Jurong facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jurong
From top left to right: Flats along Jurong East, Chinese Garden and Jurong Lake, The Malaysia–Singapore Second Link as viewed from Tuas, Soon Lee Bus Park with Jurong Industrial Estate in the background, Lakeside MRT Station, Jurong Hill, Jurong Port, Jurong Bird Park
Jurong Location in Singapore
Country	Singapore
Region	West Region
Mainland composition	Corresponding PAs Jurong East Jurong West Boon Lay Pioneer Western Islands (Jurong Island only) Western Water Catchment (southernmost portions) Bukit Batok (greatest historical extent) Tuas (greatest historical extent)
Offshore islands	3 Jurong Island Pulau Damar Laut Pulau Samulun
CDC	South West CDC
Town councils	Chua Chu Kang Town Council Jurong-Clementi Town Council West Coast Town Council
Constituencies	Chua Chu Kang GRC Hong Kah North SMC Jurong GRC Pioneer SMC West Coast GRC Yuhua SMC
Demonym(s)	Jurong resident Colloquial Juronger Jurongian Jurong Kia Jurongster
Postal district	22

Jurong is a geographical region located at the south-westernmost point of the West Region of Singapore. Although mostly vaguely defined, the region's extent roughly covers the planning areas of Jurong East, Jurong West, Boon Lay, and Pioneer, along with Jurong Island in the Western Islands cluster and the southernmost portions of the Western Water Catchment. The coastline of the region on mainland Singapore, faces the strait of Selat Jurong, while the southernmost island of the region, Jurong Island, faces the strait of Selat Pandan.

Jurong was largely industrialised in the early 1960s in a response to the general economic situation of post-war Singapore. The heavy redevelopment of the region paved the way for the opening of a large-scale industrial sector in the country, something which was unprecedented at that time. Today, the rapid growth and much development of Jurong has led it to become one of the most densely-populated industrial areas in the city-state.

Jurong's unique locale lends to itself a special rock formation unlike any other in Singapore. Named the Jurong Formation, the sedimentary rock deposits can trace its roots back to the late Triassic and early to middle Jurassic periods.

Early history

An Orang Laut woman in Solok, Jambi southern Sumatra

The earliest known records of Jurong can be traced back to 1595 on a maritime documentation of oriental trading routes. A journal written by Dutch author Jan Huyghen van Linschoten, names a certain "Selat Sembilan" that one must cross eastwards after reaching the southernmost end of the Strait of Malacca. This suggests that the straits near Jurong witnessed a significant role in the ancient maritime Silk Road. Although not mapped by Linschoten, the location of Selat Sembilan was later identified in Philip Jackson's 1828 survey of Singapore. Despite much land-reclamation works along most coastal parts of Jurong and Tuas, Selat Sembilan still exists today as Selat Jurong, stretching along the entire coastline of the region.

Even before the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819, small settlements had already been built along Jurong's coastal areas as well as the present-day site of Jurong Island, Pulau Damar Laut and Pulau Sembulan. Such areas were inhabited by the native Orang laut, and there also immigrants from the nearby Dutch East Indies and Malaya.

Jurong Industrial Estate

Jurong Island, Singapore, an artificial island located to the southwest of the main island of Singapore, off Jurong Industrial Estate

On the 4th of July in 1960, the Legislative Assembly of Singapore announced a proposal to construct a new industrial town in Jurong. The entire project, which totalled $45.7 million in cost, begun almost immediately after the proposal's announcement, with the immediate processes of planning and designing taking place in August in that same year.

In 1968, the Jurong Town Corporation was created to direct and manage of Jurong's development. By this time, a total of 14.78 square-kilometres of industrial land had been prepared with 153 factories fully functioning and being up-and-running and 46 more being constructed and set up. With Singapore's economy constantly growing and developing ever more rapidly, finding more space for newer businesses and industries in the future is an ever-present and constant challenge.

Seven islets off the southern coast of Jurong were merged to create the 30 square-kilometre Jurong Island, which is where most of the oil, chemical and petrochemical factories, manufacturing industries and plants in Singapore are located at. The construction and development of Jurong Island began in the early part of the 1990s and was scheduled to be completed by 2010 (as of 2016, much of the development works have been completed, with some newer developments about to commence or are still ongoing).

Southern to middle part of Jurong Lake, Singapore

A number of heavy-type industrial companies and firms, such as DuPont and Teijin Polycarbonate, amongst others, began their business operations there in the later part of the 1990s. The Jurong Island Causeway provides the only land-based link to Jurong Island from mainland Singapore. All forms of access to the island is heavily restricted ever since the September 11 attacks in 2001. An entry/exit security pass is required for all employees working at Jurong Island and cameras and all other recording equipment are banned from being transported into the island.

Images for kids

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  Philip Jackson's Plan of the British Settlement of Singapore. The region that is now Jurong can be seen on the south-western end of the map of mainland Singapore (top).

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  A stretch of Sungei Ulu Pandan in Clementi, the western branch of Sungei Pandan

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  Pandan Reservoir at sunset

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  The lithograph of Sungei Jurong made during the Perry Expedition of 1853 to 1854

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  Jurong Port with Pulau Damar Laur in the background. The location of Tanjong Balai would have been relative to the southern portion of the present-day port.

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  A 1942 map of Singapore from the book, Australia in the War of 1939–1945, highlighting the Jurong-Kranji defence line in red along the stretch between Sungei Jurong and the Kranji River

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  Jurong Industrial Estate with Jurong West in the background

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  Boon Lay, located in Jurong West, is one of the oldest housing estates that still currently exist in the area

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  Jurong Regional Centre

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  Jurong Point Shopping Mall with Boon Lay MRT station in the foreground

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  The main entrance to Jurong Point Shopping Mall

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  IMM – a popular shopping mall

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  Singapore Science Centre