Kangar (
Northern Malay: ''Kangaq'';
Jawi: كڠار) is the state capital and the largest town in
Perlis
Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...
, Malaysia.
It has a population of 48,898 and an area of 2,619.4 ha. It is located next to the Thailand border, in the northernmost point of
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
. It is situated by the
Perlis River
The Perlis River ( ms, Sungai Perlis) is a river in Perlis, Malaysia.
Geography
The river spans over 11.8 km in length, making it the fourth-longest river in Perlis.
History
Under the 11th Malaysia Plan, 11 km of the river will be deve ...
.
The town is also a gathering centre for the paddy rice production of the surrounding district. Its municipal government is unified with that of the neighbouring communities of
Arau and
Kaki Bukit
Kaki Bukit ( Jawi: كاكي بوكيت; ) is a small town in Perlis, Malaysia. It has an estimated population of 3,000. Kaki Bukit is located 26 kilometres (16 miles) north of the state capital, Kangar and a few miles away from Padang Besar, the ...
. The centre of Kangar is Sena Province. The town is the smallest state capital in Malaysia and its inhabitants are mostly farmers and civil servants. Its industries include cement, saw milling, rubber, paper, and processing of sugar and prawns.
History
Kangar existed from about 350 years ago, that is since 1653 when Kota Sena was built as the administrative centre for the 14th
Sultan of Kedah,
Sultan Muhyiddin Mansor Shah. Kangar was then a land port or ''pengkalan'' where boats and tongkangs anchor at the confluence of Perlis River, which runs through Kangar town to
Kuala Perlis
Kuala Perlis is the second-largest town in and the main port of Perlis in Malaysia. It is in extreme northwest Peninsular Malaysia, near the border with Thailand. The older part of town has houses and mosques built on stilts over mangrove swamp ...
.
The name ''Kangar'' was derived from a type of tree. It was here at the port that trading was done, under a big tree that gave shade and respite to the traders. This tree that became a "witness" to many business deals was called ''Pohon Kangar''. Every trader and merchant who came and went to this place began calling it the ''Pohon Kangar'' Port, in honour of the tree.
Demographics
Majority of Kangar population speaks
Perlis Malay which is a sub-dialect of Kedah Malay but also has its own unique features compared to those of neighbouring Kedah.
The
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...
, the second largest community in Kangar are primarily
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
speaking. However, significant
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
is also well known amongst the local Chinese. In particular, Kangar, and by extension Perlis, is best known for its distinct
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
dialect, known as
Penang Hokkien
Penang Hokkien (; Tâi-lô: ''Pin-siânn Hok-kiàn-uā''; ; ) is a local variant of Hokkien spoken in Penang, Malaysia. It is spoken as a mother tongue by 63.9% of Penang's Chinese community, and also by some Penangite Indians and Penangit ...
.
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
serves as the ''
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
'' of Kangar.
Other languages spoken in Kangar includes
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
,
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
,
Malayali
The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. ...
as well as
Punjabi and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
among the Kangar Indian population and
Southern Thai
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded t ...
by the
Kedah-Siamese community.
Places of interest
Downtown Kangar is a mixture of old and new shophouses, and has an elegant colonial
State Secretariat Building and clocktower from the 1930s. Other major landmarks are:
*
PKENPS Tower @ K-PARC Kangar, tallest building in
Perlis
Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...
*
Dato' Wan Ahmad's House
*
Kubu Hill Recreational Park
*
Malay World Weaponry Museum
*
Medan Mountain
*
Perlis Craft Cultural Complex
*
State Museum and Heritage Hall
*
Alwi Mosque, the former state mosque built in 1910
*
Tuanku Syed Putra Stadium
Tuanku Syed Putra Stadium or Stadium Utama Kangar is a multi-purpose stadium in Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia. It is currently used mostly for association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team s ...
*
Kuala Perlis Bus Terminal and
Kuala Perlis Ferry Service
*
Dark Cave (Gua Kelam) of Kaki Bukit
*
Snake Farm of Sungai Batu Pahat
*
Bukit Ayer Recreational Park
*
Wang Kelian - Next to Thai border
*
Padang Besar Shopping Arcade - Duty Free Zone
*
Royal Palace of Arau
*
Fish Grill Food Court of Kuala Perlis
*
Mini Putrajaya - State Assembly Building
*
Gua Cenderawasih Park - Look out point
Sister town
References
External links
Municipal Council of Kangar
Northern Corridor Economic Region
{{Perlis-geo-stub