Pahang
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| State motto: no State motto | |||||
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| Capital | Kuantan | ||||
| Royal Capital | Pekan | ||||
| Sultan | Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah | ||||
| Chief Minister | Dato' Seri Adnan Yaakob | ||||
| Area | 35,964 km2 | ||||
| Population - Est year 2000 | 1,288,376 | ||||
| State anthem | Pahang State Anthem | ||||
Pahang (Jawi: ڨهڠ) is the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, occupying the huge Sungai Pahang river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.
Its state capital is Kuantan, and the royal seat is at Pekan. Other important towns include Kuala Lipis , Temerloh and the hill resorts of Genting Highlands and Fraser's Hill.
The Arabic honorific of Pahang is Darul Makmur ("Abode of Tranquility").
The ethnic composition in 1995 was: Malay (789,000), Chinese (209,000), Indian (67,000), Other (16,000), other bumiputra (40,000).
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Geography
The physical geography can be broken into roughly three sections: the highlands, the rainforest, and the coastal areas.
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 extensive 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.
Genting Highlands is known as Malaysia's playground. It is home to several hotels, a theme park and Malaysia's only casino. Genting Highlands was developed by Lim Goh Tong who envisioned a hillside getaway destination for people wanting to get away from city hustle and bustle and is conveniently situated 40 minutes from the capital of Kuala Lumpur and is accesable with by highway. The border of Genting Highlands straddles both the states of Pahang and Selangor.
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 British during the 1950s.
Fraser's Hill was used as a British summer getaway to escape the tropical heat. It is distinctive that the road to and from Fraser's Hill is a single lane up the hill and traffic limited to a single direction at certain hours. It is now a small hamlet with British architectural buildings and also a holiday destination.
There is also a population of native Orang Asli who live in the area, although most have been relocated from the forests to other areas.
Rainforest
The south of the state is home to the country's largest national park, Taman Negara. This large primary 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.
Lakes
Two famous lakes are found in Pahang. Tasik Bera is a Ramsar site and is important for its rich freshwater peat environment, home to various flora and fauna. The Semelai Orang asli live in the area and continue their traditional way of life, 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 also abound about a lost city that sunk beneath the water. Famed for its lotus blooms, recently controversy has sparked with mismanaged tourism development resulting in the massive die off of trees, and recent findings of pollution in the water.
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, including Pulau Tioman, with extensive coral reef systems. Fine stretches of beach are found from Kuantan heading to Terengganu.
A traditional fishing industry still exists along the coast. Keropok 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.
Economy
For decades, Pahang's main industry centered on tropical 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 forestry.
Fishery products are also a main source of income especially for the communities on the long coastline of the state. Dried and salted fish is a speciality 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 better known as tin. Miners dug underground tunnels to reach the ore and brought it up to the surface by the cartloads 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 its 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, Pulau Tioman and the Genting Highlands.
History
Evidence for nomadic tribes living in the Pahang 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 Malay Peninsula.
After the Srivijaya empire collapsed, around the 1000, Pahang was claimed first by Siam, and then by [[Sultanate of Malacca. Pahang was fought over by the Portuguese, the Dutch, Johor, and Aceh for most of the 16th century. During this time, its population was mostly killed or enslvaed, its rules murdered and its economy ruined. After the decline of Aceh in the mid-17th century, Pahang came under the rule of of Johor. However, Sultans of Pahang, descended from the Malacca and the Bendahara Johor royal dynasties, have ruled the state almost continuously from 1470, and gradually recovered a great degree of autonomy.
From 1858 to 1863, Pahang was fought over in a civil war between the two sons of the reigning sultan. The war ended when Wan Ahmad was proclaimed the new sultan in 1887, but his role from that point onward was largely ceremonial, as the British forced him to sign a treaty bringing the country under control of a British Resident.
In 1896, Pahang joined Selangor, Perak, and Negri Sembilan in the Federated Malay States. This evolved into the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and into the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
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.
Pahang is divided into 11 administrative divisions: Bera, Bentong, Cameron Highlands, Jerantut, Kuantan, Lipis, Maran, Pekan, Raub, Rompin, Temerloh.
External Links
- Malaysia Travel Guide: Pahang (http://www.cuti.com.my/?f=guide_pahang.htm)
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