Slim River ( Jawi: سليم ريۏر; zh, 仕林河;

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 ...

: சிலிம் ரீவர்) is a small town in

Muallim District The Muallim District is the eleventh district of the state of Perak, Malaysia, situated at the southeastern tip of the state, bordering the state of Selangor. It was proclaimed by the current Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah on 11 Jan ...

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It is about 100 km (driving time 45 minutes) from

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

. It is situated in the southern part of Perak and is 20 km north of

Tanjung Malim Tanjung Malim, or Tanjong Malim, is a town in Muallim District, Perak, Malaysia. It is approximately north of Kuala Lumpur and 120 km south of Ipoh via the North–South Expressway. It lies on the Perak-Selangor state border, with Sun ...

. It is about 100 km (driving time 1 hour) from Ipoh. The town is surrounded by many small villages.

History

The town is named after a nearby river, Sungai Slim. The word Sungai means river in

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

. The river was actually named after an English captain with last name Slim in the 19th century. He accidentally went up the river instead of the

Perak River The Perak River ( ms, Sungai Perak; ) is the second longest river in Peninsular Malaysia after Pahang River in Pahang, Malaysia. A number of towns are on the banks of the river including the royal town of Kuala Kangsar. Most of the settlements in ...

which was the main waterway back then. Slim River was a military strategic midpoint from North to South of Malaya during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was the site of a major battle during World War II between the Japanese and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

forces which consisted of troops from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. The British lost the

Battle of Slim River The Battle of Slim River occurred during the Malayan campaign in January 1942 between the Imperial Japanese Army and the British Indian Army on the west coast of Malaya. Background Japanese forces had invaded north-west Malaya from southern Th ...

to the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese forces, who were equipped with tanks. The Japanese also had total air superiority. In their defeat at Slim River, the British suffered heavy casualties and many units were cut off from their line of retreat. The battle effectively ended British hopes of defending Malaya.

Economy

The main economic activities are

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

-based, such as palm oil and rubber plantations. There are some automotive shops selling engine parts and components. This is due to the proximity of the new car manufacturing town,

Proton City Proton City (Malay: ''Bandar Proton'') is a township with industrial, commercial and residential activities spread over 4,000 acres (16 km²) in Muallim District, Perak, Malaysia. It houses the RM1.8 billion Proton car assembly plant. Prot ...

Demographics

The population is estimated at 100,000, and comprises Malays, Chinese, Tamils (Indians) and Aborigines (Orang Asli)

Public Amenities

There is a new modern government hospital providing basic medical care for the district. In addition, there is a public library for the locals to visit.

Schools

Primary and secondary education are provided by a few schools in Slim River, namely: *Sekolah Kebangsaan Balun, Slim River *Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato' Zulkifli Muhammad *Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Slim *Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Slim *Kolej Vokasional Slim River *Sekolah Kebangsaan Slim River *Sekolah Kebangsaan Aminuddin Baki *Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Chin Hua *Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Slim River *Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) Slim River *Sekolah Kebangsaan Slim Village *Sekolah Kebangsaan Ulu Slim *Sekolah Kebangsaan Pos Bersih *Sekolah Kebangsaan Pos Tenau *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Ho Pin, Slim Village *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) Slim Village *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (T)LADANG CLUNY

Places of interest

The waterfall a
Sungai Bil
is famous among the locals for a weekend getaway. Recreation activities and camping is possible, and one can travel from the town by road within 30 minutes. Food stalls selling lunch and fast food are available normally during weekend. There is also an open wet market every Sunday morning until noon, where one can try a variety of local dishes and delicacies. At Ulu Slim, about the same distance from Slim River t
Sungai Bil
there is a hot spring, and it is expected that the local government will develop the place, into a recreation area, for families. The hot spring water is 104 °C and is reputed to be the 5th hottest hot spring in the world. Several outdoor extreme sports are available inside Ulu Slim, reservation will be required for these activities such as white water rafting, 4x4 rides, camping, and jungle trekking. The upcoming Slim River Water Theme Park will also be opened soon.

Transportation

Slim River Interchange (Exit 126) Northbound View 1

It is accessible by road from the capital city,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

(100 km) or by train (

Slim River railway station The Slim River railway station is a Malaysian train station stationed at the north eastern side of and named after the town of Slim River, Muallim District, Perak. The station is owned by Keretapi Tanah Melayu and provides KTM ETS services. Bui ...

). The main trunk road to

was the first ever toll road in Malaysia and was eventually given free access to the public in the mid 1980s. Before the construction of North–South Expressway, all traffic going to destinations in the northern states 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, ...

, such as

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...

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 o ...

and

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

would pass through the town of Slim River. With the new North–South Expressway bypassing smaller towns, fewer people, traffic, and tourists pass through Slim River. Currently, the economy of Slim River is improving due to the nearby

, located in Tanjung Malim.

References

Lata Sungai Bil
{{Coord, 3, 50, N, 101, 24, E, region:MY_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Muallim District Towns in Perak