Kampong

{{Short description|Term for Southeast Asian traditional village}} {{other uses}} {{italic title}} A '''''kampong''''' (this term is in Za'aba Spelling, '''''kampung''''' in modern Malay) is a type of village in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia , Philippines and Singapore. It is also used to refer to a 'dock' in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous peoples living in this region.

This term has also been used to refer to urban slum areas or enclosed developments and neighborhoods within towns and cities. The design and architecture of traditional ''kampong'' villages have been targeted for reform by urbanists and modernists. These villages have also been adapted by contemporary architects for various projects.

== Etymology == The word ''kampung'' or ''kampong'' is derived from Malay and is commonly translated into English as "village". In Singapore, the traditional spelling ''kampong'' continues to be used, while the spelling ''kampung'' is standard in Malaysia and Indonesia. In Brunei, both spellings are interchangeable.<ref name="KMGSG">{{cite web |last1=HuiQi Yow |first1=Samantha |title=Singapore's last surviving village |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210525-singapores-last-surviving-village |website=www.bbc.com |publisher=BBC News |access-date=10 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250509134823/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210525-singapores-last-surviving-village |archive-date=9 May 2025 |date=26 May 2021}}</ref>

The English word "compound," when referring to a development in a town, is thought to be derived from ''kampong''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://singapurastories.com/kampungcompound-houses/kampungcampongcompound/|title=From 'Kampong' to 'Compound': Retracing the forgotten connections|website=singapurastories.com}}</ref>

== Brunei == {{Main|Villages of Brunei}} In Brunei, the term ''kampong'' (also ''kampung'') primarily refers to the third- and lowest-level subdivisions below districts ({{langx|ms|daerah}}) and ''mukim'' (subdistricts). Some ''kampong'' divisions are villages in a social sense as defined by anthropologists, while others may only serve for census and other administrative purposes. Others have been incorporated into the city limits of the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, or into nearby towns.

A ''kampong'' is generally led by a {{lang|ms|ketua kampung}} or village head. Infrastructure-wise, it typically has a primary school and a {{lang|ms|balai raya}} or {{lang|ms|dewan kemasyarakatan}}, the equivalent of a community centre. Because many ''kampongs'' have predominantly Muslim residents, each may also have a mosque for the Jumu'ah or Friday prayers and a school providing the Islamic religious primary education compulsory for Muslim pupils in the country.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://borneobulletin.com.bn/brunei-will-remain-a-mib-guided-nation-thanks-to-religious-education/|title=Brunei will remain a MIB-guided nation, thanks to religious education|last=Azahari|first=Izah|newspaper=Borneo Bulletin|date=21 October 2017|access-date=29 August 2018|archive-date=20 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120073502/https://borneobulletin.com.bn/brunei-will-remain-a-mib-guided-nation-thanks-to-religious-education/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In Brunei, ''kampong'' and ''kampung'' are considered to be correct spellings, and both alternatives are common in written media and official place names. For example, Keriam, a village in Tutong District, is known as ''Kamp'''u'''ng Keriam'' by the Survey Department but ''Kamp'''o'''ng Keriam'' by the Postal Services Department, both being government departments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geoportal |url=http://survey.gov.bn/web/survey_department/map |website=Brunei Survey Department |access-date=2017-09-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Postcodes |url=http://post.gov.bn/SitePages/postcodes.aspx |website=Brunei Postal Services Department |access-date=2017-09-10 |archive-date=2018-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518223351/http://www.post.gov.bn/SitePages/postcodes.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Cambodia == {{Split section|discuss=Talk:Kampong#Splitting proposal |date=February 2026}} In Cambodia, ''kampong'' (កំពង់) is used to describe a place on a river or lake-shore where people can dock their private small boats. It also refers to a dock facility for commercial or passenger ferries and boats, such as Neak Loeung's ferry-dock (កំពង់ចម្លងអ្នកលឿង) and Akreiy Ksatr's ferry-dock (កំពង់ចម្លងអរិយក្សត្រ).

The term ''kampong'' has been widely used in Cambodia, likely for thousands of years due to its proximity with the Austronesian Chams, to name places such as provinces, districts, communes and villages. Some examples include: the provinces of ''Kampong Som'' (ក្រុងកំពង់សោម; currently Sihanoukville), ''Kampong Cham'' (ខេត្តកំពង់ចាម), ''Kampong Thom'' (ខេត្តកំពង់ធំ), ''Kampong Chhnang'' (ខេត្តកំពង់ឆ្នាំង), and ''Kampong Speu'' (ខេត្តកំពង់ស្ពឺ); the districts of ''Kampong Trach'' (ស្រុកកំពង់ត្រាច), ''Kampong Trolach'' (ស្រុកកំពង់ត្រឡាច), and ''Kampong Siem'' (ស្រុកកំពង់សៀម); the communes of ''Kampong Khleang'' (ឃុំកំពង់ឃ្លាំង) and ''Kampong Kdei'' (ឃុំកំពង់ក្តី); and the villages of ''Kampong Prasat'' (ភូមិកំពង់ប្រាសាទ), ''Kampong Krabei'' (ភូមិកំពង់ក្របី), and ''Kampong Our'' [https://www.google.com/maps/place/%E1%9E%97%E1%9E%BC%E1%9E%98%E1%9E%B7%E1%9E%80%E1%9F%86%E1%9E%96%E1%9E%84%E1%9F%8B%E1%9E%A2%E1%9E%BD%E1%9E%9A/@12.4519131,104.4995912,14.25z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x310e595dfcb09ddf:0xfefe31e9d84acc92!8m2!3d12.4340731!4d104.5290 (ភូមិកំពង់អ៊ួរ]). (Page 37, Chun Nat, ''Dictionnaire Cambodgien,'' Institut Bouddhique'','' Phnom Penh, 1967).

Based on the examples above, the meaning of ''kampong'' in the Khmer language can also arguably be defined as "an area or place located near a river or lake that people named as their own after they arrived, or formed their community at afterward."

== Indonesia == [[File:Kampung Naga Java110.jpg|thumb|Traditional houses and pond pavilion of Kampung Naga, a traditional Sundanese village in West Java, Indonesia.]]

In Indonesia, ''{{lang|id|kampung}}'' generally refers to a hamlet, which is considered the opposite of the Indonesian {{lang|id|kota}} ("city" in English). However, most Indonesian cities and towns initially consisted of a collection of ''{{lang|id|kampung}}'' settlements. There are four typologies of ''kampung''. They are: inner city ''kampung'', which has very high density and is inhabited by 100,000 people per square kilometer; mid-city ''kampung'', which is inhabited by 20,000–40,000 people per square kilometer; rural ''kampung'', which has very low density; and squatter ''kampung'', where people are scattered in metropolitan areas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ford |first=Larry R |date=October 1993 |title=A Model of Indonesian City Structure |journal=Geographical Review |volume=83 |issue=4 |pages=374–396 |doi=10.2307/215821 |jstor=215821 |bibcode=1993GeoRv..83..374F }}</ref>

''{{lang|id|Kampung}}'' also usually refers to a settlement or compound of a certain ethnic community, which later became incorporated into a place name. Some examples include: the {{lang|id|Kampung Melayu}} district in East Jakarta; {{lang|id|Kampung Bugis}} (Buginese village); {{lang|id|Kampung Cina}} (also known as {{lang|id|Pecinan}}), which refers to a Tionghoa village or could be equivalent to Chinatown as well; {{lang|id|Kampung Ambon}} (Ambonese village); {{lang|id|Kampung Jawa}} (Javanese village); and {{lang|id|Kampung Arab}} (Arab village).

On the island of Sumatra and its surrounding islands, the indigenous peoples have distinctive architecture and building features, including longhouses and rice storage buildings in their {{lang|id|kampung}}s. Malays, Karo, Batak, Toba, Minangkabau, and others build communal housing and tiered structures.

The term ''{{lang|id|kampung}}'' in Indonesia could refer to a business-based village as well—for example, {{lang|id|Kampung Coklat}} (lit. "the Chocolate village") in Blitar, East Java, which mainly produces and sells chocolate products (bars, candies, powders, coffee, cocoa butter, etc.) from the local cacao farmers; {{lang|id|Kampung Seni}} (lit. "the Arts/Performances village") in various places across Indonesia where local artisans make and sell their crafts; and {{lang|id|Kampung Batik}} (lit. "the {{lang|jv|Batik}} village") which mainly produce and sell {{lang|jv|batik}}, offering batik-making courses and training. In 2009, several {{lang|id|Kampung Batik}}, in collaboration with the other official entities such as the Batik Museum in Pekalongan, Central Java, were recognized by UNESCO regarding the "Education and training in Indonesian Batik intangible cultural heritage for elementary, junior, senior, vocational school and polytechnic students" as part of the Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in Register of Good Safeguarding Practices List.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Education and training in Indonesian Batik intangible cultural heritage for elementary, junior, senior, vocational school and polytechnic students, in collaboration with the Batik Museum in Pekalongan|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/BSP/education-and-training-in-indonesian-batik-intangible-cultural-heritage-for-elementary-junior-senior-vocational-school-and-polytechnic-students-in-collaboration-with-the-batik-museum-in-pekalongan-00318|access-date=5 February 2021|work=UNESCO}}</ref> The {{lang|id|kampung}}s in Indonesia have attracted global tourists as well, such as {{lang|id|Kampung Panglipuran}} in Bali, which was awarded as one of the world's cleanest villages in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bdf.kemlu.go.id/component/k2/penglipuran-village |title=Penglipuran Village |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2018 |website=bdf.kemlu.go.id |publisher=Bali Democracy Forum |access-date=22 March 2021 |quote= |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201820/https://bdf.kemlu.go.id/component/k2/penglipuran-village |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Malaysia == [[File:Riverside kampong on road from Kuantan to Dungun August 1964.jpg|alt=Huts by a river|thumb|Riverside ''kampung'' on the road from Kuantan to Dungun in 1964.]]

In Malaysia, a ''kampung'' is defined as a locality with 10,000 or fewer people. Since historical times, every Malay village has operated under the leadership of a ''penghulu'' (village chief), who has the power to hear civil matters in his village (see Courts of Malaysia for more details). A Malay village typically contains a mosque or ''surau'', paddy fields or orchards, and wooden Malay houses on stilts. It is common to see a cemetery near the mosque. Dirt roads are more common than paved roads for village people to travel between ''kampongs''.

The British introduced the ''Kampung Baru'' ("New Village") programme as a means of encouraging Malays to adapt to urban life. This is distinct from the new villages established for the Chinese population under the Briggs Plan in 1950, which functioned as internment camps intended to separate suspected Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) guerillas of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) from their rural civilian supporters during the Malayan Emergency.

Malaysia's long-serving prime minister Mahathir Mohamad lauded urban lifestyles in his 1970 book ''The Malay Dilemma''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mahathir Mohamad {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahathir Mohamad}} |author-link=Mahathir Mohamad |title=The Malay Dilemma |date=1995 |publisher=Times Books Internat |isbn=978-981-204-355-9 |edition=14. Repr |location=Singapore |pages= |chapter=The Influence of Heredity and Environment on the Malay Race}}</ref> and associated ''kampong'' village life with "backward traditionalism". He also had the ''kampung setinggan'' (squatter settlements) cleared and new buildings constructed to house their residents in proper housing.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loo |first=Yat Ming |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qXKa2cp30OsC&q=kampong+architecture |title=Architecture and Urban Form in Kuala Lumpur: Race and Chinese Spaces in a Postcolonial City |date=2013 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |isbn=9781409472995 }}</ref> {{clear}}

== Philippines == [[File:Kampung Islam (Campo Islam) Barangay Hall, Zamboanga City.jpg|thumb|Kampung Islam (Campo Islam) Barangay Hall, a village hall; barangay is a village level unit.]] In the Philippines, especially in the southern part which is dominated by Moro Muslims, the word ''kampung'' was also adopted, but in a Hispanized form, becoming ''campo''. This name itself was originally the influence of the Malayanized Muslim powers that had triumphed in the south of the Philippines, such as the Sultanate of Sulu, Sultanate of Maguindanao, Sultanate of Buayan, and Sultanates of Lanao.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sakai |first=Minako |editor1-last=Cao |editor1-first=Elizabeth |editor2-last=Morrell |title=Regional Minorities and Development in Asia |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |page=124 |url=http://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/library/connections.pdf |isbn=978-0-415-55130-4 |chapter=Reviving Malay Connections in Southeast Asia |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013055904/http://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/library/connections.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-13 }}</ref> Especially the Sultanate of Sulu, because it is close to the spread of Malay culture, its influence is very noticeable, in terms of vocabulary, in this case the word ''kampung''. An example of a place called ''kampung'' is a barangay in Zamboanga City, namely Campo Islam or Kampung Islam ({{lit|Islamic Village}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zamboanga.com/barangay/campo_islam.htm|title=Campo Islam, Zamboanga City, Philippines|website=www.zamboanga.com|publisher=Zamboanga|language=en|access-date=October 2, 2025|date=|first=|last=}}</ref> {{clear}}

==Singapore== thumb|Entrance to Kampong Lorong Buangkok Traditional ''kampongs'' were once widespread across Singapore, but few survive today, mainly on outlying islands such as Pulau Ubin. During the 20th century, many ''kampongs'' were located on the mainland. These ''kampongs'' were often overcrowded and considered unhealthy and unpleasant places to live, with numerous ''kampongs'' lacking proper sanitation.

The Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), established in 1927 by the British to manage infrastructure and later public housing, struggled to keep up with demand and was slow to address Singapore's housing needs. Conditions only began to improve after the 1959 general election, when the People's Action Party (PAP) under Lee Kuan Yew came to power and the government formed the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to tackle the housing situation.<ref name="DOCOSG">{{cite web |last1=Soh |first1=Darren |title=HDB Public Housing 1960 – 1980 {{!}} The First Two Decades |url=https://www.docomomo.sg/happenings/hdb-public-housing-1960-1980-the-first-two-decades |website=docomomo.sg |publisher=Docomomo Singapore |access-date=10 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250720002546/https://www.docomomo.sg/happenings/hdb-public-housing-1960-1980-the-first-two-decades |archive-date=20 July 2025 |date=2021}}</ref>

Following the Bukit Ho Swee fire in 1961 and the rapid modernisation after the independence of Singapore in 1965, almost all ''kampongs'' across Singapore were removed and new towns were established. In the subsequent decades, Singaporeans were resettled into public housing, and today around 80 percent of the population lives in high-rise apartments.<ref name="DOCOSG"/>

Before its conversion into a military area, Pulau Tekong had several ''kampongs'', and others were also found on the Southern and Western Islands. Although most have disappeared, traces remain in the form of former mosques once serving ''kampong'' communities, and historic districts such as Kampong Glam retain the name. The best known surviving example is Kampong Lorong Buangkok, one of the last ''kampongs'' on the mainland.<ref name="KMGSG"/>

{{clear}}

==See also== * Barangay * Mukim * Rural area * Village * Favela

==References== {{Reflist}} {{Wiktionary|kampong|kampung}}

{{Terms for types of country subdivisions}}

Category:Names of places in Asia Category:Squatting Category:Slums Category:Types of populated places Category:Populated places in Brunei Category:Villages in Indonesia Category:Villages in Malaysia Category:Places in Singapore Category:Populated places in Cambodia