculture, especially rice the supply of labor in this sector is increasing The opening plains Kedah attract labor forces many of the Malay world around like Thailand, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perak

4.2 Urban – town, cities and metropolitan areas In Kedah, the area must be emphasized is like Alor Setar and Sungai Petani Sungai Petani is the largest industrial city and housing in Kedah and has a population of more than 400,000 people Alor Setar is the state capital, a royal city and the administrative center of the state and has a population of more than 360,000 people Residents of rural migration to the cities to seek better job opportunities in various sectors and they settled in the area around the city and eventually they also develop the area into the city as an industrial center of Kulim The agglomeration process also causes the area of change in the total population

4.3 Hierarchy of urban settlements Here are the five major cities in Kedah:- Sungai Petani is the largest industrial city and housing in Sindh and has a population of 456, 605 people. AlorSetar is the state capital, a royal city and the administrative center of the state and has a population of 366, 787 people. Kulim is an industrial city and has a population of 287, 694 people. Jitra and Changlun is a city of education and also between the border and has a population of 220, 740 people. Langkawi is an international tourist city and has a population of 94, 777 people.

5.0 ECONOMY 5.1 Primary Sector (Agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining) Kedah economic activity began to grow in terms of trade. the total land area in Kedah is working on 928,933 hectares 474,79 th9 51% was used for agriculture The main plant in Kedah, including rice, oil palm, a plant variety, fruits, sugar cane and tobacco.

5.2 Secondary sector (Manufacturing) Industrial was founded by encouraging foreign investors to build a network of industry Kedah For example in the Gurun, there have Modenas plant, Petronas Fertilizer, Naza Car Assembly Plant and Perwaja Steel Industrial areas totaling 1,600 acres have been created in Kulim, Sungai Petani, Bakar Arang, Jitra, Kuala Ketil, Alor Star dan Bukit Kayu Hitam. More than 460 factories are in operation that produce food products, electrical and electronic products, plastic products and rubber and textiles

5.3 Tertiary sector (services including tourism) Tourism is a booming sector Langkawi Island has been known as an international tourist destination product such as Langkawi Cable Car, Underwater World, Pulau Payar Marine Park, Telaga Harbour Park, golf courses and shopping malls of international standards. Tourists can enjoy the natural beauty Merbok River, Sedim River Tree Top Walk, Ulu Legong Hot Spring Lake or Pedu Lake and Muda. products based on history and heritage

6.0 INFRASTRUCTURE 6.1 Motorways, highways, railways, airports and ports An important role in the process of forming the axis of growth is transportation. Especially transport nodes or network terminal such as : roads, railways, ports, bus stations and so on. Examples of roads constructed under the State program of 341 road projects to be carried out involve the construction of a road along the 1507km and 97 departments with project cost is estimated at RM million.

6.2Power supply - Electricity Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has been Keeping the Lights On in Malaysia ever since it was set up as the Central Electricity Board in TNB’s core businesses are in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. There are three main objectives of the National Energy Policy : 1. supply 2. to promote energy efficiency and reducing waste 3. Environment.

6.3 Water Supply Domestic water supply had to be dealt with by Syarikat Air Darul Aman Sdn. BHD (SADA). SADA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kedah Darul Aman and is the successor company to the Department of Water Supply Kedah was incorporated on January 1, SADA also been able to provide clean water to people in Kedah with cheaper rates compared to other states.

7.0 REGIONAL AFFILIATION AND SUB-REGIONS 7.1 State as a part of Growth Triangle Definitions Growth Triangle refers to the collaboration of some or sub advancement of a country neighboring regions in ASEAN. It refers to economic cooperation a number of certain ASEAN countries to help each other and complement each other. Growth Triangle that were IMT-GT (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Thai GrowthTriangle).

7.2 State as a component part of larger development corridor Northern Corridor Economic Region or the Northern Corridor Economic Region (ECER) is the region's economic and social development in Malaysia involving the states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak. first introduced in Malaysia Plan 9 ( ) in January 2007 to refer to the Northern Corridor Economic Region (ECER). The Northern Corridor officially opened on July 30, 2007 by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Northern Corridor Economic Region (ECER) requires an investment of RM177 billion in the period

The Ninth Malaysia Plan (RMK-9), would make NCER as an area for national economic development in a balanced and equitable.

7.3 Sub-regions within the state based on economic development Economy and culture, the Kedah State considered "rice bowl" of Malaysia as accounting for one third of the total rice production in Malaysia. Other agricultural products, including rubber, palm oil and tobacco are also important. In terms of tourism, especially on the island of Langkawi is increasingly important because most of the country more revenue through tourism in Langkawi. Kulim Hi-Tech Park (KHTP) was officially opened as a high- tech industrial park in Malaysia. The park consists of a total land area of about 145 square kilometers (5.6 km ²). Many local companies and foreign companies, such as Intel, Fuji Electric.

continue To achieve a developed country, all of states should developed such as Kedah. One of the main objectives of the 10MP is to increase per capita income of Malaysians by transforming the structure of the economy and increasing its competitiveness given the rapidly changing competitive landscape of the global economy. To increase the per capita income to over US$12,000 in 2015, the 10MP plans to achieve a 6 per cent per year GDP growth target. To achieve this, the 10MP will revolve around 10 great ideas.

SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS OF THE STATE

Factors of imbalance development in Malaysia are physical factors such as terrain itself. Next is the distribution of natural resources is not balanced. The third factor is the impact of colonization. In addition, the different levels of industrial development in Malaysia also a factor make Malaysia become imbalance. Other factors such as lack of budget is allocated, the people themselves and social factors such as level of education and local infrastructure facilities.

Therefore, the government optimistically planned and carried out several measures to solve this regional imbalance. Among them is the development of the region and the Northern Corridor Economic Region. This short term development plan (NCER), several projects will be launched in order to balance the development in each country including Kedah. According to ‘Utusan Online’ news on July 17, four new projects will be implemented in the territory of the Northern Corridor involving the investment of RM1.96 billion and will create 3,650 jobs in Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang and Perak.

any development to be carried out will give positive and negative impact.

Conclusion In conclusion, Kedah is a town developed from various aspects, particularly in terms of the economy. In addition, Kedah is also a strategic tourism like a Langkawi. This has further enhanced the economic sector in Kedah.