Pahang Geography Highlands Rainforest Lakes Coastal Areas

Pahang is the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, and as a result contains quite a large range of geography and industry. Its state capital is Kuantan, with the royal seat at Pekan. The Arabic honorific of Pahang is Darul Makmur ("Abode of Tranquility")

1 Geography

The physical geography can be broken into roughly three sections: the highlands, the rainforest, and the coastal areas.

1.1 Highlands

Peninsular Malaysia straddles a rich quartz vein that is associated with the mountain range in the center. Rainforest covers much of the highlands, but it tends to be thinner, with more deciduous trees. Ferns are also extremely common, thanks mainly to the high humidity and fog that permeates the area.

The Cameron Highlands area in the west is home to the tea plantations. The area is the highest on the mainland, and the climate is temperate enough to have distinct temperature variations year round. The area is also known as a major supplier of legumes and vegetables to both Malaysia and Singapore.

The famous silk merchant and fashion designer Jim Thompson mysteriously disappeared in the area, and it was also home to the Communist guerrillas who fought the BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly during the 1950s.

There is also a population of native Orang AsliOrang Asli is a general term used for any indigenous groups that are found in Peninsular Malaysia. They are divided into three main tribal groups: Negrito, Senoi, and Proto-Malay. Each group consists of various sub-groups. Negrito includes Kensiu, Kintak, who live in the area, although most have been relocated from the forests to other areas.

1.2 Rainforest

The south of the state is home to the country's largest national parkThis article is about national parks. For the articles about the towns of National Park, see National Park, New Jersey and National Park, New Zealand. National parks are reserves of land, usually owned by national governments, that are protected from most, Taman NegaraTaman Negara was established in Malaysia in 1938/ 1939 as the King George V National Park. It was renamed to Taman Negara after Independence, which literally means "national park" in Malay. The total area of Taman Negara is 4,343 km². Taman Negara encompa. This largely primaryOrdinal adjectives: Primary "first", first hand. Secondary "second", second hand. Tertiary "third", third hand. In organic chemistry: Primary : functional group attatched to carbon atom connected to 1 or no other Carbon atoms Secondary functional group at rainforest is extensive, and is home to many rare or endangered animals, such as the tapir, kancil, tigers and leopards.

Rainforest covers 2/3 of the area of the state, and the peninsula's highest point, Gunung Tahan, is located within Taman Negara. Since the equator is so close, the rainforests in Malaysia are among the oldest in the world: roughly 130 million years old.

1.3 Lakes

Two famous lakes are found in Pahang. Tasik Bera is a Ramsar site and is important for it's rich freshwater peat environment, home to various flora and fauna. The Semelai orang asli lives in the area and continues their traditional way of live, hunting, fishing and making use of their natural environment.

Tasik Cini is home to a legend whereby a dragon was believed to reside in the lake. Talks were also abound about a lost city that sunk beneath the water. Recent excavations by the museum and antiquities department of Museum Negara has found traces of human habition. Famed for it's lotus blooms, recently controversy has sparked with mismanaged tourism development resulting the massive die off of trees and recent findings of pollution in the water.

1.4 Coastal Areas

The largely mountainous state flattens out towards the coastline, and this is where the state capital Kuantan is located. There are also many islands offshore with extensive reef systems. Pulau Tioman is famous for its coral reef.

Club Med is also a favourite tourist destination and is situated a little of the state capital of Kuantan. Fine stretches of beach can be easily found as one drives from Kuantan heading to Terengganu.

There still exists a traditional fishing industry along the coast, and there are long stretches of sandy beaches. Keropok which are dried fish cakes are a welcome favourite among locals and traditional industry includes the mass processing of dried fish and seafood as well as the famed keropok lekor . Fishing is a majot industry for the villagers found along the coastline and is sold daily at the various fish markets in the state.

2 Industry

For decades, Pahang's main industry centered on timber production, a large forest swatches supported massive balak production and wood products were the state's main export. Yet a decline in mature trees due to intensive harvesting lately has caused a slowdown and the practice of more sustainable logging.

Fishery products are also a main source of income especially for the fishing community littering the long coastline of the state. Dried and salted fish is a specialy here. Raub in the central Pahang area was the only profitable gold mining operation in Malaysia but reserves were soon exhausted and the mines were shut down. Recently, newer technology has made extraction profitable again and operations are being carried out once more. Sungai Lembing in the heydays was a large center for shaft mining of timah or better known as tin. Miners would dig underground tunnels to reach the ore and bring them up by the cartloads to the surface for smelting into jongkangs . Now tin is no longer mined and the mines are mostly flooded, Sungai Lembing is now a dying town with not many prospects except tourism of it's tin mining days.

Industry mostly centers on wood based products and petrochemical processing. Kuantan port is one of the busiest ports in the east coast and transportation networks allow for the fast transportation of goods through the state.

Tourism remains the state's main earner with large natural resources to entice visitors from Taman Negara's forests, Tioman 's island and Genting Highlands.

3 History

Evidence for nomadic tribes living in the area go back to the Mesolithic Era. In more modern times, the tin and gold deposits of the Tembeling River attracted the marine traders of the Srivijaya empire in the eighth and ninth century, and Pahang covered most of the southern half of the peninsula.

After the Srivijaya empire collapsed, around the eleventh century, it was claimed first by the Siamese, and then the Sultanate of Malacca, until the Portuguese arrived in 1511. It was then the subject of controversy between the Portuguese, the Dutch, Johor, and Acheh, until the influence of the Europeans and the Acheh declined in the early 1600s. However, Sultans of Pahang, descended from the Malacca and Johor royal dynasties, have ruled the state almost continuously from 1470.

4 Politics

Since 1974, the Sultan or hereditary monarch has been Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah. His Menteri Besar or Chief Minister is currently Dato' Seri Adnan Yaakob of Barisan Nasional, a former schoolteacher.

5 Figures

Area: 35 964 sq. km

States and Federal Territories of Malaysia

States:	Johor \| Kedah \| Kelantan \| Malacca \| Negeri Sembilan \| Pahang \| Perak \| Perlis \| Penang \| Sabah \| Sarawak \| Selangor \| Terengganu
Federal Territories:	Kuala Lumpur \| Labuan \| Putrajaya

States of Malaysia

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