View source for Perak

{{Short description|State of Malaysia}}
{{Other uses}}
{{use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Perak
| official_name       = State of Perak<br /><div style="padding-top:0.25em;">{{nobold|{{native name|ms|Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan}}}}</div>
| native_name        = ''Peghok''
| settlement_type    = [[States and federal territories of Malaysia|State]]
| image_flag         = Flag of Perak.svg
| flag_size          = 
| image_shield       = Coat of arms of Perak.svg
| shield_size        = 70px
| nickname           = 
| established_title  = [[Sultan of Perak|Established the Sultanate]]
| established_date   = 1528
| established_title2 = [[Pangkor Treaty]]
| established_date2  = 1874
| established_title3 = Federated into [[Federated Malay States|FMS]]
| established_date3  = 1895
| established_title4 = [[Japanese occupation of Malaya|Japanese occupation]]
| established_date4  = 1942
| established_title5 = Accession into the [[Federation of Malaya]]
| established_date5  = 1948
| established_title6 = Independence as part of the Federation of Malaya
| established_date6  = 31 August 1957
| motto = {{force singular}} ''Perak Aman Jaya''<br />{{small|Perak Peaceful Glorious}}
| anthem             = ''[[Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan]]''<br />{{small|God Lengthen the Sultan's Age}}<br />[[File:Lagu Rasmi Perak - Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan.ogg|centre]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|4|45|N|101|0|E|display=inline,title}}
| image_map          = Perak in Malaysia.svg
| mapsize            = 
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = {{Legend inline|#C41E3A|outline=silver}} '''Perak''' in {{Legend inline|#FDF9D2|outline=silver}} '''[[Malaysia]]'''
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{MYS}}
| seat_type          = [[List of capitals in Malaysia|Capital]]<br />{{nobold|(and largest city) }}
| seat               = [[Ipoh]]
| parts_type         = Royal capital
| parts_style        = para
| p1                 = [[Kuala Kangsar]]
| government_type    = [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary]] [[constitutional monarchy|constitutional]] [[monarchy]]
| leader_title       = [[Sultan of Perak|Sultan]]
| leader_name        = [[Nazrin Shah of Perak|Nazrin Shah]]
| leader_title1      = [[List of Menteris Besar of Perak|Menteri Besar]]
| leader_name1       = [[Saarani Mohamad]] <br /> ([[Barisan Nasional|BN]]–[[United Malays National Organisation|UMNO]])
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="statistics">{{cite web|url=https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&menu_id=RTRycHhPcisweHpMdlVwKzhMY25XUT09|title=Perak @ a Glance|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|access-date=8 October 2019|archive-date=13 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113214227/https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&menu_id=RTRycHhPcisweHpMdlVwKzhMY25XUT09|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 20976
| area_water_km2     = 
| elevation_max_m    = 2183
| elevation_max_point = [[Mount Korbu]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="statistics"/>
| population_total   = 2500000 ([[States and federal territories of Malaysia|5th]])
| population_as_of   = 2018
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = Perakian
| demographics_type1 = Demographics {{nobold|(2010)}}<ref name="total population">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Population/files/population/05Jadual_Mukim_negeri/Mukim_Perak.pdf|title=Total population by ethnic group, administrative district and state, Malaysia|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|year=2010|access-date=16 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227012234/http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Population/files/population/05Jadual_Mukim_negeri/Mukim_Perak.pdf|archive-date=27 February 2012}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Ethnic composition
| demographics1_info1 = * [[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|Bumiputera]] 57.1%
* [[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]] 29%
* [[Malaysian Indians|Indian]] 11%
* Other 2.9%
| demographics1_title2 = Languages
| demographics1_info2 = [[Perak Malay]]{{*}}[[Kedah Malay]]{{*}}[[Reman Malay]]{{*}}[[Semai language|Semai]]{{*}}[[Temiar language|Temiar]]<br />Other [[#Languages|ethnic minority languages]]
<!-- blank fields (section 1) -->| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] {{nobold|(2024)}}
| blank_info_sec1    = {{Increase}} 0.798<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://statistics.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/malaysia-human-development-index-2024/|title=Malaysia Human Development Index (MHDI), 2024 |website=dosm.gov.my|language=en|access-date=12 November 2025}}</ref><br /><span style="color:#0c0;">high</span> · [[List of Malaysian states by Human Development Index|11th]]
| blank1_name_sec1   = [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] {{nobold|(nominal)}}
| blank1_info_sec1   = 2022
| blank2_name_sec1   = &nbsp;• Total
| blank2_info_sec1   = {{increase}} $21.161 billion<br />([[Malaysian ringgit|RM]] 93.112 billion)<ref name=":dosm">{{Cite web |last=DOSM |title=Department of Statistics Malaysia |url=https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/gross-domestic-product-gdp-by-state- |access-date=11 September 2023 |website=www.dosm.gov.my}}</ref> ([[List of Malaysian states by GDP|7th]])
| blank3_name_sec1   = &nbsp;• Per capita
| blank3_info_sec1   = {{increase}} $8,391<br />([[Malaysian ringgit|RM]] 36,924)<ref name=":dosm" /> ([[List of Malaysian states by GDP#Gross Domestic Product per capita by state|10th]])
| blank4_name_sec1   = [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] {{nobold|([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]])}}
| blank4_info_sec1   = 2022
| blank5_name_sec1   = &nbsp;• Total
| blank5_info_sec1   = {{increase}} $50.768 billion ([[List of Malaysian states by GDP|7th]])
| blank6_name_sec1   = &nbsp;• Per capita
| blank6_info_sec1   = {{increase}} $23,370 ([[List of Malaysian states by GDP#Gross Domestic Product per capita by state|10th]])
| timezone1          = [[Malaysian Standard Time|MST]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/timezone-old.html|title=Time Zones in Malaysia|author=Helmer Aslaksen|publisher=Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, [[National University of Singapore]]|date=28 June 2012|access-date=8 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521034731/http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/timezone-old.html|archive-date=21 May 2016}}</ref>
| utc_offset1        = +8
| postal_code_type   = [[List of postal codes in Malaysia|Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 30xxx<ref>{{cite web|url=https://postal-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/perak/?p=1|title=Postal codes in Perak|publisher=cybo.com|access-date=8 October 2019}}</ref> to 36xxx<ref>{{cite web|url=https://postal-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/teluk-intan/|title=Postal codes in Teluk Intan|publisher=cybo.com|access-date=8 October 2019}}</ref>
| area_code_type     = [[Telephone numbers in Malaysia|Calling code]]
| area_code          = 033 to 058<ref>{{cite web|url=https://area-codes.cybo.com/malaysia/perak/?p=1|title=Area codes in Perak|publisher=cybo.com|access-date=8 October 2019}}</ref>
| iso_code           = MY-08, 36–39<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpn.gov.my/en/kod-negeri/|title=State Code|publisher=Malaysian National Registration Department|access-date=8 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519030502/http://www.jpn.gov.my/en/kod-negeri/|archive-date=19 May 2017}}</ref>
| registration_plate = [[Malaysian vehicle license plates|A]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://malaysiandigest.com/features/546797-some-little-known-facts-on-malaysian-vehicle-registration-plates.html|title=Some Little Known Facts On Malaysian Vehicle Registration Plates|author=Teh Wei Soon|publisher=Malaysian Digest|date=23 March 2015|access-date=8 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708091603/http://malaysiandigest.com/features/546797-some-little-known-facts-on-malaysian-vehicle-registration-plates.html|archive-date=8 July 2015|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
| website            = {{official website}}
| image_map1         = {{hidden begin|title=OpenStreetMap|ta1=center}}{{Infobox mapframe|frame-width=250|zoom=8}}{{hidden end}}
}}

'''Perak''' ({{IPA|ms|peraʔ}}; [[Perak Malay]]: ''Peghok'') is a [[States and federal territories of Malaysia|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 [[Yala Province|Yala]] and [[Narathiwat Province|Narathiwat]] provinces both lie to the northeast. Perak's capital city, [[Ipoh]], was known historically for its [[tin]]-mining activities until the price of the metal dropped, severely affecting the state's economy. The royal capital remains [[Kuala Kangsar]], where the palace of the [[Sultan of Perak]] is located. The state's population is 2,000,000. 

Perak has [[biodiversity|diverse]] [[tropical rainforests]] and an [[equatorial climate]]. The state's main [[mountain ranges]] are composed of the [[Titiwangsa Mountains|Titiwangsa]], [[Bintang Mountains|Bintang]] and [[Keledang Range]]s, where all of them are part of the larger [[Tenasserim Hills]] system that connects [[Myanmar]], [[Thailand]] and Malaysia.

The discovery of an ancient skeleton in Perak revealed missing information on the migration of ''[[Homo sapiens]]'' from mainland [[Asia]] through [[Southeast Asia]] to the [[Australia (continent)|Australian]] continent. Known as ''Perak Man'', the skeleton is dated at around 10,000 years old. An early [[Hinduism|Hindu]] or [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] kingdom, followed by several other minor kingdoms, existed before the [[Islam in Southeast Asia|arrival of Islam]]. By 1528, a Muslim sultanate began to emerge in Perak, out of the remnants of the [[Malaccan Sultanate]]. Although able to resist Siamese occupation for more than two hundred years, the sultanate was partly controlled by the [[Sumatra]]-based [[Aceh Sultanate]]. This was particularly the case after the Aceh lineage took over the royal succession. With the arrival of the [[Dutch East India Company]] (VOC), and the VOC's increasing conflicts with Aceh, Perak began to distance itself from Acehnese control. The presence of the English [[East India Company]] (EIC) in the nearby [[Straits Settlements]] of Penang provided additional protection for the state, with further Siamese attempts to conquer Perak thwarted by British expeditionary forces.

The [[Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824]] was signed to prevent further conflict between the British and the Dutch. It enabled the British to expand their control in the Malay Peninsula without interference from other foreign powers. The [[Pangkor Treaty of 1874|1874 Pangkor Treaty]] provided for direct British intervention, with Perak appointing a British [[Resident (title)|Resident]]. Following Perak's subsequent absorption into the [[Federated Malay States]] (FMS), the British reformed administration of the sultanate through a new style of government, actively promoting a [[market-driven economy]] and maintaining law and order while combatting the [[slavery]] widely practised across Perak at the time. The three-year [[Japanese occupation of Malaya|Japanese occupation]] in [[World War II]] halted further progress. After the war, Perak became part of the temporary [[Malayan Union]], before being absorbed into the [[Federation of Malaya]]. It gained full independence through the Federation, which subsequently became Malaysia on 16 September 1963.

Perak is ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse. The state is known for several traditional dances: ''bubu'', ''dabus'', and ''[[labu sayong]]'', the latter name also referring to Perak's unique traditional [[pottery]]. The head of state is the [[Sultan of Perak]], and the head of government is the ''[[List of Menteris Besar of Perak|Menteri Besar]]''. The state government is closely modelled on the [[Westminster system|Westminster parliamentary system]], with the state administration divided into administrative districts. There are 12 administrative districts in Perak, namely Batang Padang, Hilir Perak, Hulu Perak, Kampar, Kerman, Kinta, Kuala Kangsar, Larut Matang dan Selama, Manjung, Muslim, Perak Tengah and Pagan Datuk. Islam is the [[state religion]], and other religions may be practised freely. [[Malaysian language|Malay]] is the official language of Perak but English, Mandarin and Tamil are widely spoken. The economy is mainly based on [[Tertiary sector of the economy|services]] and [[Secondary sector of the economy|manufacturing]].

== Etymology ==
There are many theories about the origin of the name Perak.<ref name="etymology">{{cite web |url=http://says.com/my/lifestyle/the-origins-of-state-names-in-malaysia |title=The Stories And Facts Behind How The 13 States Of Malaysia Got Their Names |author=Tang Ruxyn |publisher=Says.com |date=26 April 2017 |access-date=8 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113091221/http://says.com/my/lifestyle/the-origins-of-state-names-in-malaysia |archive-date=13 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="varous theories">{{cite web|url=http://mygeoname.mygeoportal.gov.my/exportpdf00.jsp?kodnegeri=08|title=Dokumen Gazetir (Perak Darul Ridzuan – Sejarah)|trans-title=Gazette Document (Perak Darul Ridzuan - History)|language=ms|publisher=Geographical Names Database of Malaysia|access-date=9 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909074614/http://mygeoname.mygeoportal.gov.my/exportpdf00.jsp?kodnegeri=08|archive-date=9 September 2019}}</ref> Although not used until after 1529, the most popular etymology is "[[silver (colour)|silver]]" (in [[Malay language|Malay]]: ''perak'');<ref>{{Cite dictionary|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-60272783/view?partId=nla.obj-436252755#page/n253/mode/1up/search/perak|title=perak|dictionary=A Malay-English dictionary (romanised)|last=Wilkinson|first=Richard James|publisher=Salavopoulos & Kinderlis|location=Mytilene|date=1932|volume=II|page=249}}</ref> associated with [[tin]] mining from the state's large [[mineral]] deposits, reflecting Perak's position as one of the world's largest sources of tin.<ref name="etymology"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Richard Beck|title=The Nature of Ore Deposits|url=https://archive.org/details/natureoredeposi02beckgoog|year=1909|publisher=Hill Publishing Company|pages=[https://archive.org/details/natureoredeposi02beckgoog/page/n560 634]–}}</ref><ref name="Perak origin">{{cite web|url=http://sejarahmalaysia.pnm.my:80/portalBI/list.php?ttl_id=8&section=sm03|title=Origin of Place Names – Perak|publisher=[[National Library of Malaysia]]|year=2000|access-date=8 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509212649/http://sejarahmalaysia.pnm.my/portalBI/list.php?ttl_id=31&section=sm03|archive-date=9 May 2012}}</ref> The first Islamic kingdom established in the state was of the lineage of the [[Malacca Sultanate|Sultanate of Malacca]].<ref name="Perak origin"/> Some local historians have suggested that Perak was named after Malacca's ''[[bendahara]]'', [[Tun Perak]].<ref name="etymology"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peraktourism.com.my/about-perak/2014-11-14-20-40-24/the-history-of-perak.html|title=The History of Perak|publisher=Perak Tourism|date=14 November 2014|access-date=8 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908131026/http://www.peraktourism.com.my/about-perak/2014-11-14-20-40-24/the-history-of-perak.html|archive-date=8 September 2019}}</ref> In maps prior to 1561, the area is marked as ''Perat''.<ref name="Perak origin"/> Other historians believe that the name Perak derives from the Malay phrase "''kilatan ikan dalam air"'' (the glimmer of [[freshwater fish|fish]] in water), which looks like silver.<ref name="etymology"/><ref name="varous theories"/> Perak has been translated into [[Arabic language|Arabic]] as {{script|Arab|دار الرضوان}} (''Dār al-Riḍwān''), "abode of grace".<ref>{{cite book|author1=George Bryan Souza|author2=Jeffrey Scott Turley|title=The Boxer Codex: Transcription and Translation of an Illustrated Late Sixteenth-Century Spanish Manuscript Concerning the Geography, History and Ethnography of the Pacific, South-east and East Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_W7sCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA475|date=20 November 2015|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-30154-2|pages=475–}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Quote box |width=23em |align=right   |bgcolor=#B0C4DE
|title=Historical affiliations
|fontsize=90% |quote=
{{flagicon image|Flag of Perak.svg}} [[Perak Sultanate|Sultanate of Perak]] 1528–1895<br />
{{flagicon image|Flag of Malaya (1896–1950).svg}} [[Federated Malay States]] 1895–1942<br />
{{flagicon image|Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg}} [[Japanese occupation of Malaya|Empire of Japan]] 1942–1945<br />
{{flagicon image|Flag of Malaya (1896–1950).svg}} [[Malayan Union]] 1946–1948<br />
{{flagicon image|Flag of Malaya.svg}} [[Federation of Malaya]] 1948–1963<br />
{{flag|Malaysia}} 1963–present
}}

=== Prehistory ===
{{main|Prehistoric Malaysia}}

[[File:Gua Tambun5.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Tambun rock art]] of the [[Neolithic]] era in [[Tambun]] near [[Ipoh]]]]

Among the prehistoric sites in Malaysia where artefacts from the [[Middle Palaeolithic]] era have been found are [[Bukit Bunuh]], Bukit Gua Harimau, Bukit Jawa, Bukit Kepala Gajah, and Kota Tampan in the [[Lenggong|Lenggong Archaeological Heritage Valley]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Bagyo Prasetyo|author2=Retno Handini|title=Sangiran: Man, Culture, and Environment in Pleistocene Times|year=2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NT1YyR9lOVEC&pg=PA189|publisher=Yayasan Obor Indonesia|pages=189–|id=GGKEY:FYGSB5XXWPX}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Sanz, Nuria|title=Human origin sites and the World Heritage Convention in Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K3QPBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA212|date=27 October 2014|publisher=UNESCO|isbn=978-92-3-100043-0|pages=212–}}</ref> Of these, Bukit Bunuh and Kota Tampan are [[ancient lake]]side sites, the geology of Bukit Bunuh showing evidence of [[Impact event|meteoric impact]].<ref name="Saad2016">{{cite book|author=Rosli Saad|title=Geophysical Studies Of Bukit Bunuh Meteorite Crater Evidence (Penerbit USM)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GCeNDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT25|year=2016|publisher=Penerbit USM|isbn=978-967-461-004-3|pages=25–}}</ref> The 10,000-year-old skeleton known as [[Lenggong#Perak Man|Perak Man]] was found inside the Bukit Gunung Runtuh cave at Bukit Kepala Gajah.<ref>{{cite book|author=Zuraina Majid|title=The Perak man and other prehistoric skeletons of Malaysia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vSuAAAAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia|isbn=978-983-3391-12-7}}<br />{{*}} {{cite book|author=Stephen Oppenheimer|title=Out of Eden: The Peopling of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0quSCgAAQBAJ&pg=PP115|date=1 March 2012|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-78033-753-1|pages=115–}}<br />{{*}} {{cite book|author1=Vicki Cummings|author2=Peter Jordan|author3=Marek Zvelebil|title=The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-gatherers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M4lSAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA348|year=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-955122-4|pages=348–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2005/07/21/prehistoric-find-in-perak-cave|title=Prehistoric find in Perak cave|work=The Star|date=21 July 2005|access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> Ancient tools discovered in the area of Kota Tampan, including [[anvil]]s, [[lithic core|cores]], [[debitage]], and [[hammerstone]]s, provide information on the migrations of ''[[Homo sapiens]]''.<ref name="Saad2016"/> Other important [[Neolithic]] sites in the country include Bukit Gua Harimau, Gua Badak, Gua Pondok, and [[Padang Rengas]], containing evidence of human presence in the [[Mesolithic]] [[Hoabinhian]] era.<ref>{{cite book|author=Abu Talib Ahmad|title=Museums, History and Culture in Malaysia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=krl1BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA59|date=10 October 2014|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-9971-69-819-5|pages=59–}}</ref><ref name="Perak brief history">{{cite web|url=https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/state-gov/about-perak/brief-history|title=Brief History of Perak State|publisher=Government of Perak|access-date=7 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907015818/https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/state-gov/about-perak/brief-history|archive-date=7 September 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Perak Axe (BM).JPG|thumb|right|Iron socketed axe from Perak, [[British Museum]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1880-1166|title=axe &#124; British Museum|website=The British Museum}}</ref> {{circa|100 [[Anno Domini|BC–AD]] 200}}]]

In 1959, a British artillery officer stationed at an inland army base during the [[Malayan Emergency]] discovered the [[Tambun rock art]], identified by archaeologists as the largest [[rock art]] site in the Malay Peninsula. Most of the paintings are located high above the cave floor, at an elevation of {{convert|6|-|10|m}}.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/BIPPA/article/viewFile/9967/11883|title=Current Research on Rock Art at Gua Tambun, Perak, Malaysia|author1=Noel Hidalgo Tan|author2=Stephen Chia|journal=Centre for Global Archaeological Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association|via=[[University of Washington Libraries]]|volume=17|issue=2|year=2011|pages=93–108 (1–16)|format=PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010032242/https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/BIPPA/article/viewFile/9967/11883|archive-date=10 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Dominik Bonatz|author2=Andreas Reinecke|author3=Mai Lin Tjoa-Bonatz|title=Crossing Borders: Selected Papers from the 13th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cq3GBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA181|date=1 January 2012|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-9971-69-642-9|pages=181–}}</ref> [[Seashell]]s and [[coral]] fragments scattered along the cave floor are evidence that the area was once underwater.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2006/12/04/gua-tambun-rediscovered/|title=Gua Tambun rediscovered|author=Christina Koh|work=The Star|date=4 December 2006|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref>

The significant numbers of statues of [[Hindu deities]] and of [[the Buddha]] found in [[Bidor]], Kuala Selensing, Jalong, and Pengkalan Pegoh indicate that, before the [[Islam in Southeast Asia|arrival of Islam]], the inhabitants of Perak were mainly [[Hinduism|Hindu]] or [[Buddhism|Buddhist]]. The influence of Indian culture and beliefs on society and values in the Malay Peninsula from early times is believed to have culminated in the semi-legendary [[Gangga Negara]] kingdom.<ref name="Perak brief history"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ReclAAAAMAAJ&q=Gangga+Negara|year=1936|publisher=The Branch}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Monographs on Malay Subjects|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DCcaAQAAMAAJ&q=perak+buddhist+prehistory|year=1941}}</ref> The ''[[Malay Annals]]'' mention that Gangga Negara at one time fell under [[Thailand|Siamese]] rule, before Raja Suran of Thailand sailed further south down the Malay Peninsula.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2005/02/08/lost-city-is-not-kota-gelanggi/|title=Lost city is 'not Kota Gelanggi'|author=Mazwin Nik Anis|work=The Star|date=8 February 2005|access-date=10 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114115551/https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2005/02/08/lost-city-is-not-kota-gelanggi/|archive-date=14 January 2018}}</ref>

=== Sultanate of Perak ===
By the 15th century, a kingdom named Beruas had come into existence. [[Epigraphy|Inscriptions]] found on early [[tombstone]]s of the period show clear [[Islam]]ic influence, believed to have originated from the [[Malacca Sultanate|Sultanate of Malacca]], the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, and the rural areas of the [[Perak River]].<ref name="Perak brief history"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/eventspriortobr00peragoog/page/n68|title=Events Prior to British Ascendancy ...: Notes on Perak History ...|author1=Richard James Wilkinson|author2=Cuthbert Woodville Harrison|work=[[Harvard University]]|publisher=J. Russell at the F.M.S. gov't press, [[Internet Archive]]|year=1908|access-date=16 September 2019|page=59}}</ref> The first organised local government systems to emerge in Perak were the Manjung government and several other governments in Central and Hulu Perak (Upper Perak) under Raja Roman and Tun Saban.<ref name="Perak brief history"/> With the spread of Islam, a sultanate subsequently emerged in Perak; the second oldest Muslim kingdom in the Malay Peninsula after the neighbouring [[Kedah Sultanate]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Perak Sultanate: Ancient and Modern|author=Khoo Kay Kim|journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=1986|volume=59|issue=1|pages=1–26|jstor=41493032}}</ref> Based on ''Salasilah Raja-Raja Perak'' (Perak Royal Genealogy), the Perak Sultanate was formed in the early 16th century on the banks of the Perak River by the eldest son of [[Mahmud Shah of Malacca|Mahmud Shah]], the 8th [[Malacca Sultanate|Sultan of Malacca]].<ref name="US commercial relations">{{cite book|title=Commercial Relations of the United States with Foreign Countries During the Years ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P7TfcCPR9HMC&q=perak+rivers&pg=PA486|year=1904|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|pages=486–488}}</ref><ref name="Sultanate of Perak background">{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2018/07/388675/story-behind-malaysias-second-oldest-sultanate-uncovered|title=The story behind Malaysia's second oldest sultanate uncovered|author=Alan Teh Leam Seng|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=8 July 2018|access-date=7 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/informasi-kesultanan/senarai-sultan-perak|title=Senarai Sultan Perak|trans-title=List of Sultans of Perak|language=ms|publisher=The Administration Office of His Majesty the Sultan of Perak|access-date=7 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907035014/http://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/informasi-kesultanan/senarai-sultan-perak|archive-date=7 September 2019}}</ref> He ascended to the throne as Muzaffar Shah I, first Sultan of Perak, after surviving the [[Capture of Malacca (1511)|capture of Malacca]] by the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] in 1511 and living quietly for a period in [[Siak Regency|Siak]] on the island of [[Sumatra]]. He became sultan through the efforts of Tun Saban, a local leader and trader between Perak and Klang.<ref name="Sultanate of Perak background"/> There had been no sultan in Perak when Tun Saban first arrived in the area from [[Kampar Regency|Kampar]] in Sumatra.<ref name="background of the Sultanate of Perak">{{cite web|url=http://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/informasi-kesultanan/sejarah/tok-temong|title=Tok Temong (Keramat Tok Temong)|language=ms|publisher=The Administration Office of His Majesty the Sultan of Perak|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015042530/http://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/informasi-kesultanan/sejarah/tok-temong|archive-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> Most of the area's residents were traders from Malacca and [[Selangor]], and from Siak, Kampar, and [[Jambi]] in Sumatra. Among them was an old woman, Tok Masuka from [[Daik]], who raised a Temusai child named Nakhoda Kassim.<ref name="background of the Sultanate of Perak"/> Before her death, she called on the ancestors of [[Sang Sapurba]] to take her place, to prevent the royal lineage from disappearing from the Malay Peninsula. Tun Saban and Nakhoda Kassim then travelled to Kampar, where Mahmud Shah agreed to their request and named his son the first Sultan of Perak.<ref name="background of the Sultanate of Perak"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1UliAAAAMAAJ&q=Siak++|year=1986}}</ref>

Perak's administration became more organised after the sultanate was established and adopted Malacca's form of elective monarchy.<ref name="varous theories"/> With the opening up of Perak in the 16th century, the state became a source of tin ore. It appears that anyone was free to trade in the commodity, although the tin trade did not attract significant attention until the 1610s.<ref>{{cite book|author=Paulo Jorge de Sousa Pinto|title=The Portuguese and the Straits of Melaka, 1575-1619: Power, Trade, and Diplomacy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9hRAQAAMAAJ|year=2012|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-967-9948-51-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Mohamad Rashidi Pakri|author2=Nik Haslinda Nik Hussain|title=Klian Intan: Perlombongan Bijih Timah dan Perkembangan Sosioekonomi (Penerbit USM)|trans-title=Klian Intan: Tin Mining and Socio-Economic Development (USM Publisher)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rdw8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT35|year=2017|language=ms|publisher=Penerbit USM|isbn=978-967-461-134-7|pages=35–}}</ref>

[[File:Aceh Sultanate en.svg|thumb|left|[[Aceh Sultanate|Sultanate of Aceh]]'s influence in Perak, [[Kedah Sultanate|Kedah]], [[Sultan of Pahang|Pahang]], and [[Terengganu Sultanate|Terengganu]] on the [[Malay Peninsula]], {{circa|1570s}}]]

Throughout the 1570s, the [[Aceh Sultanate|Sultanate of Aceh]] subjected most parts of the Malay Peninsula to continual harassment.<ref name="Sultanate of Perak background"/><ref name="Andaya1982">{{cite book |author=Barbara Watson Andaya |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-349-16927-6 |title=History Of Malaysia |date=11 November 1982 |publisher=Macmillan International Higher Education |isbn=978-1-349-16927-6 |pages=61–117|doi=10.1007/978-1-349-16927-6 }}</ref> The sudden disappearance of Perak's Sultan [[Mansur Shah I of Perak|Mansur Shah I]] in 1577 gave rise to rumours of abduction by Acehnese forces.<ref name="Andaya1982"/> Soon afterwards, the late sultan's widow and his 16 children were taken as captives to Sumatra.<ref name="Sultanate of Perak background"/><ref name="Andaya1982"/> Sultan Mansur Shah I's eldest son, Raja [[Alauddin Mansur Syah]], married an Acehnese princess and subsequently became the Sultan of Aceh. The Sultanate of Perak was left without a ruling monarch, and Perak nobles went to Aceh in the same year to ask the new Sultan Alauddin for a successor.<ref name="Sultanate of Perak background"/> The ruler sent his younger brother to become Perak's third monarch. Sultan [[Ahmad Tajuddin Shah of Perak|Ahmad Tajuddin Shah]] ruled Perak for seven years, maintaining the unbroken lineage of the Malacca dynasty.<ref name="Sultanate of Perak background"/> Although Perak did fall under the authority of the Acehnese Sultanate, it remained entirely independent of Siamese control for over two hundred years from 1612,<ref name="Andaya1982"/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China, and Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=76I3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA152|year=1841|publisher=Parbury, Allen, and Company|pages=152–}}</ref> in contrast with its neighbour, Kedah, and many of the Malay sultanates in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, which became [[tributary state]]s of Siam.<ref name="Blagden1925">{{cite book|author=Charles Otto Blagden|title=British Malaya, 1824-67|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i8QmAQAAMAAJ&q=tributary+Malays|year=1925|publisher=Methodist Publishing House}}</ref><ref name="Stearn2019">{{cite book|author=Duncan Stearn|title=Slices of Thai History: From the curious & controversial to the heroic & hardy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qX6ODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT56|date=25 March 2019|publisher=Proglen Trading Co., Ltd.|isbn=978-616-456-012-3|pages=56–}}</ref> In 1620, the Acehnese sultanate [[Acehnese conquest of Perak|invaded]] Perak and captured its sultan.

When Sultan [[Salehuddin of Perak|Sallehuddin Riayat Shah]] died without an heir in 1635, a state of uncertainty prevailed in Perak. This was exacerbated by a deadly [[cholera epidemic]] that swept through the state, killing many royal family members.<ref name="Sultanate of Perak background"/> Perak chieftains were left with no alternative but to turn to Aceh's sultan [[Iskandar Thani]], who sent his relative, Raja Sulong, to become the new Sultan of Perak as [[Muzaffar Shah II of Perak|Muzaffar Shah II]].

Aceh's influence on Perak began to wane when the [[Dutch East India Company]] (VOC) arrived, in the mid-17th century.<ref name="Andaya1982"/> When Perak refused to enter into a contract with the VOC as its northern neighbours had done, a blockade of the Perak River was ordered that halted the tin trade, causing suffering among Aceh's merchants.<ref name="Prakash1998">{{cite book|author=Om Prakash|title=European Commercial Enterprise in Pre-Colonial India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hciTRYbE27gC&pg=PA235|date=28 June 1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-25758-9|pages=235–}}</ref> In 1650, Aceh's sultana [[Taj ul-Alam]] ordered Perak to sign an agreement with the VOC, on the condition that the tin trade would be conducted exclusively with Aceh's merchants.<ref name="US commercial relations"/><ref name="Prakash1998"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Ali Hasymy|title=59 &#91;i.e. Limapuluh sembilan&#93; tahun Aceh merdeka di bawah pemerintahan ratu|trans-title=59 &#91;i.e. Fifty nine&#93; years of Aceh independence under the rule of queen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vk8bAAAAIAAJ&q=Taj+ul-Alam+perak+tin+dutch|year=1977|language=id|publisher=Bulan Bintang}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Sher Banu. A Latiff Khan|title=Sovereign Women in a Muslim Kingdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ah5qDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT106|date=27 April 2018|publisher=Flipside Digital Content Company Inc.|isbn=978-981-325-005-5|pages=106–}}</ref> By the following year, the VOC had secured a monopoly over the tin trade, setting up a store in Perak.<ref name="Pangkor Island Dutch Fort"/> Following long competition between Aceh and the VOC over Perak's tin trade,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30695568.pdf|title=Rule Behind the Silk Curtain: The Sultanahs of Aceh 1641-1699|author=Sher Banu. A Latiff Khan|publisher=Centre for Editing Lives and Letters (Cell) [[Queen Mary University of London]]|via=CORE|year=2009|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912050521/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30695568.pdf|archive-date=12 September 2019}}</ref> on 15 December 1653, the two parties jointly signed a treaty with Perak granting the Dutch exclusive rights to tin extracted from mines located in the state.<ref name="Sultanate of Perak background"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ReclAAAAMAAJ&q=15+December+1653+aceh+perak+dutch+tin+treaty|year=1936|publisher=The Branch}}</ref>

[[File:Dutch Fort Pulau Pangkor 2007 020 pano.jpg|thumb|right|The 1670 [[Dutch Fort]] on [[Pangkor Island]], built as a [[tin]] ore warehouse by the [[Dutch East India Company]]<ref name="Pangkor Island Dutch Fort">{{cite web|url=http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/kota-belanda-pulau-pangkor|title=Kota Belanda, Pulau Pangkor|publisher=[[National Archives of Malaysia]]|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211091336/http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/kota-belanda-pulau-pangkor|archive-date=11 February 2015}}</ref>]]

A [[Dutch Fort|fort]] was built on [[Pangkor Island]] in 1670 to act as a warehouse to store tin ore mined in Perak even though Perak nobles had destroyed an earlier store structure, on orders from the Dutch base in [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]].<ref name="Pangkor Island Dutch Fort"/> This warehouse was also destroyed in further attacks in 1690, but was repaired when the Dutch returned with reinforcements.<ref name="Pangkor Island Dutch Fort"/> In 1699, when the regionally dominant [[Johor Sultanate|Sultanate of Johor]] lost its last Malaccan dynasty sultan, Sultan [[Mahmud II of Johor|Mahmud Shah II]], Perak now had the sole claim of being the final heir of the Sultanate of Malacca. However, Perak could not match the prestige and power of either the Malacca or Johor Sultanates.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Andaya |first=Barbara Watson |title=A history of Malaysia |publisher=St Martin's Press |year=1982 |page=87}}</ref>

The early 18th century started with 40 years of civil war where rival princes were bolstered by local chiefs, the [[Bugis]] and Minang, fighting for a share of the tin revenue. The Bugis and several Perak chiefs were successful in ousting the Perak ruler, Sultan Muzaffar Riayat Shah III in 1743.<ref name=":0" /> In 1747, Sultan Muzaffar Riayat Shah III, now only holding power in the area of Upper Perak, signed a treaty with Dutch Commissioner Ary Verbrugge under which Perak's ruler recognised the Dutch monopoly over the tin trade, agreed to sell all tin ore to Dutch traders, and allowed the Dutch to build a new warehouse fort on the Perak River estuary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/sultan-muzaffar-shah-iii-perak-menandatangani-perjanjian-monopoli-belanda-belanda-ke-atas-perdagangan-bijih-timah-di-negeri-perak/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|title=Sultan Muzaffar Shah III Of Perak Signed The Treaty Of Dutch Monopoly Over Trading Of Tin In Perak|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|date=25 June 1747|access-date=15 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915033845/http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/sultan-muzaffar-shah-iii-perak-menandatangani-perjanjian-monopoli-belanda-belanda-ke-atas-perdagangan-bijih-timah-di-negeri-perak/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|archive-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> With construction of the new warehouse near the Perak River (also known as Sungai Perak), the old warehouse was abandoned permanently and left in ruins.<ref name="Pangkor Island Dutch Fort" />

The mid-18th century saw Sultan Muzaffar ruling inland Perak while the coastal region was ruled by Raja Iskandar, animosity grew between the two as Raja Iskandar was unable to reach the tin-bearing highlands while the Sultan had restricted access to the strait. Reconciliation occurred later with Iskandar's marriage to the Sultan's daughter. His{{Whose|date=January 2025}} accession in 1752 saw unprecedented peace in Perak, especially due to an alliance (which lasted until 1795) with the Dutch to protect Perak against external attacks.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Andaya |first=Barbara Watson |url=http://archive.org/details/historyofmalaysi0000anda |title=A History of Malaysia |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-312-38120-2 |location=New York |pages=87–88 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Image from page 833 of "Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula" (1906).jpg|thumb|Semang from [[Gerik]] or Janing, Perak, 1906]]

When repeated [[Burmese–Siamese wars|Burmese invasions]] resulted in the [[Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67)|destruction and defeat]] of the Siamese [[Ayutthaya Kingdom]] in 1767 by the Burmese [[Konbaung dynasty]], neighbouring Malay tributary states began to assert their independence from Siam.<ref name="Schliesinger2017">{{cite book|author=Joachim Schliesinger|title=Traditional Slavery in Southeast Asia and Beyond|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kOgzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA186|date=5 September 2017|publisher=Booksmango|isbn=978-1-64153-020-0|pages=186–}}</ref> To further develop Perak's tin mines, the Dutch administration suggested that its 17th sultan, Alauddin Mansur Shah Iskandar Muda, should allow [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese miners]] into Perak. The sultan himself encouraged the scheme in 1776, requesting that additional Chinese workers be sent from [[Dutch Malacca]].<ref name="KhooLubis2005">{{cite book|author1=Khoo Salma Nasution|author2=Abdur-Razzaq Lubis|title=Kinta Valley: Pioneering Malaysia's Modern Development|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cgsZvl1zTXgC&pg=PA5|year=2005|publisher=Areca Books|isbn=978-983-42113-0-1|pages=5, 225, 228 and 310}}</ref> The [[Fourth Anglo-Dutch War]] in 1780 adversely affected the tin trade in Perak, and many Chinese miners left.<ref>{{cite book|author=Khoo Kay Kim|title=The Western Malay States, 1850-1873: the effects of commercial development on Malay politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1PIXAAAAIAAJ&q=Chinese+miners+left|year=1972|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=39–}}</ref> In a move which angered the Siamese court, neighbouring Kedah's Sultan [[Abdullah Mukarram Shah of Kedah|Abdullah Mukarram Shah]] then entered into an agreement with the British [[East India Company]] (EIC), [[concession (territory)|ceding]] [[Penang Island]] to the British in 1786 in exchange for protection.<ref>{{cite book|author=Vincent Todd Harlow|title=The founding of the Second British Empire, 1763-1793|url=https://archive.org/details/foundingofsecond0002harl|url-access=registration|year=1964|publisher=Longmans}}<br />{{*}} {{cite book|author=Cheah Boon Kheng|title=New Perspectives and Research on Malaysian History: Essays on Malaysian Historiography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MW6cAAAAMAAJ|year=2007|publisher=MBRAS|isbn=978-967-9948-40-0}}<br />{{*}} {{cite book|author1=Frédéric Durand|author2=Richard Curtis|title=Maps of Malaysia and Borneo: Discovery, Statehood and Progress|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-BUAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA52|date=28 February 2014|publisher=Editions Didier Millet|isbn=978-967-10617-3-2|pages=52–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=ʻUdomsombat (Lūang.)|title=Rama III and the Siamese expedition to Kedah in 1839: the Dispatches of Luang Udomsombat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yktxAAAAMAAJ&q=Fearing+a+Siamese+attack+upon+Kedah%2C+the+Sultan+agreed+to+allow+the+British+to+lease+Penang+|year=1993|publisher=Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University|isbn=978-0-7326-0521-6|pages=2–}}</ref><ref name="Wheeler2019">{{cite book|author=L. Richmond Wheeler|title=The Modern Malay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YqqbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT50|date=19 March 2019|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-429-60316-7|pages=50–70}}</ref>

[[File:Collectie NM van Wereldculturen TM-60016182 Groepsportret met lokale bestuurders in Perak Auteur Marie-Franþois-Xavier-Joseph-Jean-Honore Brau de Saint-Pol Lias (1840 - 1914).jpg|thumb|left|[[Orang Asli]] from the [[Senoi]] group, Perak, {{circa|1880–1881}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Edward Balfour |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d9UBAAAAYAAJ&q=perak+interior+characteristics+forest&pg=PA377 |title=Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, Commercial, Industrial and Scientific: Products of the Mineral, Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures |publisher=Printed at the Scottish & Adelphi presses |year=1873 |pages=377–}}</ref>]]

Siam regained strength under the [[Thonburi Kingdom]], led by [[Taksin]], after freeing itself from Burmese occupation. After repelling another [[Burmese–Siamese War (1785–1786)|large-scale Burmese invasion]], the [[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|Rattanakosin Kingdom]] ([[Chakri dynasty]]) led by [[Rama I]], as the successor of the Thonburi Kingdom, turned its attention to its insubordinate southern Malay subjects, fearing renewed attacks from Burma along the western seaboard of the Malay Peninsula.<ref name="Blagden1925" /><ref name="Kedah-Siam relations">{{cite journal|title=A Brief Moment in Time: Kedah-Siam Relations Revisited|author=Kobkua Suwwannathat-pian|journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=1999|volume=72|issue=2|pages=65–90|jstor=41493393}}</ref> Attention to the south was also needed because of disunity and rivalries among the various southern tributary sultanates, stemming from personal conflicts and a reluctance to submit to Siamese authority.<ref name="Kedah-Siam relations" /> One example of this resistance was the [[Sultanate of Pattani]] under Sultan Muhammad, who refused to aid Siam during the Siamese war of liberation. This led Rama I's younger brother, [[Boworn Maha Surasinghanat|Prince Surasi]], to attack Pattani in 1786. Many Malays were killed, and survivors were taken to the Siamese stronghold in [[History of Bangkok#Rattanakosin|Bangkok]] as [[slave]]s.<ref name="Stearn2019" /><ref name="Schliesinger2017" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Anuar Nik Mahmud (Nik.)|title=Sejarah perjuangan Melayu Patani, 1785-1954|trans-title=History of the Patani Malay struggle, 1785-1954|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMRwAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 1999|language=ms|publisher=Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia|isbn=978-967-942-443-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Karl R. DeRouen|author2=Paul Bellamy|title=International Security and the United States: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CpckqY51AUEC&pg=PA804|year=2008|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-99255-2|pages=804–}}</ref> Siam's subjugation of Pattani served as a warning to the other Malay tributary states, particularly Kedah, they too having been forced to provide thousands of men, and food supplies, throughout the Siamese resistance campaign against the Burmese.<ref name="Stearn2019" /><ref name="Kedah-Siam encounter">{{cite web|url=http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1971/JSS_059_1g_SharomAhmat_KedahSiamRelations.pdf|title=Kedah-Siam Relations, 1821-1905|author=Sharom Ahmad|via=Siamese Heritage Trust|year=1971|access-date=10 September 2019|pages=97–99|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910041655/http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1971/JSS_059_1g_SharomAhmat_KedahSiamRelations.pdf|archive-date=10 September 2019}}</ref>

In 1795, the Dutch temporarily withdrew from Malacca for the duration of the [[Napoleonic Wars]] in Europe. Malacca's authority was transferred to the British [[Resident (title)|Resident]].<ref name="US commercial relations" /><ref>{{cite book|title=The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China, and Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=76I3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA153|year=1841|publisher=Parbury, Allen, and Company|pages=153–}}</ref> When war ended, the Dutch returned to administer Malacca in 1818.<ref name="CasparisGraaf1900">{{cite book|author1=J. G. de Casparis|author2=Hermanus Johannes de Graaf|author3=Joseph Kennedy|author4=William Henry Scott|title=Geschichte.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RYQeAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA137|year=1900|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-04859-6|pages=137–141}}</ref> In 1818, the Dutch monopoly over the tin trade in Perak was renewed, with the signing of a new recognition treaty.<ref name="Perak and Selangor treaty">{{cite web|url=http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/perjanjian-antara-negeri-selangor-dan-negeri-perak/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|title=The Treaty Between The States Of Selangor And Perak|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|date=11 July 1823|access-date=15 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915040018/http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/perjanjian-antara-negeri-selangor-dan-negeri-perak/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|archive-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> In the same year as when Perak refused to send a [[bunga mas]] tribute to the Siamese court, the king [[Rama II|Rama II of Siam]] had Kedah attack Perak. The Sultanate of Kedah knew the intention behind the order was to weaken ties between fellow Malay states,<ref name="Kedah-Siam encounter" /><ref name="BegbieBanerjee1834">{{cite book|author1=Peter James Begbie|author2=Diptendra M. Banerjee|title=The Malayan Peninsula: Embracing Its History, Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants, Politics, Natural History, Etc. from Its Earliest Records|url=https://archive.org/details/malayanpeninsul00banegoog|year=1834|publisher=Vepery Mission Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/malayanpeninsul00banegoog/page/n61 85]–}}</ref><ref name="Hall1981">{{cite book|author=Daniel George Edward Hall|title=History of South East Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XD9dDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA554|date=1 May 1981|publisher=Macmillan International Higher Education|isbn=978-1-349-16521-6|pages=554–555}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> but complied, unable to resist Siam's further territorial expansion into inland Hulu Perak. Siam's tributary Malay state, the [[Kingdom of Reman]], then illegally operated tin mines in Klian Intan, angering the Sultan of Perak and provoking a dispute that escalated into civil war. Reman, aided by Siam, succeeded in controlling several inland districts.<ref name="Reman occupied districts">{{cite web|url=http://hids.arkib.gov.my/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/penyerahan-daerah-daerah-takluk-reman-kepada-perak/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|title=The Surrender of Reman Occupied Districts To Perak|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|date=16 July 1909|access-date=10 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913061651/http://hids.arkib.gov.my/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/penyerahan-daerah-daerah-takluk-reman-kepada-perak/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|archive-date=13 September 2019}}</ref>

In 1821, Siam invaded and [[Siamese invasion of Kedah|conquered]] the Sultanate of Kedah, angered by a breach of trust.<ref name="Kedah-Siam relations" /><ref name="Kedah-Siam encounter" /><ref name="Kershaw2002">{{cite book|author=Roger Kershaw|title=Monarchy in South East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zq-EAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA189|date=4 January 2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-66707-9|pages=189–}}</ref> The exiled Sultan of Kedah turned to the British to help him regain his throne, despite Britain's policy of non-engagement in expensive minor wars in the Malay Peninsula at the time, which the EIC upheld through the [[Governor-General of India]].<ref name="Stearn2019" /><ref name="Hall1981" /> Siam's subsequent plan to extend its conquests to the southern territory of Perak<ref name="Andaya1982" /><ref name="CasparisGraaf1900" /><ref name="Hall1981" /> failed after Perak defeated the Siamese forces with the aid of mixed [[Bugis people|Bugis]] and Malay reinforcements from the [[Selangor Sultanate|Sultanate of Selangor]].<ref name="Andaya1982" /><ref name="Stearn2019" /><ref name="BegbieBanerjee1834" /><ref name="Kershaw2002" /> As an expression of gratitude to Selangor for assisting it to defeat Siam, Perak authorised Raja Hasan of Selangor to collect [[tax]]es and [[revenue]] in its territory. This power, however, was soon misused, causing conflict between the two sultanates.<ref>{{cite book|title=Monographs on Malay Subjects|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-slAAAAMAAJ|year=1933}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Ismail Mohd. Abu Hassan|author2=Hakimah Haji Yaacob|author3=Khairatul Akmar Ab. Latif|title=Introduction to Malaysian legal history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BNKYAAAAMAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Ilmiah Publishers|isbn=978-983-3074-23-5}}</ref>

=== British protectorate ===
{{main|Federated Malay States|List of British Residents of Perak}}

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| total_width       = 450
| image_style       = border:none;
| image1            = Peta negeri reman.jpg
| alt1              = 1899 Malay Peninsula map
| caption1          = 1899 map showing neighbouring Malay states Kedah, [[Kelantan Sultanate|Kelantan]], Perlis and Terengganu, which sent a ''[[bunga mas]]'' to the Siamese court every three years before their cession to the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] under the 1909 [[Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909|Anglo-Siamese Treaty]]. Perak's interior shown under Siamese tributary the [[Reman Kingdom]], before recovery with British help in 1909.<ref name="Reman occupied districts"/><ref name="1912 Perak details">{{cite book|title=The Directory & Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Sian, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, &c: With which are Incorporated "The China Directory" and "The Hong Kong List for the Far East" ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o4tEAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1388|year=1912|publisher=Hong Kong Daily Press Office|pages=1388–1389}}</ref><ref name="British aid resulted to the regain of Hulu Perak">{{cite web|url=http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/470/2/BAB1.pdf|title=Bab 1 (Pengenalan)|trans-title=Chapter 1 (Introduction)|language=ms|author=M Hamzah|publisher=[[University of Malaya]] Students Repository|year=1995|access-date=16 September 2019|page=8 [7/31]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916115618/http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/470/2/BAB1.pdf|archive-date=16 September 2019}}</ref>
| image2            = British Malaya- an account of the origin and progress of British influence in Malaya; with a specially compiled map, numerous illustrations reproduced from photographs and a frontispiece in (14581039678).jpg
| alt2              = 1907 Malay Peninsula map
| caption2          = 1907 British map of the Malay Peninsula, showing Perak (green outline), the [[Straits Settlements]] including Dindings (red), northern Malay Siamese tributary states (yellow), and Sultanates of Pahang and [[Selangor Sultanate|Selangor]] (brown and orange)
}}

When the EIC established a British presence in Penang, the British already had a trading post in [[Founding years of modern Singapore|Singapore]], avoiding involvement in the affairs of the nearby Malay sultanates.<ref name="Mackay2005">{{cite book|author=Derek Mackay|title=Eastern Customs: The Customs Service in British Malaya and the Hunt for Opium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x3EAAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|date=24 March 2005|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-0-85771-230-1|pages=10–}}</ref> In 1822, the British authority in [[Company rule in India|India]] sent British diplomat [[John Crawfurd]] to Siam to negotiate trade concessions and gather information with a view to restoring the Sultan of Kedah to the throne. The mission failed.<ref>{{cite book|author=Joginder Singh Jessy|title=History of Malaya, 1400-1959|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dwc5AQAAIAAJ&q=anglo+burmese+war+1824+siam+ally|year=1963|publisher=Jointly published by the United Publishers and Peninsular Publications|pages=82–}}</ref> In 1823, the Sultanates of Perak and Selangor signed a joint agreement to block the Dutch tin monopoly in their territories.<ref name="Perak and Selangor treaty" /> EIC policy shifted with the [[First Anglo-Burmese War]] in 1824 with Siam becoming an important ally.<ref name="Hall1981" />

Through its governor, [[Robert Fullerton]], Penang tried to convince the main EIC authority in India to continue helping the Sultan of Kedah to regain his throne.<ref>{{cite book|author=Harry Miller|title=A short history of Malaysia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N5luAAAAMAAJ&q=anglo+burmese+war+1824+siam+ally|year=1966|publisher=F.A. Praeger|pages=79–}}</ref> Throughout 1824, Siam aimed to expand its control towards Perak and Selangor.<ref>{{cite book|author=Virginia Thompson|title=Thailand, the new Siam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IXTaAAAAIAAJ&q=In+1824%2C+the+year+of+Siam%27s+expansion+in+Selangor+and+Perak|year=1941|publisher=The Macmillan company|pages=150–|isbn=978-0-598-97181-4}}</ref> The dispute between the British and Dutch formally ceased when Dutch Malacca in the Malay Peninsula was exchanged with [[British Bencoolen]] in Sumatra, both parties agreeing to limit their sphere of influence through the signing of the [[Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824|1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/5005d886-9c27-421e-a22d-44fb5965350c|title=Signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty (Treaty of London) of 1824 [17 March 1824]|publisher=[[National Library Board]], Singapore|access-date=16 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916044624/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/5005d886-9c27-421e-a22d-44fb5965350c|archive-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> In July 1825, an initial negotiation was held between Siam, represented by their tributary state the [[Nakhon Si Thammarat#History|Kingdom of Ligor]], and the EIC.<ref name="British-Siam negotiation">{{cite web|url=http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/rundingan-inggeris-siam/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|title=British-Siam Negotiation|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|date=31 July 1825|access-date=10 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913053751/http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/rundingan-inggeris-siam/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|archive-date=13 September 2019}}</ref> The King of Ligor promised that Siam would not send its armada to Perak and Selangor, resolving the issue of its attacks. The British renounced any aspiration of conquering Perak or interfering in its administration, promising to prevent Raja Hasan of Selangor from making trouble in Perak, and to try to reconcile the differences between Selangor and Ligor.<ref name="British-Siam negotiation" /> A month later, in August 1825, Sultan of Selangor [[Ibrahim Shah of Selangor|Ibrahim Shah]] signed a friendship and peace treaty with the EIC, represented by John Anderson, ending the long feud between the governments of Selangor and Perak.<ref name="English peace and friendship treaty">{{cite web|url=http://hids.arkib.gov.my/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/perjanjian-damai-dan-persahabatan-selangor-inggeris/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|title=Selangor-English Peace And Friendship Treaty|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|date=20 August 1825|access-date=10 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910054553/http://hids.arkib.gov.my/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/perjanjian-damai-dan-persahabatan-selangor-inggeris/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|archive-date=10 September 2019}}</ref> Under the treaty, Selangor gave assurances to the British that it would not interfere in the affairs of Perak; the border between Perak and Selangor was finalised; and Raja Hasan of Selangor was to be immediately exiled from Perak, paving the way for peace between the two Malay states and the resolution of the power struggle between the British and Siam.<ref name="English peace and friendship treaty" />

[[File:Pangkor Island, Perak, 1874.jpg|thumb|right|Pangkor Island within Dindings in the British Straits Settlements, {{circa|1874}}]]

In 1826, the Kingdom of Ligor broke its promise and attempted to conquer Perak. A small British expeditionary force thwarted the attack. The Sultan of Perak then ceded to the British Dindings and Pangkor (the two now constitute [[Manjung District]]) so that the British could suppress [[piracy|pirate]] activity along the Perak coast where it became part of the [[Straits Settlements]].<ref name="Wheeler2019" /> The same year, the British and Siam concluded the [[Burney Treaty]], signed by British Captain [[Henry Burney]] and the Siamese government, the British agreed not to intercede in the affairs of Kedah despite their friendly relations with Kedah's ruler, and the Siamese agreed not to attack Perak or Selangor.<ref>{{cite book|author=Daniel George Edward Hall|title=Henry Burney: A Political Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9XRuAAAAMAAJ|year=1974|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-713583-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Thongchai Winichakul|title=Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJEK4sHPlUsC&pg=PA62|year=1997|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-1974-3|pages=62–}}</ref>

[[File:Women_tin_miners_in_Perak,_late_19th_century.jpg|left|thumb|Women of different ethnic groups in Perak; the majority [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]], with some [[Ethnic Malays|Malay]] and [[Mandailing people|Mandailing]] employed as [[tin]] miners in the late 19th century]]

The discovery of tin in Larut and rapid growth of the tin ore trade in the 19th century saw an increasing influx of Chinese labour. Later, rivalry developed between two Chinese [[secret societies]]. This, coupled with internal political strife between two factions of Perak's local Malay rulers, escalated into the [[Larut Wars]] in 1861.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Succession to the Perak Sultanate|author=Khoo Kay Kim|journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=1983|volume=56|issue=2|pages=7–29|jstor=41492955}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Mervyn Llewelyn Wynne|title=Triad Societies: Western Accounts of the History, Sociology and Linguistics of Chinese Secret Societies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6irEoGgDrm4C&pg=PA282|year=2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-24397-1|pages=282–}}</ref> After 21 years of wars, neighbouring Kedah freed itself from full Siamese rule in 1843, although it remained a Siamese tributary state until 1909.<ref name="Wheeler2019" /><ref name="BegbieBanerjee1834" /> By 1867, the link between the Straits Settlements on the Malay coast and the British authority in India was broken, with separate administration and the transfer of the respective territories to the [[Colonial Office]].<ref name="Mackay2005" /> The [[Anglo-Dutch Treaties of 1870–1871]] enabled the Dutch to consolidate control over Aceh in Sumatra. This later escalated into the [[Aceh War]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Simon Groenveld|author2=Michael Joseph Wintle|author3=Anglo-Dutch Historical Conference|title=State and Trade: Government and the Economy in Britain and the Netherlands Since the Middle Ages; &#91;papers Delivered to the Tenth Anglo-Dutch Historical Conference, Nijmegen, 1988&#93;|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v360AAAAIAAJ&q=Anglo-Dutch+Treaties+of+1870%E2%80%9371+dutch+aceh|year=1992|publisher=Walburg Press|isbn=978-90-6011-794-1|pages=117–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Arthur Cotterell|title=Western Power in Asia: Its Slow Rise and Swift Fall, 1415 - 1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dY79QltL5fQC&pg=PA383|date=4 August 2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-16999-5|pages=383–}}</ref>

[[File:SultanAbdullahPerak.jpg|thumb|125px|left|Raja [[Abdullah Muhammad Shah II of Perak|Abdullah Muhammad Shah II]], whose request for British intervention in Perak's affairs resulted in the 1874 [[Pangkor Treaty of 1874|Pangkor Treaty]]<ref name="1874 Pangkor Treaty">{{cite web |date=30 December 1873 |title=Raja Abdullah's Letter To The English Governor |url=http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/surat-raja-abdullah-kepada-gabenor-inggeris/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913052227/http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/surat-raja-abdullah-kepada-gabenor-inggeris/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print |archive-date=13 September 2019 |access-date=13 September 2019 |publisher=National Library Board, Singapore}}</ref><ref name="signing of 1874 Pangkor Treaty">{{cite web |title=Pangkor Treaty is Signed [20 January 1874] |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/07f0aaea-4348-4e34-947e-69448be4407f |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913051622/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/07f0aaea-4348-4e34-947e-69448be4407f |archive-date=13 September 2019 |access-date=13 September 2019 |publisher=[[National Library Board]], Singapore}}</ref>]]

Internal conflicts ensued in Perak. In 1873, the ruler of one of Perak's two local Malay factions, Raja [[Abdullah Muhammad Shah II of Perak|Abdullah Muhammad Shah II]], wrote to the Governor of the Straits Settlements, [[Andrew Clarke (British Army officer, born 1824)|Andrew Clarke]], requesting British assistance.<ref name="1874 Pangkor Treaty" /> This resulted in the [[Pangkor Treaty of 1874|Treaty of Pangkor]], signed on Pangkor Island on 20 January 1874, under which the British recognised Abdullah as the legitimate Sultan of Perak.<ref name="signing of 1874 Pangkor Treaty" /> In return, the treaty provided for direct British intervention through the appointment of a Resident who would advise the sultan on all matters except religion and customs, and oversee revenue collection and general administration, including maintenance of peace and order.<ref>{{cite book|author=Anthony Webster|title=Gentleman Capitalists: British Imperialism in Southeast Asia, 1770-1890|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vH2ssfXKBLwC&pg=PA182|date=31 December 1998|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-86064-171-8|pages=182–}}</ref> Britain's first priority in the region was preventing the internecine warfare among the Chinese at Larut which had been disrupting trade, and in bringing about an end to the piracy plaguing the region.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Heussler |first=Robert |title=British rule in Malaya: the Malayan civil service and its predecessors, 1867 - 1942 |date=1981 |publisher=Clio Press |isbn=978-0-903450-49-2 |location=Oxford |page=54}}</ref>

[[File:KITLV - 3608 - Lambert & Co., G.R. - Singapore - Members of the first meeting of the Federal Conference in Kuala Kangsar in Perak - 1897-07-14.tif|thumb|right|First Federal Conference after Perak joined the [[Federated Malay States|FMS]],<ref>{{cite web |date=31 July 1825 |title=The First Federated Malay States Durbar Meeting, Kuala Kangsar, July 1897 |url=http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/mesyuarat-durbar-negeri-negeri-melayu-bersekutu-yang-pertama-kuala-kangsar-julai1897 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913121040/http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/mesyuarat-durbar-negeri-negeri-melayu-bersekutu-yang-pertama-kuala-kangsar-julai1897 |archive-date=13 September 2019 |access-date=10 September 2019 |publisher=National Archives of Malaysia}}</ref> held in Kuala Kangsar as a mark of British regard for Sultan [[Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah of Perak|Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah]], {{circa|1897}}<ref>{{cite news |author=Alan Teh Leam Seng |date=1 July 2018 |title=Conference of Rulers: How it all started |newspaper=New Straits Times |url=https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2018/07/386063/conference-rulers-how-it-all-started |access-date=13 September 2019}}</ref>]]

The treaty marked the introduction of a [[Resident minister|British residential system]], with Perak going on to become part of the [[Federated Malay States]] (FMS) in 1895. It was also a shift from the previous British policy of non-intervention in Perak's affairs.<ref name="Wheeler2019" /><ref name="1874 Pangkor Treaty" /><ref name="signing of 1874 Pangkor Treaty" /><ref name="1912 Perak details" /> [[James W. W. Birch]] was appointed as Perak's first [[List of British Residents of Perak|British Resident]], and [[Tristram Speedy|Captain Speedy]], already stationed at Larut with a number of [[Sepoy]]s, was appointed Assistant Resident.<ref name=":1" /> However, Birch's inability to understand and communicate well with the locals, ignorance of Malay customs, and disparagement of the efforts of the sultan and his dignitaries to implement British tax control and collection systems caused resentment. This was also not helped by a lack of a coherent British policy for the area, and poor understanding from the Sultanate as to the implications of a British Resident.<ref name=":1" /> As a result, local nationalist [[Lela Pandak Lam|Maharaja Lela]] and the new monarch, Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah II, opposed him, and the following year, in 1875, Birch was assassinated through a conspiracy of local Malay dignitaries Seputum, Pandak Indut, Che Gondah, and Ngah Ahmad.<ref name="US commercial relations" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://hids.arkib.gov.my/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/residen-perak-j-w-w-birch-dibunuh/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|title=J.W.W. Birch, The Resident Of Perak Was Killed|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|date=2 November 1875|access-date=16 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916102849/http://hids.arkib.gov.my/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/residen-perak-j-w-w-birch-dibunuh/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|archive-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> The assassination angered the British authority, and following anti-British uprisings in several areas, a major military campaign was fought by the British in Perak in 1875-76. The perpetrators were arrested and executed and the sultan and his chiefs, also suspected of involvement in the plot, were [[exile|banished]] to the [[History of Seychelles#British rule|British Seychelles]] in the [[Indian Ocean]] in 1876.<ref name="Scarr2000">{{cite book|author=Deryck Scarr|title=Seychelles Since 1770: History of a Slave and Post-slavery Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_anYGvvJKU0C&pg=PA106|year=2000|publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers|isbn=978-1-85065-363-9|pages=106–}}</ref><ref name="innocent Sultan of Perak">{{cite web|url=http://www.seychellesweekly.com/July%2011,%202010/top2_sultan.html|title=The Innocent Sultan of Perak in the Seychelles|author=Julien Durup|publisher=Seychelles Weekly|date=11 July 2010|access-date=16 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916105559/http://www.seychellesweekly.com/July%2011,%202010/top2_sultan.html|archive-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> The swiftness of the campaign would also act as a wake-up call to the chiefs that, unlike their other rivals, the British thoroughly intended to make their mark on the country, and had the power to enforce it.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Heussler |first=Robert |title=British rule in Malaya: the Malayan civil service and its predecessors, 1867 - 1942 |date=1981 |publisher=Clio Press |isbn=978-0-903450-49-2 |location=Oxford |pages=56–57}}</ref>

[[File:The Author's first ride in Perak.png|thumb|right|British female explorer, naturalist and writer [[Isabella Bird]] led by two local men in her first ride on elephant in Perak, {{circa|1883}}]]

During his exile, the Sultan had the use of a government-owned residence at Union Vale in [[Victoria, Seychelles|Victoria]], [[Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé]]. The other exiled chiefs were given allowances but remained under strict surveillance. The sultan and his chiefs were temporarily relocated to [[Félicité Island]] for five years, before being allowed to return to Victoria in 1882 when the turmoil in Perak had subsided. The sultan led a quiet life in the Seychellois community, and had communications access to [[State House (Seychelles)|Government House]].<ref name="correspondence">{{cite journal|title=Letters From Exile — Correspondence of Sultan Abdullah of Perak from Seychelles and Mauritius, 1877—1891|author=Cheah Boon Kheng|journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=1991|volume=64|issue=1|pages=33–74|jstor=41493172}}</ref> After many years, the Sultan was pardoned following petitioning by the Seychellois and correspondence between W. H. Hawley of Government House, Mauritius, and [[Secretary of State for the Colonies]] [[Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford|Henry Holland]]. He was allowed to return to the Malay Peninsula, and spent most of his later life in Singapore and Penang before returning to [[Kuala Kangsar (town)|Kuala Kangsar]] in Perak in 1922.<ref name="correspondence" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/dokumen-permohonan-pengampunan-sultan-abdullah-perak|title=Pardon Application Documents Sultan Abdullah, Perak|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|date=31 July 1825|access-date=10 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190206024453/http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/dokumen-permohonan-pengampunan-sultan-abdullah-perak|archive-date=6 February 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Collectie NM van Wereldculturen TM-60016187 Foto Auteur Marie-Francois-Xavier-Joseph-Jean-Honore Brau de Saint-Pol Lias (1840 - 1914).jpg|thumb|right|Group portrait of 4th British Resident [[Hugh Low]] and two Perak and Larut Malay rajas, {{circa|1880–1881}}]]

Being the only candidate to the Sultanate who could be confidently ascertained to be innocent of the plot, Abdullah's brother [[Yusuf Sharifuddin Muzaffar Shah of Perak|Yusuf]] was dully appointed Sultan, albeit one that would be considered far more of a British puppet than before. Despite this, the Malay population seemed largely to welcome the British as a source of stability compared to the often feuding chiefs.<ref name=":2" /> Initially, the now vacant role of British Resident was taken over by [[James Guthrie Davidson]], a previous resident of Selangor. However, the low pay and insecure position resulted in him disengaging from the role and leaving after only one year in office. Needing someone both local and skilled enough to handle the complicated circumstances of Perak, the Governor would subsequently appoint the more experienced Hugh Low, who had spent much of the past twenty-eight years in nearby [[Labuan]], and who was considered a safe pair of hands by both London and the Governor.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heussler |first=Robert |title=British rule in Malaya: the Malayan civil service and its predecessors, 1867 - 1942 |date=1981 |publisher=Clio Press |isbn=978-0-903450-49-2 |location=Oxford |page=58}}</ref>

British Resident in Perak [[Hugh Low]] proved an effective administrator, preferring to adopt a generous approach that avoided confrontation with local leaders. As a result, he was able to secure the co-operation of many rajas and village ''[[penghulu]]'' with his policy rather than resorting to force, despite giving transport infrastructure little attention during his term.<ref name="US commercial relations" /><ref>{{cite journal|title=The Journal of Sir Hugh Low, Perak, 1877|author=Emily Sadka|journal=Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=1954|volume=27|issue=4|pages=1–108|jstor=24249161}}</ref><ref name="Martin2004">{{cite book|author=Susan M. Martin|title=The Up Saga|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RtDTYPUl-yEC&pg=PA26|year=2004|publisher=NIAS Press|isbn=978-87-91114-51-9|pages=26–}}</ref> In 1882, [[Frank Swettenham]] succeeded Low for a second term as the Resident of Perak. During his mandate, Perak's rail and road infrastructure was put in place. Increasing numbers of labourers were brought from India, primarily to work as railway and municipal [[coolie]]s.<ref name="KhooLubis2005" /><ref name="Martin2004" />

[[File:Groepsportret van meisjes uit Kuala Kangsar.png|thumb|left|Perak [[Ethnic Malays|Malay]] girls in [[folk costume|traditional dress]], [[Kuala Kangsar (town)|Kuala Kangsar]], image pre-1921]]

The British introduced several changes to the local political structure, exerting influence on the appointment of the sultan and restricting the power of his chiefs to Malay local matters. The sultan and his chiefs were no longer entitled to collect taxes but received a monthly allowance from the state treasury in compensation.<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure">{{cite journal|url=http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6228/1/d.pdf|title=The Transformation of Perak's Political and Economic Structure in the British Colonial Period in Malaya (1874-1957)|author1=Azrai Abdullah|author2=Izdihar Baharin|author3=Rizal Yaakop|journal=Malaysian Journal of History, Politics & Strategy, School of History, Politics & Strategy|via=[[Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia]]|year=2012|volume=39|issue=2|pages=63–72|issn=2180-0251|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917090236/http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6228/1/d.pdf|archive-date=17 September 2019}}</ref> British intervention marked the beginning of Perak's transition from a primarily Malay society to a multi-ethnic one. The new style of government worked to promote a [[market economy|market-driven economy]], maintain law and order, and combat [[slavery]], seen by the British as an obstacle to economic development and incompatible with a [[capitalist economy]].<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure" />

Under the [[Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909|Anglo-Siamese Treaty]], signed in Bangkok in 1909, Siam ceded its northern Malay tributary states of Kedah, [[Kelantan Sultanate|Kelantan]], Perlis, and [[Terengganu Sultanate|Terengganu]] and nearby islands to [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain]]. Exceptions were the [[Patani (historical region)|Patani]] region, which remained under Siamese rule, and Perak, which regained the previously lost inland territory that became the [[Hulu Perak District]].<ref name="Reman occupied districts" /><ref name="British aid resulted to the regain of Hulu Perak" /> The treaty terms stipulated that the British, through their government of the FMS, would assume responsibility for all debts owed to Siam by the four ceded Malay states, and relinquish British [[extraterritoriality|extraterritorial rights]] in Siam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/perjanjian-british-siam-1909/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|title=Anglo-Siamese Treaty Of 1909|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|date=10 March 1909|access-date=17 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917075317/http://hids.arkib.gov.my/en/peristiwa/-/asset_publisher/WAhqbCYR9ww2/content/perjanjian-british-siam-1909/pop_up?_101_INSTANCE_WAhqbCYR9ww2_viewMode=print|archive-date=17 September 2019}}</ref>

=== Second World War ===
{{main|Malayan Campaign|Battle of Kampar|Battle of Slim River|Japanese occupation of Malaya}}

[[File:1942 Japanese World War II Map of the Malay Peninsula and Singapore - Geographicus - Kamatchka-japanese-1940.jpg|thumb|left|[[Japanese characters]] map of Malaya under the [[Japanese occupation of Malaya|occupation]] of the [[Empire of Japan]], {{circa|1942}}]]

There had been a [[Overseas Japanese|Japanese community]] in Perak since 1893, managing the bus service between the town of [[Ipoh]] and [[Batu Gajah]], and running [[brothel]]s in [[Kinta District|Kinta]].<ref name="KhooLubis2005" /> There were a number of other Japanese-run businesses in Ipoh, including [[dentist]]s, [[photo studio]]s, [[laundry|laundries]], [[tailor]]s, [[barber]]s, and hotels. Activity increased as a result of the close relationship created by the [[Anglo-Japanese Alliance]].<ref name="KhooLubis2005" />

[[File:Japanese Type 97 Te-Ke tanks during the Battle of Kampar, 1941.jpg|thumb|right|Japanese [[Type 97 Te-Ke tankette|Type 97 Te-Ke]] tanks, followed by their [[bicycle infantry]], advancing during the [[Battle of Kampar]], December 1941]]

Early in July 1941, a [[Sri Lankan Malays|Ceylonese Malay]] policeman serving under the British administration in Perak raised an alert after a Japanese business owner living in the same building told him that [[Armed Forces of the Empire of Japan|Japanese troops]] were on their way, approaching not around Singapore from the sea, as expected by the British, but from [[Kota Bharu]] in Kelantan, with [[bicycle infantry]] and [[rubber boat]]s.<ref name="KhooLubis2005" /> The policeman informed the British Chief Police Officer in Ipoh, but his claim was laughed off.<ref name="KhooLubis2005" /> By 26 December 1941, the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] (IJA) had arrived in Ipoh, the capital, moving southwards from Thailand. The following day they went on to [[Taiping, Perak|Taiping]], leaving destruction and heavy casualties in their wake.<ref name="Kennedy1987">{{cite book|author=Joseph Kennedy|title=British Civilians and the Japanese War in Malaya and Singapore, 1941-45|url=https://archive.org/details/britishcivilians0000kenn|url-access=registration|date=18 June 1987|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|isbn=978-1-349-08691-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/britishcivilians0000kenn/page/26 26]–28}}</ref> The British forces, retreating from the north of the Malay Peninsula under Lieutenant-General [[Lewis Heath]], had moved a further {{convert|80|-|100|mi}} to the Perak River (Sungai Perak), damaging the route behind them to slow the Japanese advance.<ref name="Kennedy1987" /> With the approval of Lieutenant-General [[Arthur Percival]], the British mounted a defensive stand near the river mouth and in [[Kampar, Perak|Kampar]], leaving the towns of Ipoh, Kuala Kangsar and Taiping unguarded.<ref name="Kennedy1987" />

[[File:Residents of Penang at Ipoh Station, Perak having refreshments from local residents, WWII (23916855204).jpg|thumb|right|European administrator civilians from Penang having their break in Ipoh Station before proceeding south to Singapore during the war, {{circa|1941}}]]

Most civil administrations were closed down, since the European administrators and civilians evacuated south.<ref name="Kennedy1987" /> By mid-December, the Japanese had reached [[Kroh]] in the interior of Perak, moving in from Kota Bharu in Kelantan. The Japanese arrived both from the east and by boat along the western coast.<ref name="Kennedy1987" /> Within 16 days of their first landings, they had captured the entire northern part of the Malay Peninsula. The British were left trying to blockade the main road heading south from Ipoh. While the defending troops briefly slowed the Japanese at the [[Battle of Kampar]] and at the mouth of the Perak River, the Japanese advance along the trunk road, followed up with bombing and water-borne incursions, forced the British to retreat further south.<ref name="Kennedy1987" /><ref>{{cite book|title=Japanese Land Operations (from Japanese Sources), December 8, 1941, to June 8, 1942|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TX2FRHU6BYgC&q=Although+this+attack+was+itself+a+failure%2C+it+did+succeed+in+ultimately+getting+the+Japanese+across+the+Perak+River|year=1942|publisher=Military Intelligence Service, War Department|pages=31–}}</ref>

[[File:Sikh infantry during the Battle of Kampar, taken between 1941-1942.jpg|thumb|left|[[Sikh]] infantry of the [[Indian Army during World War II|Indian Army]] serving alongside [[British Empire in World War II|British Empire]] troops during a fierce battle against the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] (IJA) in Kampar, {{circa|1941–1942}}]]

The Japanese occupied all of Malaya and Singapore. Tokugawa Yoshichika, of the [[Tokugawa clan]] whose ancestors were [[Shogun]]s who ruled Japan from the 16th to 19th centuries, proposed a plan for reform. Under its terms, [[Johor Sultanate#Modern Johore Sultanate|Johor]], Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah-Penang, and Perlis would be restored and federated. Johor would control Perak, Selangor, [[Negeri Sembilan]], and Malacca. An {{convert|800|sqmi|adj=on}} area in southern Johor would be incorporated into [[Japanese occupation of Singapore|Singapore]] for defence purposes.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Yōji Akashi|author2=Mako Yoshimura|title=New Perspectives on the Japanese Occupation in Malaya and Singapore, 1941-1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qHeGUGRrdtwC&pg=PA43|date=1 December 2008|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-9971-69-299-5|pages=43–}}</ref>

In the context of the military alliance between Japan and Thailand and their joint participation in the [[Burma campaign]] against the Allied forces, in 1943 the [[Empire of Japan]] gave Thailand back its former Malay tributary states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, and Terengganu, which had been ceded to the British under the 1909 treaty. These territories were then administered as Thailand's [[Si Rat Malai|Four Malay States]] ({{langx|th|สี่รัฐมาลัย}}), with Japanese troops maintaining a presence.<ref>{{cite book|author=United States. Army Service Forces|title=Civil Affairs Handbook: Japan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2rIp7NV9vngC&q=japanese+northern+malay+state+thailand&pg=PA3|year=1944|publisher=Headquarters, Army Service Forces|pages=3–}}</ref><ref name="Kratoska1998">{{cite book|author=Paul H. Kratoska|title=The Japanese Occupation of Malaya: A Social and Economic History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bePxcx7BFLEC&pg=PA85|year=1998|publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers|isbn=978-1-85065-284-7|pages=85–299}}</ref> Perak suffered under harsh military control, restricted movement, and tight surveillance throughout the Japanese occupation until 1945.<ref name="Perak brief history" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Hong Kuan Yap|title=Perak Under the Japanese, 1942-1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PuWzAQAACAAJ|year=1957|publisher=University of Malaya, Singapore}}</ref> The press in occupied Malaya, including the English-language occupation-era newspaper ''The Perak Times'', was entirely under the control of the [[Dōmei Tsushin|Dōmei News Agency]] (''Dōmei Tsushin''), publishing [[Japanese propaganda during World War II|Japanese-related war propaganda]]. The Dōmei News Agency also printed newspapers in Malay, [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], and Japanese.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2016/05/the-perak-times-a-rare-japanese-occupation-newspaper-from-malaya.html|title=The Perak Times: a rare Japanese-occupation newspaper from Malaya|author=Annabel Teh Gallop|publisher=[[British Library]]|date=13 May 2016|access-date=20 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920071906/https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2016/05/the-perak-times-a-rare-japanese-occupation-newspaper-from-malaya.html|archive-date=20 September 2019}}</ref>

The indigenous [[Orang Asli]] stayed in the interior during the occupation. Much of their community was befriended by [[Malayan Communist Party#World War II|Malayan Communist Party guerrillas]], who protected them from outsiders in return for information on the Japanese and their food supplies.<ref name="Duncan2008">{{cite book|author=Christopher R. Duncan|title=Civilizing the Margins: Southeast Asian Government Policies for the Development of Minorities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QqZYHdOMFsEC&pg=PA27|year=2008|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-9971-69-418-0|pages=27–}}</ref> Strong resistance came mainly from the ethnic Chinese community, while some Malays collaborated with the Japanese through the [[Kesatuan Melayu Muda]] (KMM) movement for Malayan independence. But Malay support waned with increasingly harsh Japanese treatment of civilians during the occupation.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Paul Morris|author2=Naoko Shimazu|author3=Edward Vickers|title=Imagining Japan in Post-war East Asia: Identity Politics, Schooling and Popular Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_DUsAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA200|date=26 March 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-68490-8|pages=200–}}</ref> Two Chinese [[guerrilla]] organisations operated within Perak in northern Malaya. One, the Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Army (OCAJA), was aligned with the [[Kuomintang]]. The other, the [[Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army]] (MPAJA), was closely associated with the [[Chinese Communist Party]]. Although both opposed the Japanese, there were clashes between the two groups.<ref name="Kratoska2018">{{cite book|author=Paul H. Kratoska|title=The Japanese Occupation of Malaya and Singapore, 1941-45: A Social and Economic History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xvlqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA299|date=30 April 2018|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-9971-69-638-2|pages=299–}}</ref>

[[Sybil Kathigasu]], a Eurasian nurse and member of the Perak resistance, was tortured after the Japanese ''[[Kempeitai]]'' military police discovered a clandestine [[shortwave radio]] set in her home.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/293647/forgotten-perak-town-was-backdrop-sybil-kathigasus-heroism|title=Forgotten Perak town was backdrop of Sybil Kathigasu's heroism|author=Veena Babulal|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=22 October 2017|access-date=2 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2018/07/14/memories-of-resistance-fighter-sybil-kathigasu-live-on/1652131|title=Memories of resistance fighter Sybil Kathigasu live on|author=John Bunyan|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=14 July 2018|access-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002060643/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2018/07/14/memories-of-resistance-fighter-sybil-kathigasu-live-on/1652131|archive-date=2 October 2019}}</ref> John Davis, an officer of the British commando [[Force 136]], part of the [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE), trained local guerrillas prior to the Japanese invasion at the 101 Special Training School in Singapore, where he sought Chinese recruits for their commando teams.<ref name="Operation Gustavus in Malaya">{{cite web|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_68_2005-02-02.html|title=Force 136 (Operation Gustavus in Malaya)|author=Alex Chow|publisher=National Library Board, Singapore|date=1 August 2014|access-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002065659/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_68_2005-02-02.html|archive-date=2 October 2019}}</ref> Under the codename Operation Gustavus, Davis and five Chinese agents landed on the Perak coast north of Pangkor Island on 24 May 1943. They established a base camp in the Segari Hills, from which they moved to the plains to set up an intelligence network in the state.<ref name="Operation Gustavus in Malaya" /> In September 1943, they met and agreed to co-operate with the MPAJA, which then provided Force 136 with support and manpower. This first intelligence network collapsed, when many of its leaders, including [[Lim Bo Seng]], were caught, tortured and killed by the ''Kempeitai'' in June 1944.<ref name="Operation Gustavus in Malaya" /> On 16 December 1944, a second intelligence network, comprising five Malay SOE agents and two British liaison officers, Major Peter G. Dobree and Captain Clifford, was [[parachute]]d into Padang Cermin, near [[Temenggor Lake]] Dam in Hulu Perak under the codename Operation Hebrides. Its main objective was to set up wireless communications between Malaya and Force 136 headquarters in [[Kandy]], [[British Ceylon]], after the MPAJA's failure to do so.<ref name="Kratoska1998" />

=== Post-war and independence ===
{{main|Malayan Union|Federation of Malaya}}

[[File:The British Reoccupation of Malaya SE6126.jpg|thumb|left|Suspected communist collaborators, believed involved in murders of civilians in Kuala Kangsar, under guard during an operation by the [[53rd Indian Brigade]] ([[25th Infantry Division (India)|25th Indian Division]]), {{circa|1945}}]]

The Malay states became unstable following Japan's surrender to the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] in 1945. This was exacerbated by the emergence of nationalism and a popular demand for independence as the [[British Military Administration (Malaya)|British Military Administration]] took over from 1945 to 1946 to maintain peace and order, before the British began introducing new administrative systems under the [[Malayan Union]].<ref name="Perak brief history" /> The four Malay states held by Thailand during the war were returned to the British. This was done under a proposal by the [[United States]], offering Thailand admission to the [[United Nations]] (UN) and a substantial American aid package to support its economy after the war.<ref>{{cite book|author=Likhit Dhiravegin|title=Siam and Colonialism, 1855-1909: An Analysis of Diplomatic Relations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5lGAAAAMAAJ&q=malay+states+return+to+british+american+economic+aid+thai|year=1974|publisher=Thai Watana Panich}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Thak Chaloemtiarana|title=Thailand: The Politics of Despotic Paternalism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6f0CMvP203wC&pg=PA20|year=2007|publisher=SEAP Publications|isbn=978-0-87727-742-2|pages=20–}}</ref> The MPAJA, under the [[Communist Party of Malaya]] (CPM), had fought alongside the British against the Japanese, and most of its members received awards at the end of the war. However, party policy become radicalised under the authority of Perak-born [[Chin Peng]], who took over the CPM administration after former leader [[Lai Teck]] disappeared with party funds.<ref name="Kantowicz2000">{{cite book|author=Edward R. Kantowicz|title=Coming Apart, Coming Together|url=https://archive.org/details/comingapartcomin0000kant|url-access=registration|year=2000|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-4456-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/comingapartcomin0000kant/page/111 111]–}}</ref>

[[File:Outdoor portrait of Lee Min, leader of the communist Kepayang Gang in the Ipoh district in 1951 (AWM 4281801).JPG|thumb|180px|Notorious [[Malayan National Liberation Army|MLNA]] leader [[Lee Meng]] in [[Kinta District|Ipoh District]] during the [[Malayan Emergency]], {{circa|1951}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblioasia/2018/04/09/hunting-down-the-malayan-mata-hari/|title=Hunting Down the Malayan Mata Hari|author=Ronnie Tan|publisher=National Library Board, Singapore|date=9 April 2018|access-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504010100/http://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblioasia/2018/04/09/hunting-down-the-malayan-mata-hari/|archive-date=4 May 2018}}</ref>]]

Under Chin's authority, the MPAJA killed those they considered to have been Japanese collaborators during the war, who were mainly Malays. This sparked [[ethnic conflict|racial conflict]] and Malay retaliation. Death squads were also dispatched by the CPM to murder European plantation owners in Perak, and [[Kuomintang]] leaders in [[Johor]]. The Malayan government's subsequent declaration of a [[state of emergency]] on 18 June 1948 marked the start of the [[Malayan Emergency]].<ref name="Kantowicz2000"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/darurat-angkara-komunis|title=Emergency Brought by Communist|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|access-date=1 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101021336/http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/darurat-angkara-komunis|archive-date=1 January 2019}}</ref> Perak and Johor became the main strongholds of the communist movement, the former through native-born figureheads like [[Abdullah CD]] and [[Rashid Maidin]].<ref name=radhub>{{cite news |author=Khoo Kay Kim |author-link=Khoo Kay Kim|title=Perak once hub of radical Malay activities |department=It's History |work=[[New Straits Times]] |date=28 March 2000 |page=12}}</ref> In the early stages their actions were not co-ordinated, and the security forces were able to counter them.<ref name="Malayan Communist Insurgency">{{cite journal|title=The Malayan Communist Insurgency|author=M. Ladd Thomas|journal=Asian Affairs: An American Review|year=1977|volume=4|issue=5|pages=306–316|jstor=30171520|doi=10.1080/00927678.1977.10554134}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Guan Heng Tan|title=100 Inspiring Rafflesians, 1823-2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=elthDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA2|year=2008|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=978-981-277-892-5|pages=2–}}</ref> Earlier in 1947, the head of the Perak's [[Criminal investigation department#Malaysia|Criminal Investigation Department]], H. J. Barnard, negotiated an arrangement with the Kuomintang-influenced OCAJA leader [[Leong Yew Koh]]. This resulted in most OCAJA members being absorbed into the national Special Constabulary, and fighting against the MPAJA's successor, the [[Malayan Races Liberation Army|Malayan National Liberation Army]] (MNLA).<ref name="Kratoska2018"/>

[[File:Sir Gerald Templer and his assistant, Major Lord Wynford inspecting the members of Kinta Valley Home Guard in Perak.jpg|thumb|left|Sir [[Gerald Templer]] and his assistant, Major Lord Wynford, inspecting the Kinta Valley Home Guard (KVHG), Perak, {{circa|1952}}]]

The [[Kinta Valley]], one of the richest tin mining areas in Malaya, accounted for most of the country's tin exports to the United States. On 1 May 1952, the Perak Chinese Tin Mining Association established the Kinta Valley Home Guard (KVHG) to protect it from the communists. Often described as a private Chinese Army, most of the KVHG's Chinese members had links to the Kuomintang.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Malayan Emergency: General Templer and the Kinta Valley Home Guard, 1952—1954|author=Leon Comber|journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=2012|volume=85|issue=1|pages=45–62|jstor=24894129}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/templer-and-the-road-to-malayan-independence/general-sir-gerald-templer-the-mca-and-the-kinta-valley-home-guard-195254/093E3BA59735E07DFA0519006BC74A3B|title=General Sir Gerald Templer, the MCA, and the Kinta Valley Home Guard (1952–54). In Templer and the Road to Malayan Independence: The Man and His Time|author=Leon Comber|chapter=General Sir Gerald Templer, the MCA, and the Kinta Valley Home Guard (1952–54)|publisher=[[ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute]]|year=2014|volume=85|issue=1|pages=118–138|isbn=978-981-4620-11-6}}</ref> Many of the Kuomintang guerrillas were absorbed from the Lenggong area, where there were also members of Chinese secret societies whose main purpose was to defend Chinese private property against the communists.<ref name="KhooLubis2005"/> Throughout the first emergency the British authorities and their Malayan collaborators fought against the communists. This continued even after the proclamation of the independence of the [[Federation of Malaya]], on 31 August 1957. As a result, most of the communist guerrillas were successfully pushed across the northern border into Thailand.<ref name="Malayan Communist Insurgency"/> Other [[Far-left politics|radical left]] nationalist movements started in Perak like those under [[Ahmad Boestamam]] and [[Burhanuddin al-Helmy]]; but were eventually overwhelmed by the [[United Malays National Organisation]]'s local mobilisation in the same decade.<ref name=radhub/>

=== Malaysia ===
{{main|Malaysia Agreement|Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation}}

In 1961, the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya, [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]], sought to unite Malaya with the British colonies of [[Crown Colony of North Borneo|North Borneo]], [[Crown Colony of Sarawak|Sarawak]], and [[Crown Colony of Singapore|Singapore]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Politics, Security and Early Ideas of 'Greater Malaysia', 1945-1961|author1=Joseph M. Fernando|author2=Shanthiah Rajagopal|journal=Archipel|year=2017|volume=94|issue=94|pages=97–119|doi=10.4000/archipel.445|s2cid=158625010 |url=http://journals.openedition.org/archipel/445}}</ref> The [[Malaysia|Federation of Malaysia]] came into being on 16 September 1963, despite growing opposition from the governments of [[Indonesia]] and the [[Philippines]], and from communist sympathisers and nationalists in Borneo.<ref>{{cite book|author1=United States. Dept. of State. International Information Administration. Documentary Studies Section|author2=United States Information Agency. Special Materials Section|author3=United States. International Communication Agency|title=Problems of Communism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AY4qAQAAMAAJ|year=1964|publisher=Special Materials Section, United States Information Agency}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Ramses Amer|title=Conflict Management and Dispute Settlement in East Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eEg3DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA52|date=23 May 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-16216-2|pages=52–}}</ref> The Indonesian government later initiated a "policy of [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation|confrontation]]" against the new state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/126b6b07-f796-4b4c-b658-938001e3213e|title=Indonesia announces Konfrontasi (Confrontation) [19 January 1963]|publisher=National Library Board, Singapore|access-date=4 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630081038/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/90e4ea74-e949-4269-a522-d0cca976b432|archive-date=30 June 2018}}</ref> This prompted the British, and their allies [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], to deploy armed forces, although no skirmishes arising from the Indonesian attacks occurred around Perak.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19640907&id=MUBVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6843,1157289|title=Aggression Must be Deterred|newspaper=The Age|date=7 September 1964|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/confrontation-in-borneo|title=Confrontation in Borneo|work=NZ History|publisher=Government of New Zealand|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> A [[Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989)|second communist insurgency]] began in the Malay Peninsula in 1968. This affected Perak mainly through attacks from Hulu Perak by the communist insurgents who had previously retreated to the Thai border.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ong Weichong|title=Malaysia's Defeat of Armed Communism: The Second Emergency, 1968-1989|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TV-vBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA66|date=3 October 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-62689-3|pages=66–}}</ref> The Perak State Information Office launched two types of [[psychological warfare]] to counter the increasing [[communist propaganda]] disseminated from the insurgents' hide-out. The campaign against the second insurgency was carried out as two separate efforts, because communist activities in Perak were split into two factions. One faction involved infiltrators from across the Thai border; the other was a communist group living among local inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book|title=Translations on South and East Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RG6-tPM-E0kC&pg=PT161|publisher=Joint Publications Research Service|pages=161–}}</ref>

With the end of British rule in Malaya and the subsequent formation of the Federation of Malaysia, new factories were built and many new suburbs developed in Perak. But there was also rising [[radicalisation|radicalism]] among local Malay Muslims, with increasing [[Islamisation]] initiated by several religious organisations, and by Islamic preachers and intellectuals who caught the interest of both Malay royalty and commoners.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Hussin Mutalib |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pDzqZoWS1soC&pg=PR10 |title=Islam in Malaysia: From Revivalism to Islamic State? |author2=Ee Heok Kua |publisher=NUS Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-9971-69-180-6 |pages=10– |author-link2=Kua Ee Heok}}</ref> Good relations with the country's rulers resulted in Islamic scholars being appointed as palace officers and dignitaries, teachers, and religious judges, contributing to the further spread of Islam. Islam is now seen as a major factor that shaped current attitudes towards standing up for Malay rights.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.iseas.edu.sg/images/pdf/ISEAS_Perspective_2016_39.pdf|title=Exclusivist Attitudes in Malaysian Islam Have Multifarious Roots|author=Norshahril Saat|journal=ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute|year=2016|number=39|issn=2335-6677|pages=735 [1/12]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123002830/https://www.iseas.edu.sg/images/pdf/ISEAS_Perspective_2016_39.pdf|archive-date=23 November 2019}}</ref>

== Geography ==
Perak has a total land area of {{convert|20976|km2|sqmi}}, and is situated in the west of the Malay Peninsula on the coast of the [[Strait of Malacca]].<ref name="statistics" /> Its [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ) extends into the Strait.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marineregions.org/gazetteer.php?p=details&id=8483|title=Marine Gazetteer Placedetails [Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone]|publisher=Marineregions.org|access-date=10 October 2019}}</ref> It is the second largest Malaysian state on the Malay Peninsula, and the fourth largest in Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/21-perak-state-secretariat|title=Information Access (Perak)|publisher=Government of Perak|access-date=10 October 2019|quote=Perak or also known as Perak Darul Ridzuan is the second largest state in Peninsular Malaysia (after Pahang).|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009070510/https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/21-perak-state-secretariat|archive-date=9 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.mtc.com.my/images/media/655/15_Nov_-_Timber_-_Forestry_eNews_-_Malaysia_-_responsibility_in_the_factory_and_deep_in_the_forests.pdf|title=Malaysia: responsibility in the factory and deep in the forests|author=Jim Bowden|journal=Timber & Forestry ENews|via=Malaysian Timber Council|date=15 November 2018|access-date=10 October 2019|pages=3–4|issue=537|quote=It was at the state forest in Perak, the fourth-largest of Malaysia's 13 states, that we saw how deep the responsibility for forest management has been planted.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009070219/http://www.mtc.com.my/images/media/655/15_Nov_-_Timber_-_Forestry_eNews_-_Malaysia_-_responsibility_in_the_factory_and_deep_in_the_forests.pdf|archive-date=9 October 2019}}</ref> The state has {{convert|230|km|mi}} of coastline, of which {{convert|140.2|km|mi}} are affected by [[coastal erosion]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://water.gov.my/jps/resources/auto%20download%20images/5844e2ec68076.pdf|title=Coastal erosion management in Malaysia|author=Ir. Ooi Choon Ann|journal=Director of Coastal Engineering Division Department of Irrigation and Drainage of Malaysia, Proc. 13th Annual Seminar of the Malaysian Society of Marine Sciences|via=Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources of Malaysia|year=1996|access-date=14 October 2019|pages=9 (10)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014050909/https://water.gov.my/jps/resources/auto%20download%20images/5844e2ec68076.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> [[Mangrove]] forests grow along most of Perak's coast, with the exception of Pangkor Island, with its rich [[flora]] and [[fauna]], where several of the country's [[forest reserve]]s are located.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.mybis.gov.my/pd/14|title=First Report on the Herpetofauna of Pulau Pangkor, Perak, Malaysia|author1=Chan Kin Onn|author2=J. van Rooijen|author3=L. Lee Grismer|author4=Daicus Belabut|author5=Mohd. Abdul Muin Md. Akil|author6=Hamidi Jamaludin|author7=Rick Gregory|author8=Norhayati Ahmad|journal=Russian Journal of Herpetology|via=Malaysia Biodiversity Information System|volume=17|issue=2|year=2010|pages=139–146|format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Eric Bird|title=Encyclopedia of the World's Coastal Landforms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mfo5TPb7SDsC&pg=PA1122|date=25 February 2010|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4020-8638-0|pages=1122–}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/jom/2017/08/268815/naturally-beautiful|title=Naturally beautiful|author=Zulkifly Ab Latif|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=17 August 2017|access-date=10 October 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Wohin auswandern malaysia Taiping Lake Gardens 4.jpg|thumb|right|Panorama of [[Taiping Lake Gardens]] in [[Bukit Larut]], formerly a mining ground]]

There is extensive [[swamp]]land along the coastal [[alluvium|alluvial]] zones of the west coast between central Perak and southern [[Selangor]].<ref>{{cite book|author=F. L. Dunn|title=Rain-forest Collectors and Traders: A Study of Resource Utilization in Modern and Ancient Malaya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8fzOAAAAMAAJ&q=perak+interior+characteristics+forest|year=1975|publisher=MBRAS|pages=30–}}</ref> Perak has an overall total [[forest cover]] of {{convert|1,027,404.31|hectare|0|abbr=on}}, including {{convert|939,403.01|hectare|0|abbr=on}} of [[tropical forest|forest lands]], {{convert|41,616.75|hectare|0|abbr=on}} of mangroves, and another {{convert|2,116.55|hectare|0|abbr=on}} of forest plantations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perakforestry.gov.my/index.php/en/mengenai-jpnpk/maklumat-perhutanan/sumber-hutan.html|title=Forest Resources|publisher=Perak State Forestry Department|access-date=10 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009084847/http://www.perakforestry.gov.my/index.php/en/mengenai-jpnpk/maklumat-perhutanan/sumber-hutan.html|archive-date=9 October 2019}}</ref> A total of {{convert|995,284.96|hectare|0|abbr=on}} of forest has been gazetted by the state government as forest reserve, scattered across 68 areas throughout the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2014/12/10/peraks-forest-reserve-stands-at-over-900000ha/|title=Perak's forest reserve stands at over 900,000ha|work=The Star|date=10 December 2014|access-date=10 October 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Limestone hills of Tambun near the Tibetan Temple.jpg|thumb|[[Limestone]] hills, known as [[mogote]]s, near [[Tambun]]. Tambun is located within the [[karstic]] [[Kinta Valley National Geopark]], where such a landform dominates the landscape.]]

Perak's geology is characterised by eruptive masses, which form its [[hill]]s and [[mountain range]]s. The state is divided by three [[mountain chain]]s into the three [[plain]]s of Kinta, Larut and Perak, running parallel to the coast.<ref name="(U.S.)1895">{{cite book|author=Geological Survey (U.S.)|title=Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wn7pAAAAMAAJ&q=mountains+of+perak&pg=PA469|year=1895|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|pages=469–}}</ref> The [[Titiwangsa Range]] passes along the eastern borders of Perak, with its highest point, the {{convert|2,183|m|ft|adj=on}} [[Mount Korbu]], is located in the district of Kinta near the border with the state of Kelantan.<ref>{{cite book|title=Colonial Reports, Annual|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIxIAAAAYAAJ&q=mount+korbu+highest+point+perak|year=1923|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=American University (Washington, D.C.). Foreign Areas Studies Division|title=Area Handbook for Malaysia and Singapore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pPdAAAAAIAAJ&q=mount+korbu+highest+point+perak&pg=PA12|year=1965|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|pages=12–}}</ref> Other mountain ranges in Perak are the [[Bintang Mountains]] and the [[Keledang Range]]. Alluvium covers much of the plains, with detached masses of [[sedimentary rock]] appearing at rare intervals.<ref name="(U.S.)1895"/>

An extensive network of rivers originates from the inland mountain ranges and hills.<ref name="US commercial relations"/> Perak's borders with the states of Kedah, Penang and Selangor are marked by rivers, including the [[Bernam River|Bernam]] and [[Kerian River]]s.<ref>{{cite book|title=¬The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OwygeVqeln0C&q=perak+river+mountainous&pg=PA357|year=1876|publisher=Murray|pages=357–}}</ref> Perak has 11 major [[river basin]]s of more than {{convert|80|km|mile|abbr=on}}. Of these, the [[Perak River]] basin is the largest, with an area of {{convert|14908|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, about 70% of the total area of the state. It is the second largest river basin on the Malay Peninsula, after the Pahang River basin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpsperak.gov.my/en/Page?type=zByNQuF9FYw=&pid=bVSKQne/swI=|title=The River, Basin & Reserves|publisher=Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Perak|access-date=12 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012041038/http://www.jpsperak.gov.my/en/Page?type=zByNQuF9FYw%3D&pid=bVSKQne%2FswI%3D|archive-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> The Perak River is the longest river in the state, at some {{convert|400|km|mile|abbr=on}}, and is the Malay Peninsula's second longest after the [[Pahang River]]. It originates in the mountains of the Perak-Kelantan-[[Yala Province|Yala]] border, snaking down to the Strait of Malacca.<ref>{{cite book|author=Nena Vreeland|title=Area Handbook for Malaysia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3YhdAAAAIAAJ&q=perak+river+second+longest+pahang&pg=PA11|year=1977|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|pages=11–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=George Thomas Kurian|title=Geo-data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lU1XAAAAMAAJ&q=perak+river+second+longest+pahang|year=1989|publisher=Gale Research Company|isbn=978-0-914746-31-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Indo-Pacific Fishery Commission|title=Regional Symposium on Sustainable Development of Inland Fisheries Under Environmental Constraints: Bangkok, Thailand, 19-21 October 1994, and Country Reports Presented at the IPFC Working Party of Experts on Inland Fisheries: Bangkok, Thailand, 17-21 October 1994|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sHkppK-KUaAC&q=perak+river+400+km&pg=PA230|year=1995|publisher=Food & Agriculture Org.|isbn=978-92-5-103559-7|pages=230–}}</ref> Other major rivers include the Beruas, Jarum Mas, Kurau, Larut, Manjung, Sangga Besar, Temerloh, and Tiram Rivers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.water.gov.my/jps/resources/Compendium/kompendium2018.pdf|title=Kompendium (Data dan Maklumat Asas JPS)|trans-title=Compendium (DID Basic Data and Information)|language=ms|publisher=Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Malaysia|year=2018|access-date=12 October 2019|page=23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524015804/https://www.water.gov.my/jps/resources/Compendium/kompendium2018.pdf|archive-date=24 May 2019}}</ref>

Perak is located in a [[tropical geography|tropical region]] with a typically hot, humid and wet [[tropical rainforest climate|equatorial climate]], and experiences significant rainfall throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.climate-data.org/asia/malaysia/perak-2626/|title=Climate: Perak|publisher=Climate Data|access-date=10 October 2019}}</ref> The temperature remains fairly constant, between {{convert|21|and|27|C|F}}. [[Humidity]] is often above 80%.<ref>{{cite book|author1=T. Suntharalingam|author2=Malaysia. Jabatan Penyiasatan Kajibumi|title=Quaternary geology of the coastal plain of Beruas, Perak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L11PAQAAIAAJ&q=perak+humidity|year=1985|publisher=Geological Survey Headquarters}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Chin Aik Yeap|author2=BirdLife International. Important Bird Area Programme|author3=Malayan Nature Society|title=Directory of important bird areas in Malaysia: key sites for conservation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_EQKAAAAMAAJ&q=perak+humidity|date=January 2007|publisher=Malaysian Nature Society|isbn=978-983-9681-39-0}}</ref> Annual rainfall is about {{convert|3,000|mm|in}}, with the central area of the state receiving an average of {{convert|5,000|mm|in|abbr=on}} of rain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peraktourism.com.my/about-perak/2014-11-14-20-40-24/climate-weather.html|title=Climate & Weather|publisher=Perak Tourism|access-date=11 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011045827/http://www.peraktourism.com.my/about-perak/2014-11-14-20-40-24/climate-weather.html|archive-date=11 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/16006/1/D%20I%20S%20S%20E%20R%20T%20A%20T%20I%20O%20N.pdf32.pdf|title=Flood Damage Assessment for Perak Tengah District|author=Wan Nooraishah Wan Abdul Kadir|via=[[Universiti Teknologi Petronas]]|year=2015|pages=11 [20/49]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010080030/http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/16006/1/D%20I%20S%20S%20E%20R%20T%20A%20T%20I%20O%20N.pdf32.pdf|archive-date=10 October 2019}}</ref> The state experiences two [[monsoon]] seasons: the northeast and southwest seasons. The northeast season occurs from November to March, the southwest from May to September, and the transitional months for the monsoon seasons are April and June. The northeast monsoon brings heavy rains, especially in the upper areas of Hulu Perak, causing floods.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Great Flood, 1926|author=R. O. Winstedt|journal=Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=1927|volume=5|issue=2|pages=295–309|jstor=24249117}}<br />{{*}} {{cite journal|title=The "Great Flood" of 1926: environmental change and post-disaster management in British Malaya|author=Fiona Williamson|journal=Ecosystem Health and Sustainability|via=[[Taylor & Francis]]|year=2016|volume=2|issue=11|article-number=e01248|doi=10.1002/ehs2.1248|doi-access=free}}<br />{{*}} {{cite web|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2017/11/07/thorough-solution-needed-to-overcome-floods-in-hulu-perak-mb-says/1504227|title=Thorough solution needed to overcome floods in Hulu Perak, MB says|work=Bernama|publisher=The Malay Mail|date=7 November 2017|access-date=11 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011055009/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2017/11/07/thorough-solution-needed-to-overcome-floods-in-hulu-perak-mb-says/1504227|archive-date=11 October 2019}}<br />{{*}} {{cite journal|url=https://www.water.gov.my/jps/resources/auto%20download%20images/584130f6ea786.pdf|title=Managing the Flood Problem in Malaysia|publisher=Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Malaysia|access-date=12 October 2019|page=23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012035109/https://www.water.gov.my/jps/resources/auto%20download%20images/584130f6ea786.pdf|archive-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> Little effect of the southwest monsoon is felt in the Kinta Valley, although coastal areas of southern Perak occasionally experience [[thunderstorms]], heavy rain and strong, gusting winds in the predawn and early morning.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Frank Tinley Ingham|author2=Ernest Frederick Bradford|title=The Geology and Mineral Resources of the Kinta Valley, Perak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phXbAAAAMAAJ&q=northeast+monsoon+perak|year=1960|publisher=Federation of Malaya, Geological Survey.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/159178777.pdf|title=Wind Environment Evaluation on Major Town of Malaysia|author=Hafezatul Rasyidah Othman|journal=Faculty of Civil Engineering & Earth Resources, Universiti Malaysia Pahang|via=CORE|year=2010|pages=1–13 [2/24]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011053814/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/159178777.pdf|archive-date=11 October 2019}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Landscapes of Perak">
File:Mount Korbu.jpg|[[Mount Korbu]] with surrounding [[vegetation]]
File:Mirror Lake in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.jpg|Mirror Lake in Ipoh
File:Forest Brook in Tapah Hills, Perak, Malaysia.jpg|Forest Brook in Tapah Hills
File:Twilight in Lumut Beach, Perak, Malaysia.jpg|[[Twilight]] in Lumut Beach
</gallery>

=== Biodiversity ===
[[File:Belum Rainforest Resort Outdoor Walkway, Perak, Malaysia.jpg|thumb|Belum Rainforest Resort Outdoor Walkway on [[Banding Island]] in [[Temenggor Lake]]]]

The jungles of Perak are highly [[Biodiversity|biodiverse]]. The state's main natural park, [[Belum-Temengor|Royal Belum State Park]], covers an area of {{convert|117500|hectare|0|abbr=on}} in northern Perak. It contains 18 species of [[frog]] and [[toad]], 67 species of [[snake]], more than 132 species of [[beetle]], 28 species of [[cicada]], 97 species of [[moth]], and 41 species of [[dragonflies|dragonfly]] and [[damselflies|damselfly]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.gov.my/media/k2/Warisan%20Dunia/RBSP/RBSP.pdf|title=Royal Belum State Park|via=Department of National Heritage, Malaysia|access-date=12 October 2019|pages=5/9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012091056/http://www.heritage.gov.my/media/k2/Warisan%20Dunia/RBSP/RBSP.pdf|archive-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> The park was further gazetted as a National Heritage Site by the federal government in 2012, and was inscribed on the [[List of World Heritage Sites in Malaysia#Tentative list|World Heritage Site tentative list]] of [[UNESCO]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6176/|title=Royal Belum State Park|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|access-date=12 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012090510/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6176/|archive-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> Royal Belum State Park also hosts an estimated 304 [[bird]] species, including [[bird migration|migratory]] species, in addition to birds endemic to the three forest reserve areas of Pangkor Island.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-borneo-post/20180920/281943133795601|title=Birdwatching: An ecotourism potential|author=Ahmad Erwan Othman|newspaper=The Borneo Post|via=[[PressReader]]|date=20 September 2018|access-date=12 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.wildlife.gov.my/images/document/penerbitan/jurnal/JWP%202009-2010%20VOLUME%2026/JWP%202009-2010%20VOL%2026_10.pdf|title=A Checklist of Birds at Three Forest Reserves of Pangkor Island, Perak|author1=Rahmah Ilias|author2=Hamdon Tak|journal=Journal of Wildlife and Parks|via=Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Peninsular Malaysia|year=2010|access-date=12 October 2019|volume=XXVI|issue=26|pages=71–77|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012115222/http://www.wildlife.gov.my/images/document/penerbitan/jurnal/JWP%202009-2010%20VOLUME%2026/JWP%202009-2010%20VOL%2026_10.pdf|archive-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> Ten [[hornbill]] species are found within the area, including large flocks of the [[plain-pouched hornbill]]. Mammal species include the ''[[Seladang]]'', [[Asian elephant]], and [[Malayan tiger]]. The area is also notable for harbouring high concentrations of at least three ''[[Rafflesia]]'' species.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwf.org.my/about_wwf/what_we_do/forests_main/forest_protect/protect_projects/project_royal_belum/|title=Royal Belum|publisher=[[World Wide Fund for Nature]]|access-date=12 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012114429/http://www.wwf.org.my/about_wwf/what_we_do/forests_main/forest_protect/protect_projects/project_royal_belum/|archive-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> The Pulau Sembilan (Nine Islands) State Park in western Perak covers an area of {{convert|214800|hectare|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mybis.gov.my/pa/208|title=Pulau Sembilan|publisher=Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources of Malaysia|via=Malaysia Biodiversity Information System|access-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013101817/https://www.mybis.gov.my/pa/208|archive-date=13 October 2019}}</ref> Its [[coral reefs]] are home to [[coral reef fish]] species.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mpm.gov.my/ms/pelawat/destinasi-menarik/pulau-sembilan|title=Pulau Sembilan|trans-title=Nine Islands|language=ms|publisher=Manjung Municipal Council|access-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013102111/http://www.mpm.gov.my/ms/pelawat/destinasi-menarik/pulau-sembilan|archive-date=13 October 2019}}</ref> In addition, 173 freshwater fish species have been identified as native to the state.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Provisional checklist of freshwater fish diversity and distribution in Perak, Malaysia, and some latest taxonomic concerns|author1=Casey Keat Chuan Ng|author2=Teow Yeong Lim|author3=Amirrudin B. Ahmad|author4=Md Zain Khaironizam|journal=[[Zootaxa]]|year=2019|volume=4567|issue=3|pages=zootaxa.4567.3.5|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4567.3.5|pmid=31715885|s2cid=92400943}}</ref> Another natural attraction, the tin-mining ponds in Kinta District, was gazetted as a state park in 2016. The Kinta Nature Park, Perak's third state park, covers an area of {{convert|395.56|hectare|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2017/10/02/park-becomes-states-newest-treasure-kinta-nature-park-gazetted-as-a-nature-reserve/|title=Kinta Nature Park gazetted as a nature reserve|author=Amanda Yeap|work=The Star|date=2 October 2017|access-date=13 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bernama.com/state-news/berita.php?id=1619063|title=Kinta nature park never leased out|publisher=Bernama|date=25 July 2018|access-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013104222/http://www.bernama.com/state-news/berita.php?id=1619063|archive-date=13 October 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Kuhl's Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli) (8744026399).jpg|thumb|left|Kuhl's flying gecko (''[[Ptychozoon kuhli]]'') in Tapah Hills]]

The government of Perak has stated its commitment to protecting its forests to ensure the survival of [[endangered species|endangered wildlife]] species, and to protect biodiversity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2013/02/23/committed-to-protect-the-forests/|title=Committed to protect the forests|author=Fong Kee Soon|work=The Star|date=23 February 2013|access-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> The Perak Forestry Department is the state body responsible for forest management and preservation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perakforestry.gov.my/index.php/en/mengenai-jpnpk/maklumat-jabatan/perancangan-pengurusan-hutan.html|title=Forest Management & Planning|publisher=Perak State Forestry Department|access-date=14 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014024825/http://www.perakforestry.gov.my/index.php/en/mengenai-jpnpk/maklumat-jabatan/perancangan-pengurusan-hutan.html|archive-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> In 2013, the state planted some 10.9 million [[tree]]s under the "26 Million Tree Planting Campaign: One Citizen One Tree", associated with global [[Earth Day]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perakforestry.gov.my/index.php/en/mengenai-jpnpk/maklumat-perhutanan/tanaman-pokok.html|title=Tree Planting Program|publisher=Perak State Forestry Department|access-date=12 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012064036/http://www.perakforestry.gov.my/index.php/en/mengenai-jpnpk/maklumat-perhutanan/tanaman-pokok.html|archive-date=12 October 2019}}</ref>

Widespread conversion and reclamation of mangroves and [[mudflat]]s for economic and residential purposes has caused the rapid decline of shore birds, 86% of the reduction on the Malay Peninsula having occurred on Perak's coasts.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.kats.gov.my/ms-my/PustakaMedia/Penerbitan/A%20Common%20Vision%20on%20Biodiversity.pdf|title=A Common Vision on Biodiversity|publisher=Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources of Malaysia|year=2008|access-date=14 October 2019|page=7 (23/130)|isbn=978-983-42956-8-4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014033539/http://www.kats.gov.my/ms-my/PustakaMedia/Penerbitan/A%20Common%20Vision%20on%20Biodiversity.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> [[Poaching]] in forest reserve areas has caused a stark decline in [[mammal]] populations. The Perak State Park Corporation estimates that there were only 23 [[Malayan tiger]]s left within the state's two forest reserves of Royal Belum and Temenggor in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/08/04/only-23-tigers-left-in-royal-belum-temenggor/|title=Only 23 tigers left in Royal Belum, Temenggor|work=Bernama|publisher=The Borneo Post|date=4 August 2019|access-date=14 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014034832/https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/08/04/only-23-tigers-left-in-royal-belum-temenggor/|archive-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> The state government of Perak has also been blamed in part for destroying forest reserves for the lucrative [[timber|wood]] and [[palm oil]] businesses. Records since 2009 reveal that more than {{convert|9000|hectare|0|abbr=on}} of permanent forest reserves have been degazetted in the state, the latest occurring within the Bikam Permanent Forest Reserve in July 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.mongabay.com/2013/09/malaysia-clearcutting-forest-reserves-for-timber-and-palm-oil/|title=Malaysia clearcutting forest reserves for timber and palm oil|author=Jeremy Hance|publisher=Mongabay|date=26 September 2013|access-date=14 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014041206/https://news.mongabay.com/2013/09/malaysia-clearcutting-forest-reserves-for-timber-and-palm-oil/|archive-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> A number of business activities permitted by the state government have caused environmental damage, including to many of Perak's rivers, which require extensive water treatment because of severe pollution.<ref name="land-based pollution sources">{{cite journal|url=http://www.mima.gov.my/images/Land-based_pollution.pdf|title=Pollution from Land-Based Sources|author=Cheryl Rita Kaur|journal=Profile of the Straits of Malacca: Malaysia's Perspectives|via=Maritime Institute of Malaysia|access-date=14 October 2019|pages=129 & 140 (2 & 8)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014045826/http://www.mima.gov.my/images/Land-based_pollution.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/469561/sungai-raja-hitam-falls-under-class-four-needs-extensive-treatment|title=Sungai Raja Hitam falls under Class Four, needs extensive treatment|author=Zahratulhayat Mat Arif|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=15 March 2019|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/04/05/perak-sets-up-taskforce-to-handle-pollution-in-sungai-rui/|title=Perak sets up task force to handle pollution in Sungai Rui|author=Ili Aqilah|work=The Star|date=5 April 2019|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> Between 1982 and 1994, the state government was embroiled in a [[1982 Bukit Merah radioactive pollution#Background|radioactive environmental pollution controversy]] over the deaths of seven residents who suffered from [[birth defect]]s and [[leukaemia]] resulting from exposure. The factory involved was only closed and cleaned up following lengthy court action by affected residents and increasing international pressure. No responsibility has been accepted by the associated companies, the state government, or the federal government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/business/energy-environment/09rareside.html|title=Mitsubishi Quietly Cleans Up Its Former Refinery|author=Keith Bradsher|work=The New York Times|date=8 March 2011|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://consumer.org.my/chronology-of-events-in-the-bukit-merah-asian-rare-earth-development/|title=Chronology of events in the Bukit Merah Asian Rare Earth development|publisher=Penang Consumer Association|date=11 May 2011|access-date=14 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014043946/https://consumer.org.my/chronology-of-events-in-the-bukit-merah-asian-rare-earth-development/|archive-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> Although Perak has the highest number of mangrove reserves of the Malay Peninsula states, with 19 reserves in the mangroves of Matang,<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.um.edu.my/docs/librariesprovider7/working-papers/fea-wp-2003-002.pdf|title=Coastal Resource Development in Malaysia: Is There a Need for Sustainable Mangrove Forest Management?|author1=Jahara Yahaya|author2=Santha Chenayah Ramu|journal=FEA Working Paper No. 2003-2, Department of Development Studies Faculty of Economics & Administration and Department of Applied Economics Faculty of Economics & Administration|via=University of Malaya|year=2003|access-date=14 October 2019|pages=10 (11)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014053256/https://www.um.edu.my/docs/librariesprovider7/working-papers/fea-wp-2003-002.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> growing uncontrolled clearance of mangroves for [[aquaculture]] projects and residential areas is causing significant [[coastal erosion]] in addition to the damage resulting from [[climate change]].<ref name="land-based pollution sources"/>

== Government and politics ==
{{main|Perak State Executive Council|Perak State Legislative Assembly}}

{{see also|Malaysian State Assembly Representatives (2018-)#Perak|Politics of Malaysia|Order of precedence in Perak|Menteri Besar of Perak}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
| colspan=6 | [[File:DUN Perak GE15.svg|frameless|Perak State Assembly Composition]]
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Affiliation
! rowspan="2" |Coalition/Party Leader
! rowspan="2" |Status
! colspan="2" |Seats
|-
![[Perak state election, 2022|2022 election]]
!Current
|-
|{{Color box|#000080|border=darkgray}} <br /> {{Color box|#CC2200|border=darkgray}}
|[[Barisan Nasional]] <br /> [[Pakatan Harapan]]
|[[Saarani Mohammad]]
|Government
|33
|33
|-
|{{Color box|#000080|border=darkgray}}
|[[Perikatan Nasional]]
|[[Razman Zakaria]]
|[[Opposition (Malaysia)|Opposition]]
|26
|26
|-
! colspan="4" |Total
!59
!59
|-
! colspan="4" |Government majority
!7
!7
|}

[[File:Istana Iskandariah Bukit Chandan Kuala Kangsar.jpg|thumb|[[Istana Iskandariah|Iskandariah Palace]] on Chandan Hill, Kuala Kangsar]]

Perak is a [[constitutional monarchy]], with a ruler elected by an electoral college composed of the major chiefs.<ref>{{cite book|author=Abu Talib Ahmad|title=Museums, History and Culture in Malaysia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=krl1BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA242|date=10 October 2014|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-9971-69-819-5|pages=242–}}</ref> The sultan is the constitutional head of Perak. The current [[Sultan of Perak]] is [[Nazrin Shah of Perak|Nazrin Shah]], who acceded to the throne on 29 May 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2014/05/29/raja-nazrin-new-perak-sultan|title=Raja Nazrin Shah proclaimed new Perak Sultan|work=The Star|date=29 May 2014|access-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> The main royal palace is the [[Istana Iskandariah|Iskandariah Palace]] in Kuala Kangsar. Kinta Palace in Ipoh is used by the sultan as an occasional residence during official visits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/istana-iskandariah|title=Istana Iskandariah|publisher=National Archives of Malaysia|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203190315/http://www.arkib.gov.my/en/web/guest/istana-iskandariah|archive-date=3 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="Palaces of Perak">{{cite web|url=http://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/hubungi-kami/pejabat-d-y-m-m-sultan-perak-darul-ridzuan|title=Pejabat DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan|trans-title=The Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan's Office|language=ms|publisher=The Administration Office of His Majesty the Sultan of Perak|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427172107/http://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/hubungi-kami/pejabat-d-y-m-m-sultan-perak-darul-ridzuan|archive-date=27 April 2019}}</ref> Other palaces in Ipoh include the Al-Ridhuan Palace, Cempaka Sari Palace, and Firuz Palace.<ref name="Palaces of Perak"/>

The state government is headed by a ''[[List of Menteris Besar of Perak|Menteri Besar]]'' (Chief Minister), assisted by an 11-member [[Perak State Executive Council|Executive Council]] (Exco) selected from the members of the [[Perak State Legislative Assembly]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/menu-other-articles/1058-perak-state-exco-members-sworn-in-19-may-2018|title=Perak State Exco Members Sworn In|publisher=Government of Perak|date=19 May 2018|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015062206/https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/menu-other-articles/1058-perak-state-exco-members-sworn-in-19-may-2018|archive-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> The 59-seat Assembly is the legislative branch of Perak's government, responsible for making laws in matters regarding the state. It is based on the [[Westminster system]]. Members of the Assembly are elected by citizens every five years by [[universal suffrage]]. The Chief Minister is appointed on the basis of his or her ability to command a majority in the Assembly. The majority (33 seats) is currently held by [[Barisan Nasional]] (BN) and [[Pakatan Harapan]] (PH).

Prior to the major British overhaul of Perak's administration, [[slavery]] was widely practised along with a type of [[corvée]] labour system, called ''kerah''. The chief of a given area could call on his citizens to work as [[forced labour]] without pay, although under normal circumstances food was still provided.<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure"/><ref name="transformation of Perak under the British">{{cite journal|url=http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/9685/1/2007%20-From%20Natural%20Economy%20To%20Capitalism-The%20State%20And%20Economic%20Transformation%20In%20Perak%20Malaysia%20.pdf|title=From Natural Economy to Capitalism: the State and Economic Transformation in Perak, Malaysia c.1800-2000|author=Azrai Abdullah|journal=[[University of Hull]]|via=Universiti Teknologi Petronas|year=2007|pages=41–42|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016024512/http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/9685/1/2007%20-From%20Natural%20Economy%20To%20Capitalism-The%20State%20And%20Economic%20Transformation%20In%20Perak%20Malaysia%20.pdf|archive-date=16 October 2019}}</ref> The system was created to ensure the maintenance of the ruling class. It was often described as onerous and demanding, as there were times when the call to duty, and its duration, interfered with citizens' individual work.<ref name="transformation of Perak under the British"/> The slaves were divided into two classes: [[debt bondage|debtor-bondsmen]] and ordinary slaves. The debtor-bondsmen had the higher status, being ranked as free men and acknowledged as members of their masters' society. In contrast, the ordinary slaves had no prospect of status redemption. As Islam does not allow enslavement of fellow Muslims, the ordinary slaves came mainly from non-Muslim groups, especially the Orang Asli, [[Batak people|Batak]], and [[African people|Africans]] purchased by Malays on [[Hajj|pilgrimage]] in [[Mecca]].<ref name="Duncan2008"/><ref name="transformation of Perak under the British"/>

=== State administration issues and subsequent 2009 constitutional crisis ===
{{main|2009 Perak constitutional crisis|Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin v Zambry Abdul Kadir}}

The opposition [[Pakatan Rakyat]] (PR) coalition won in Perak in the [[Malaysian general election, 2008|2008 general election]]. Although the [[Democratic Action Party]] (DAP) had won the most seats of the opposition parties, [[Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin]] of the [[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]] (PAS) was appointed ''Menteri Besar'' of the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/3/12/election2008/20080312174629&sec=Election2008|title=State PAS secretary made Perak Mentri Besar|work=The Star|date=12 March 2008|access-date=12 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201151207/http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F3%2F12%2Felection2008%2F20080312174629&sec=Election2008|archive-date=1 February 2009}}</ref> This happened because the state constitution states that the ''Menteri Besar'' must be a [[Muslim]], unless the sultan specially appoints a non-Muslim to the office.<ref name="BernauerBochsler2014">{{cite book|author1=Julian Bernauer|author2=Daniel Bochsler|author3=Rogers Brubaker|author4=Magdalena Dembinska|author5=Fulya Memisoglu|author6=Karolina Prasad|author7=Antoine Roger|author8=Edina Szöcsik|author9=Hanna Vasilevich|author10=Doris Wydra|author11=Christina Isabel Zuber|title=New Nation-States and National Minorities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SxePBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA142|date=3 March 2014|publisher=ECPR Press|isbn=978-1-907301-86-5|pages=142–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/politics-and-policy-storm-brewing-perak|title=Politics and Policy: Storm brewing in Perak|author=Mohsin Abdullah|publisher=The Edge Markets|date=5 April 2019|access-date=15 October 2019|quote=According to the state constitution, the menteri besar must be a Malay Muslim.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015081448/https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/politics-and-policy-storm-brewing-perak|archive-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> As the DAP did not have any Muslim assemblymen in Perak at that time, the ''Menteri Besar'' had to come from one of its two allied parties, the [[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]] (PKR) or the PAS.<ref name="BernauerBochsler2014"/> However, the national ruling party, [[Barisan Nasional]] (BN), gained control over the state government administration when three PR assemblymen, [[Hee Yit Foong]] ([[Jelapang (state constituency)|Jelapang]]), Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi ([[Behrang (state constituency)|Behrang]]), and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu ([[Changkat Jering (state constituency)|Changkat Jering]]) defected to the BN as independent assemblymen during the crisis, on 3 February 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mstar.com.my/lokal/semasa/2009/02/04/pakatan-rakyat-perak-tumbang-bn-bentuk-kerajaan|title=Pakatan Rakyat Perak tumbang, BN bentuk kerajaan|trans-title=Perak Pakatan Rakyat collapsed, BN form the government|author=Zanariah Abdul Mutalib|language=ms|publisher=mStar|date=4 February 2009|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015071510/https://www.mstar.com.my/lokal/semasa/2009/02/04/pakatan-rakyat-perak-tumbang-bn-bentuk-kerajaan|archive-date=15 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Kee Thuan Chye|title=March 8: Time for Real Change|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MeKIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA44|date=2 October 2010|publisher=Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd|isbn=978-981-4382-81-6|pages=44–}}</ref> A statement from the office of the Sultan of Perak urged the PR ''Menteri Besar'' to resign, but also refused to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly, which would have triggered new elections.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mstar.com.my/lokal/semasa/2010/02/09/kronologi-krisis-politik-perak/|title=Kronologi Krisis Politik Perak|trans-title=Chronology of the Perak Political Crisis|language=ms|publisher=mStar|date=9 February 2009|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015075040/https://www.mstar.com.my/lokal/semasa/2010/02/09/kronologi-krisis-politik-perak/|archive-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> Amid multiple protests, lawsuits and arrests, a new BN-led Assembly was sworn in on 7 May. The takeover was then ruled illegal by the [[High Courts (Malaysia)|High Court]] in Kuala Lumpur, on 11 May 2009, restoring power to the PR.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSKLR437912|title=Malaysia court rules opposition runs Perak state|author1=David Chance|author2=Razak Ahmad|author3=Soo Ai Peng|author4=Julie Goh|author5=Bill Tarrant|work=Reuters|date=11 May 2009|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015075610/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKLR437912|archive-date=15 October 2019}}</ref><ref name="Ooi2010">{{cite book|author=Kee Beng Ooi|title=Between UMNO and a Hard Place: The Najib Razak Era Begins|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yrubOb-42rIC&pg=PA37|year=2010|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian|isbn=978-981-4311-28-1|pages=37–}}</ref> The following day, the [[Court of Appeal of Malaysia]] suspended the High Court ruling pending a new Court of Appeal judgement. On 22 May 2009, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's decision and returned power to the BN. Many opposition party supporters believed that the crisis was effectively a "power grab", in which the democratically elected government was ousted through the political machinations of the more dominant national ruling party.<ref name="Ooi2010"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/why-give-raja-nazrin-space-lucius-goon/|title=Why give Raja Nazrin space?|author=Lucius Goon|newspaper=The Malaysian Insider|date=11 June 2012|access-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613182537/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/why-give-raja-nazrin-space-lucius-goon/|archive-date=13 June 2012}}</ref>

=== Departments ===
* Perak State Finance Office<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kewangan.perak.gov.my/index.php/ms/|title=LAMAN UTAMA|website=PKN|date=13 March 2023 }}</ref>
* Perak Irrigation and Drainage Department<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jps.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/|title=The Official Portal of The Perak State Department of Irrigation And Drainage|website=jps.perak.gov.my}}</ref>
* Perak State Forestry Department<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://perakforestry.gov.my/|title=Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Perak - Utama|website=perakforestry.gov.my}}</ref>
* Perak Social Welfare Department<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jkm.gov.my/jkm/index.php?r=negeri/index&negeri=PRK&id=blJOc0dyYkF0eHlqUCtGTTBQR2Z0Zz09|title=Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat|website=www.jkm.gov.my}}</ref>
* Perak Syariah Judiciary Department<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://syariah.perak.gov.my/|title=Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Perak - Laman Utama|website=syariah.perak.gov.my}}</ref>
* Perak Public Works Department<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jkrperak.gov.my/|title=Selamat Datang Ke Laman Web Rasmi Jabatan Kerja Raya Negeri Perak|website=jkrperak.gov.my}}</ref>
* Perak State Islamic Religious Affairs Department<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jaipk.perak.gov.my/|title=Portal Rasmi Jabatan Islam Perak|access-date=18 December 2021|archive-date=8 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208094925/http://jaipk.perak.gov.my/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Perak Public Service Commission<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://spa.perak.gov.my/|title=SPA PERAK|website=spa.perak.gov.my|access-date=18 December 2021|archive-date=21 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121194216/https://spa.perak.gov.my/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Perak State Agriculture Department<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pertanianperak.gov.my/|title=Jabatan Pertanian Negeri Perak|website=www.pertanianperak.gov.my}}</ref>
* Office of Lands and Mines Perak<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ptg.perak.gov.my/portal/|title=PTG Perak|access-date=18 December 2021|archive-date=16 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230916064131/https://ptg.perak.gov.my/portal/}}</ref>
* Perak State Mufti Office<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mufti.Perak.gov.my/|title=Portal Rasmi Jabatan Mufti Kedah Darul Aman|website=mufti.perak.gov.my}}</ref>
* Perak Town and Country Planning Department<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://planmalaysia.perak.gov.my/|title=Portal Rasmi PLANMalaysia@Perak|website=Portal Rasmi PLANMalaysia@Perak (Perancangan Bandar Dan Desa Perak Darul Ridzuan)}}</ref>
* Department of Veterinary Services of Perak<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpvpk.gov.my/|title=Jabatan Perkhidmatan Veterinar Negeri Perak - Laman Utama|website=www.jpvpk.gov.my}}</ref>

=== Statutory bodies ===
* Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maiamp.gov.my/|title=Portal Rasmi Majlis Agama Islam & 'Adat Melayu Perak}}</ref>
* Perak State Public Library Corporation<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ppanpk.gov.my/|title=Perbadanan Perpustakaan Awam Negeri Perak|website=www.ppanpk.gov.my}}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{main|List of districts in Malaysia|List of local governments in Malaysia}}

Perak is divided into 12 [[Districts of Malaysia|districts]] (''daerah''), 81 ''[[mukim]]s'', and 15 local governments.<ref name="UPI">{{cite web|url=https://www.mygeoportal.gov.my/sites/default/files/UPI/KOD%20DAN%20NAMA%20SEMPADAN%20PENTADBIRAN%20TANAH_PERAK.pdf|title=Kod Dan Nama Sempadan Pentadbiran Tanah|trans-title=Land Administration Boundary Code And Name|language=ms|publisher=Centre for Geospatial Data Infrastructure, Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources of Malaysia|year=2011|access-date=18 October 2019|pages=1–49 [1/55]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018040107/https://www.mygeoportal.gov.my/sites/default/files/UPI/KOD%20DAN%20NAMA%20SEMPADAN%20PENTADBIRAN%20TANAH_PERAK.pdf|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/citizen/agency-links/local-authorities|title=Local Authorities|publisher=Government of Perak|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018040522/https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/citizen/agency-links/local-authorities|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> There are district officers for each district and a village chief (''ketua kampung'' or ''[[penghulu]]'') for each village in the district. Before the British arrived, Perak was run by a group of relatives and friends of the sultan who held rights to collect taxes and duties.<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure"/> The British developed a more organised administration following Perak's integration into the [[Federated Malay States]] (FMS). The FMS government created two institutions, the State Council and the Malay Administrative Service (MAS).<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure"/> The two institutions encouraged direct Malay participation and gave the former ruling class a place in the new administrative structure. Most of the sultan's district chiefs removed from authority at that time were given new positions in the State Council, although their influence was restricted to Malay social matters raised in council business. The sultan and the district chiefs were compensated for their loss of tax revenue with a monthly allowance from the state treasury.<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure"/>

The role of the local ''penghulus'' changed considerably when they were appointed no longer by the sultan but by the British Resident.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Penghulus in Perak and Selangor: The Rationalization and Decline of a Traditional Malay Office|author=Paul H. Kratoska|journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=1984|volume=57|issue=2|pages=31–59|jstor=41492983}}</ref> Colonial land policy introduced individual landholding, thereby making land a commodity, and the ''penghulu'' were then involved in matters relating to this property.<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure"/> The Perak State Council was established in 1875 to assist the British Resident in most administrative matters. It also brought together the Malay chiefs and Chinese leaders (''[[Kapitan Cina]]'') to deal with certain administrative issues relating to Perak's growing Malay and Chinese populations.<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure"/> The State Council also helped provide education and training to assist Malays in qualifying for government positions. When the post of the FMS Resident was abolished, other European-held administrative posts were gradually occupied by local appointees. As in the rest of Malaysia, local government comes under the purview of state government.<ref name="transformation of Perak's political and economic structure"/>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:90%; font-size:smaller; text-align:center"
|-
! colspan=7 | '''Administrative divisions of Perak'''
|-
| rowspan=15 style="font-size:larger" | {{Perak Labelled Map}}
|-
! UPI code<ref name="UPI"/>
! [[Districts of Malaysia|Districts]]
! Population<br />(2010 census)<ref name="total population"/>
! Area<br />(km2)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instun.gov.my/index.php/en/docman/capaian/1209-draf-rancangan-struktur-negeri-perak-2040/file|title=Rancangan Struktur Negeri Perak 2040 (Jadual 1.2: Senarai Daerah Di Negeri Perak)|trans-title=Perak State Structure Plan 2040 (Table 1.2: List of Districts In Perak State)|publisher=National Institute of Land and Survey of Malaysia|pages=1–10 [30/194]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025062708/https://www.instun.gov.my/index.php/en/docman/capaian/1209-draf-rancangan-struktur-negeri-perak-2040/file|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref>
! Seat
! Mukims
|-
! 0801
! [[Batang Padang District|Batang Padang]]
| 123,600
| 1,794.18
| [[Tapah]]
| 4
|-
! 0802
! [[Manjung District|Manjung]]
| 227,071
| 1,113.58
| [[Seri Manjung]]
| 5
|-
! 0803
! [[Kinta District|Kinta]]
| 749,474
| 1,305
| [[Batu Gajah]]
| 5
|-
! 0804
! [[Kerian District|Kerian]]
| 176,975
| 921.47
| [[Parit Buntar]]
| 8
|-
! 0805
! [[Kuala Kangsar District|Kuala Kangsar]]
| 155,592
| 2,563.61
| [[Kuala Kangsar]]
| 9
|-
! 0806
! [[Larut, Matang and Selama District|Larut, Matang and Selama]]
| 326,476
| 2,112.61
| [[Taiping, Perak|Taiping]]
| 14
|-
! 0807
! [[Hilir Perak District|Hilir Perak]]
| 128,179
| 792.07
| [[Teluk Intan]]
| 5
|-
! 0808
! [[Hulu Perak District|Hulu Perak]]
| 89,926
| 6,560.43
| [[Gerik]]
| 10
|- style="background:#EEEEEE;
! ''0809''
! ''[[Selama]]''
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
| 3
|-
! 0810
! [[Perak Tengah District|Perak Tengah]]
| 99,854
| 1,279.46
| [[Seri Iskandar]]
| 12
|-
! 0811
! [[Kampar District|Kampar]]
| 96,303
| 669.8
| [[Kampar, Perak|Kampar]]
| 2
|-
! 0812
! [[Muallim District|Muallim]]
| 69,639
| 934.35
| [[Tanjung Malim]]
| 3
|-
! 0813
! [[Bagan Datuk District|Bagan Datuk]]
| 70,300
| 951.52
| [[Bagan Datuk]]
| 4
|-
| colspan=7 style="text-align:left" | Note: Population data for Hilir Perak, Bagan Datuk, Batang Padang, and Muallim are based on district land office data. Selama is an autonomous sub-district (''daerah kecil'') under Larut, Matang and Selama.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pdtselama.perak.gov.my/profil/piagam-pelanggan/geografi|title=Laman Web Pejabat Daerah Dan Tanah - Geografi|website=pdtselama.perak.gov.my|access-date=29 October 2019|archive-date=29 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229184231/http://pdtselama.perak.gov.my/profil/piagam-pelanggan/geografi|url-status=dead}}</ref> Most districts and sub-districts have a single local government, excepting Hulu Perak and Kinta, respectively divided into three (Gerik, Lenggong and Pengkalan Hulu), and two (Batu Gajah and Ipoh) local councils. Bagan Datuk remains under the jurisdiction of Teluk Intan council.
|}

On 26 November 2015, it was announced that the [[Batang Padang District]] sub-district of Tanjung Malim would become Perak's 11th district, to be called [[Muallim District|Muallim]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2015/11/27/new-district-in-perak-muallim-district-to-be-declared-the-11th-in-the-state-in-conjunction-with-sult|title=Muallim is new district in Perak|author=Chan Li Leen|work=The Star|date=27 November 2015|access-date=16 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ptg.perak.gov.my/ptgperak/index.php/en/280-arkib-buletin/448-11-januari-2016-muallim-daerah-kesebelas-negeri-perak|title=Muallim the Eleventh District of Perak State|publisher=Office of the Director of Land and Mines Perak|date=11 January 2016|access-date=16 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016044637/https://ptg.perak.gov.my/ptgperak/index.php/en/280-arkib-buletin/448-11-januari-2016-muallim-daerah-kesebelas-negeri-perak|archive-date=16 October 2019}}</ref> Sultan Nazrin officiated at its formal creation on 11 January 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/01/121608/muallim-now-peraks-11th-district|title=Muallim is now Perak's 11th district|author=M. Hamzah Jamaludin|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=11 January 2016|access-date=16 October 2019}}</ref> On 9 January 2017, the sultan proclaimed [[Bagan Datuk District|Bagan Datuk]] the 12th district of the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prk.icu.gov.my/v3/index.php/ms/info-sdo/aktiviti-pppn/312-bagan-datuk-daerah-ke12|title=Pengisytiharan Rasmi Bagan Datuk Sebagai Daerah Baru|trans-title=Official Declaration of Bagan Datuk As a New District|language=ms|publisher=Federal Development Office of Perak State|date=9 January 2017|access-date=16 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016045248/http://www.prk.icu.gov.my/v3/index.php/en/sdo-info/activity-archive/312-bagan-datuk-daerah-ke12|archive-date=16 October 2019}}</ref> The proclamation marked the start of transformation for the district, one of the biggest [[coconut]] producers in Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/01/10/bagan-datuk-is-now-peraks-12th-district-zahid-rm13bil-allotted-for-its-development/|title=Bagan Datuk is now Perak's 12th district|work=The Star|date=10 January 2017|access-date=16 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/01/205952/transforming-bagan-datuk|title=Transforming Bagan Datuk|author=Nuradzimmah Daim|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=21 January 2017|access-date=16 October 2019}}</ref>

== Economy ==
<!--Should category into Three-sector model-->
{{Pie chart
| caption=Perak GDP Share by Sector (2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=102&bul_id=VS9Gckp1UUpKQUFWS1JHUnJZS2xzdz09&menu_id=TE5CRUZCblh4ZTZMODZIbmk2aWRRQT09|title=GDP By State (2010–2016)|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|date=6 September 2017|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804081413/https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column%2FcthemeByCat&cat=102&bul_id=VS9Gckp1UUpKQUFWS1JHUnJZS2xzdz09&menu_id=TE5CRUZCblh4ZTZMODZIbmk2aWRRQT09|archive-date=4 August 2018}}</ref>
| label1 = Services
| value1 = 60.9
| color1 = #000080
| label2 = Manufacturing
| value2 = 18.5
| color2 = #800080
| label3 = Agriculture
| value3 = 16.1
| color3 = #008000
| label4 = Construction
| value4 = 4.0
| color4 = #808000
}}
[[File:Fishing village in Kuala Sepetang, Perak, Malaysia.jpg|thumb|left|[[Fishing village]] in [[Kuala Sepetang]] illuminated by lamps during the [[blue hour]]. Agriculture, especially [[freshwater fish]] and [[freshwater prawn farming|prawn farming]], is a major economic sector in Perak, along with services and manufacturing.]]

From the 1980s on, Perak began an economic transition away from the [[Primary sector of the economy|primary sector]], where for decades income was generated by the [[tin mining]] industry.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Economy of Perak in the Mid-1870s|author=John Gullick|journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|year=2010|volume=83|issue=2|pages=27–46|doi=10.1353/ras.2010.a405050 |jstor=41493778|s2cid=154308185 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/1226/1/Muhammad_Afiq_Ziekry_Bin_Mohd_Shukry.pdf|title=Chapter 1 (Introduction – Background Study)|author=Muhammad Afiq Ziekry Mohd Shukry|via=Universiti Teknologi Petronas|access-date=18 October 2019|quote=Most of the abandon tin mine sites has been converted to agricultural land due the closing of tin industry in Perak around 1980s.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018073022/http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/1226/1/Muhammad_Afiq_Ziekry_Bin_Mohd_Shukry.pdf|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> Early in 2006, the state government established the Perak Investment Management Centre (InvestPerak) to serve as the contact point for investors in the [[manufacturing]] and [[service (economics)|services]] sectors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.investperak.gov.my/|title=Home|publisher=InvestPerak Malaysia|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> The state's economy today relies mainly on the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/pdfPrev&id=OFN3NkVtT0xGWU1wQ1Y1YnRPNXRUQT09|title=GDP By State (2010–2014)|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|access-date=18 October 2019|page=2 and 5|format=PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804072828/https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column%2FpdfPrev&id=OFN3NkVtT0xGWU1wQ1Y1YnRPNXRUQT09|archive-date=4 August 2018}}</ref> In 2017, the [[tourism industry]] contributed [[Malaysian ringgit|RM]]201.4 billion (14.9%) to the state [[gross domestic product]] (GDP).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=1668175|title=Deputy YDP Agong launches Perak Museum's 135th anniversary|publisher=Bernama|date=24 November 2018|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018074448/http://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=1668175|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref>

Through the [[Eleventh Malaysia Plan]] (11MP), the state has set targets under its five-year 2016–2020 development plan, including economic development corridor targets for Southern Perak.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fmm.org.my/Perak-@-State_News-@-Perak_State_Government_5_Year_Development_Plan_-_11th_Malaysia_Plan_(2016_to_2020).aspx|title=Perak State Government 5 Year Development Plan - 11th Malaysia Plan (2016 to 2020)|publisher=Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018080045/https://www.fmm.org.my/Perak-@-State_News-@-Perak_State_Government_5_Year_Development_Plan_-_11th_Malaysia_Plan_(2016_to_2020).aspx|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> Perak has several development corridors, with a different focus for each district.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/19-perak-gov|title=Perak Government Development Corridor|publisher=Government of Perak|date=27 May 2016|access-date=19 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019081001/https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/19-perak-gov|archive-date=19 October 2019}}</ref> A 20-year masterplan was also formulated in 2017 to drive economic development in the state, with a development value of up to RM30 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://themalaysianreserve.com/2017/08/07/perak-drive-economy-new-blueprint/|title=Perak to drive economy with new blueprint|work=Bernama|publisher=The Malaysian Reserve|date=7 August 2017|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018080633/https://themalaysianreserve.com/2017/08/07/perak-drive-economy-new-blueprint/|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref>

In the first quarter of 2018, the state received a total of RM249.8 million in investments. A year later, investments in the first quarter of 2019 had increased to RM1.43 billion. Perak ranks fifth after [[Penang]], Kedah, [[Johor]] and Selangor in total value of investments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bernama.com/state-news/berita.php?id=1738048|title=Perak records RM1.43 bln investments for Jan-March 2019|publisher=Bernama|date=22 June 2019|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018074852/http://www.bernama.com/state-news/berita.php?id=1738048|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> In 2018, investments of RM1.9 billion were planned for the implementation of a range of manufacturing projects and associated factory construction from 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2018/10/04/perak-attracts-almost-rm2-billion-worth-of-investments/|title=Perak attracts almost RM2 billion worth of investments|work=Bernama|publisher=The Borneo Post|date=4 October 2018|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018081231/https://www.theborneopost.com/2018/10/04/perak-attracts-almost-rm2-billion-worth-of-investments/|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref>

Since 2005, Perak has made efforts to remain the biggest [[agricultural]] producer in Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2005/11/16/perak-aims-to-remain-tops-in-farming|title=Perak aims to remain tops in farming|work=The Star|date=16 November 2005|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> In 2008, the state sought to legalise the [[freshwater prawn farming|prawn-farming]] industry, mostly located in western Perak with some activity in [[Tanjung Tualang]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2008/11/16/perak-to-legalise-prawnfarming-industry|title=Perak to legalise prawn-farming industry|author=Chan Li Leen|work=The Star|date=16 November 2008|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2008/11/17/bid-to-legalise-prawn-farming-industry/|title=Bid to legalise prawn farming industry|work=The Star|date=17 November 2008|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2015/11/09/peraks-prawn-town-sleepy-town-of-tanjung-tualang-a-popular-destination-for-seafoodloving-tourists|title=Tanjung Tualang: Perak's prawn town|author=Ivan Loh|work=The Star|date=9 November 2015|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> In 2016, some 17,589 young people in Perak were involved in implementing a range of state initiatives in Perak's agriculture sector.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/04/138946/17589-youths-perak-venture-agriculture-sector-2015|title=17,589 youths in Perak venture into agriculture sector as of 2015|work=Bernama|publisher=New Straits Times|date=13 April 2016|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> In 2019, the Perak State Agriculture Development Corporation (SADC) launched the Perak AgroValley Project to increase the state's agricultural production. This initiative covers an area of {{convert|1,983.68|hectare|0|abbr=on}} in the Bukit Sapi Mukim Lenggong region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bernama.com/state-news/berita.php?id=1737471|title=Perak SADC to initiate RM1 billion Agrovalley project|publisher=Bernama|date=20 June 2016|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621000512/http://www.bernama.com/state-news/berita.php?id=1737471|archive-date=21 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/menu-other-articles/1539-perak-committed-to-be-a-major-contributor-to-country-s-agriculture-sector-28-september-2019|title=Perak Committed To Be A Major Contributor To Country's Agriculture Sector|publisher=Government of Perak|date=28 September 2019|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018090929/https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/menu-other-articles/1539-perak-committed-to-be-a-major-contributor-to-country-s-agriculture-sector-28-september-2019|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> Most of Perak's abandoned tin mine lakes provide suitable environments for the breeding of [[freshwater fish]]. 65% of abandoned mines have been used for fisheries production, with 30% of the fish exported to neighbouring [[Singapore]] and Indonesia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://perakbiz-route.com.my/perak-biz-route-en/associations-en/malaysia-arowana-fans-club-2/|title=Supplying 80% of national market Storehouse of aqua food|work=霹雳商通国际特刊 |publisher=Perak Biz-Route|date=7 September 2015|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> To further improve agricultural productivity and meet increasing demand, the state plans to expand the permanent cultivation of [[vegetable farming|vegetables]], [[floriculture|flowers]], coconut, [[palm oil]], [[durian]], and [[mango]], in different areas throughout Perak.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://perakbiz-route.com.my/perak-biz-route-en/focus-en/datuk-saarani-mohamad-2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018114231/http://perakbiz-route.com.my/perak-biz-route-en/focus-en/datuk-saarani-mohamad-2/|archive-date=18 October 2019|title=Versatile agricultural policies to meet escalating demands|publisher=Perak Biz-Route|date=7 September 2015|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> The construction sector accounted for 5.6% of Perak's economic growth in 2015, dropping to 4.0% the following year. Development and [[public housing|housing projects]] represented the sector's major contribution to the state's economic growth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iproperty.com.my/news/major-contributor-to-peraks-gdp-construction-sector/|title=Major Contributor to Perak's GDP: Construction sector|publisher=iProperty.com.my|date=17 January 2017|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref>

=== Tourism ===
{{see also|List of tourist attractions in Perak}}
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 300
| align             = right
| image1            = Kellie's Castle 01.jpg
| image2            = Menera Condong Teluk Intan - panoramio.jpg
| image3            = Istana kenangan.jpg
| image4            = Istana Ulu Kuala Kangsar.jpg
| footer            = Historic architecture of Perak, clockwise from top right: [[Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan]], [[Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery]], [[Perak Royal Museum]], [[Kellie's Castle]]
}}

The tertiary sector is Perak's main economic sector. In 2018, the state was the second most popular destination for [[domestic tourism|domestic tourists]] in Malaysia, after the state of [[Pahang]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/07/10/tourism-numbers-up-state-official-reports-visitor-statistics-for-2017|title=Perak is No 2 for local tourists|author=Manjit Kaur|work=The Star|date=10 July 2018|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> Perak's attractions include the royal town of Kuala Kangsar and its iconic buildings, such as the Iskandariah Palace, Pavilion Square Tower, [[Perak Royal Museum]], [[Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery]], and [[Ubudiah Mosque]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2005/09/22/royal-town-steeped-in-history-and-tradition_1|title=Royal town steeped in history and tradition|author1=Chan Li Leen|author2=Zabidi Tusin|work=The Star|date=22 September 2005|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/02/212937/royal-town-kuala-kangsar|title=The royal town of Kuala Kangsar|author=David Bowden|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=16 February 2017|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.star2.com/travel/malaysia/2017/09/19/exploring-kuala-kangsar-peraks-royal-town/|title=Exploring Kuala Kangsar, Perak's royal town|author=Ming Teoh|publisher=Star2.com|date=19 September 2017|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025012549/https://www.star2.com/travel/malaysia/2017/09/19/exploring-kuala-kangsar-peraks-royal-town/|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> The British colonial legacy in Perak includes the Birch Memorial Clock Tower, Ipoh High Court, Ipoh railway station, Ipoh Town Hall and Old Post Office, [[Kellie's Castle]], Majestic Station Hotel, [[Malay College Kuala Kangsar]], [[Bukit Larut|Maxwell Hill]] (Bukit Larut), [[Perak Museum|Perak State Museum]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmm.gov.my/en/museum/perak-museum|title=Perak Museum|publisher=Department of Museums Malaysia|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> Royal Ipoh Club, St. John Church, and Taiping Lake Gardens.<ref name="Ipoh architecture">{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/malaysia/articles/the-most-beautiful-architecture-in-ipoh-malaysia/|title=The Most Beautiful Architecture in Ipoh, Malaysia|author=Sam Bedford|publisher=Culture Trip|date=22 May 2018|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-date=9 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209042304/https://theculturetrip.com/asia/malaysia/articles/the-most-beautiful-architecture-in-ipoh-malaysia|url-status=dead}}</ref> The historical events of the local Malay struggle are remembered in the [[Pasir Salak Historical Complex]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://muzium.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/museums/pasir-salak-historical-complex|title=Pasir Salak Historical Complex|publisher=Perak State Museum Board|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705055921/http://muzium.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/museums/pasir-salak-historical-complex|archive-date=5 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/focus/2017/11/13/more-than-just-about-birch-and-maharaja-lela-kampung-gajah-a-mustsee-for-tourists-as-it-is-steeped-i|title=More than just about Birch and Maharaja Lela|author=Chan Li Leen|work=The Star|date=13 November 2017|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> There are also several historical ethnic Chinese landmarks, mainly in Ipoh, the capital. They include the Darul Ridzuan Museum building,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://muzium.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/museums/darul-ridzuan-museum|title=Darul Ridzuan Museum|publisher=Perak State Museum Board|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706110923/http://muzium.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/museums/darul-ridzuan-museum|archive-date=6 July 2018}}</ref> a former wealthy Chinese tin miner's mansion; Han Chin Pet Soo, a former club for Hakka miners and haven of shadowy activities;<ref name="Ipoh architecture"/> and the [[Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mpti.gov.my/en/visitors/places-interest/menara-condong|title=Menara Condong|work=Official Portal of Teluk Intan Municipal Council (MPTI) |date=18 January 2016 |trans-title=Leaning Tower|publisher=Teluk Intan Municipal Council|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025032257/http://www.mpti.gov.my/en/visitors/places-interest/menara-condong|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Road bridge passing the Royal Belum Rainforest, Perak, Malaysia.jpg|thumb|left|Road bridge passing the Royal Belum Rainforest during blue hour]]

The state also contains a number of natural attractions, including [[bird sanctuaries]], [[cave]]s, forest reserves, islands, limestone cliffs, mountains, and white sandy beaches. Among the natural sites are [[Banding Island]], [[Belum-Temengor]] Forest Reserve,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://belum.com.my/|title=Living tale of nature|publisher=Belum Temenggor|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> Kek Lok Tong Cave Temple and Zen Gardens,<ref name="Ipoh nature attractions">{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/malaysia/articles/8-gorgeous-natural-sights-near-ipoh-malaysia/|title=8 Gorgeous Natural Sights near Ipoh, Malaysia|author=Sam Bedford|publisher=Culture Trip|date=23 May 2018|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-date=12 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241112205648/https://theculturetrip.com/asia/malaysia/articles/8-gorgeous-natural-sights-near-ipoh-malaysia|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kinta Nature Park,<ref name="Ipoh nature attractions"/> Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve, Mount Yong Belar,<ref name="Ipoh nature attractions"/> Pangkor Island,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/malaysia/articles/how-to-travel-to-pangkor-island/|title=How to Travel to Pangkor Island|author=Sam Bedford|publisher=Culture Trip|date=18 July 2018|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-date=29 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529212024/https://theculturetrip.com/asia/malaysia/articles/how-to-travel-to-pangkor-island|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Tempurung Cave]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mdkampar.gov.my/en/visitors/places-interest/tempurung-cave|title=Tempurung Cave|publisher=Kampar District Council|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025020655/http://www.mdkampar.gov.my/en/visitors/places-interest/tempurung-cave|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> and Ulu Kinta Forest Reserve.<ref name="Ipoh nature attractions"/> Recreational attractions include the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat,<ref name="Perak recreational parks">{{cite web|url=https://visitperak.com.my/category/nature/page/2/|title=Category: Nature|publisher=Visit Perak|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> D. R Seenivasagam Recreational Park,<ref name="Perak's garden city">{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2005/09/08/welcome-to-peraks-garden-city/|title=Welcome to Perak's garden city|author1=V. P. Sujata|author2=Lew Yong Kan|author3=Zabidi Tusin|work=The Star|date=8 September 2005|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> Gaharu Tea Valley Gopeng,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaharu.com.my/|title=Home|publisher=Gaharu Tea Valley Gopeng|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> Go Chin Pomelo Nature Park,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/focus/2017/12/15/thriving-in-tambun-the-humble-pomelo-is-synonymous-with-this-small-town-and-grows-well-on-former-min/|title=Thriving in Tambun|author=Foong Pek Yee|work=The Star|date=15 December 2017|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> Gunung Lang Recreational Park,<ref name="Ipoh nature attractions"/> Kinta Riverfront Walk,<ref name="Perak recreational parks"/> Kuala Woh Jungle Park,<ref name="Perak recreational parks"/> Lang Mountain,<ref name="Perak recreational parks"/> [[Lost World of Tambun]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sunwaylostworldoftambun.com/|title=Home|publisher=Sunway Lost World of Tambun|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> My Gopeng Resort,<ref name="Perak recreational parks"/> Perak Herbal Garden,<ref name="Perak recreational parks"/> Sultan Abdul Aziz Recreational Park, and Sungai Klah Hot Spring Park.<ref name="Perak's garden city"/>

== Infrastructure ==
[[File:Downtown Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.jpg|thumb|Old and new infrastructure in capital city [[Ipoh]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2015/08/26/ipoh-going-through-a-transformation-the-number-of-tall-buildings-in-the-city-on-the-rise|title=Ipoh going through a transformation|author=Ivan Loh|work=The Star|date=26 August 2015|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>]]

Perak has a 2016–2020 state government development plan. A Development Fund amounting to RM397,438,000 was approved by the State Legislative Assembly in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2015/11/24/perak-state-assembly-passes-state-budget-2016/1010581|title=Perak state assembly passes State Budget 2016|work=Bernama|publisher=The Malay Mail|date=24 November 2015|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021023553/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2015/11/24/perak-state-assembly-passes-state-budget-2016/1010581|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> The 2018 Budget allocated Perak a further RM1.176 billion, of which RM421.28 million was earmarked for development expenditure, and RM755.59 million for management costs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/menu-other-articles/918-perak-allocates-rm1-17-billion-for-budget-2018-21-november-2017|title=Perak Allocates RM1.17 Billion For Budget 2018|publisher=Government of Perak|date=21 November 2017|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021025825/https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/menu-other-articles/918-perak-allocates-rm1-17-billion-for-budget-2018-21-november-2017|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/11/306282/perak-allocates-rm12b-budget|title=Perak allocates RM1.2b for budget|author=Nuradzimmah Daim|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=22 November 2017|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> In addition to attracting investors, the state government is working to improve and build new infrastructure. The new government elected in 2018 announced its intention to continue development projects initiated by the previous government for all districts in Perak.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/12/437073/perak-govt-continue-projects-previous-administration-says-mb|title=Perak govt to continue projects by previous administration, says MB|author=Zahratulhayat Mat Arif|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=4 December 2018|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>

=== Energy and water resources ===
Electricity distribution in Perak is operated and managed by the [[Tenaga Nasional Berhad]] (TNB). The [[Temenggor Dam|Temenggor Power Station]] in Gerik has a capacity of 348 [[Megawatt|MW]], the largest of the many [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric plants]] in the state. Built by the British, [[Chenderoh Power Station]], the state's oldest hydroelectric dam power station, has a capacity of 40.5 MW.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8691/1/FSKTM_2002_9_A.pdf|title=Development of the Cascading Module for Hydro Energy Decision Support System (HEDSS) for Temengor-Bersiak-Kenering Power Plants|author=Ezuria Nadzri|via=[[Universiti Putra Malaysia]]|year=2002|pages=4 (17–25)|quote=The generation facilities consist of four units with  a total installed capacity of 348 MW.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021044544/http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8691/1/FSKTM_2002_9_A.pdf|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> Other hydroelectric power stations include the Sultan Azlan Shah Kenering Power Station (120 MW), Sultan Azlan Shah Bersia Hydroelectric Power Station (72 MW), Sungai Piah Lower Power Station (54 MW), and Sungai Piah Upper Power Station (14.6 MW).<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://palmoilis.mpob.gov.my/publications/POEB/poeb113-data.pdf|title=(Datasheet) Power Generation Plants in Malaysia|journal=Palm Oil Engineering Bulletin|via=Palm Information Online Services, Malaysian Palm Oil Board|page=45|number=113|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021045512/http://palmoilis.mpob.gov.my/publications/POEB/poeb113-data.pdf|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://gsm.org.my/products/702001-101397-PDF.pdf|title=Engineering geology of Sungai Piah Hydro-Electric Project, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia|author=Saim Suratman|journal=Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia|via=Geological Society of Malaysia|year=1986|access-date=21 October 2019|pages=871–881|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021070045/https://gsm.org.my/products/702001-101397-PDF.pdf|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> The 4,100 MW Manjung Power Plant, also known as the Sultan Azlan Shah Power Station, is a [[coal-fired power station]] located on an [[artificial island]] off the Perak coast. It is owned and operated by TNB Janamanjung, a wholly owned [[subsidiary]] of the TNB. The plant is considered one of the biggest [[Independent Power Producer]] (IPP) projects in Asia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/manjung-power-plant-perak/|title=Manjung Power Plant, Perak|publisher=NS Energy|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021031557/https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/manjung-power-plant-perak/|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> The GB3 [[combined cycle power plant]] in Lumut, operated by [[Malakoff (power company)|Malakoff]], has a capacity of 640 MW.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.malakoff.com.my/Our-Business/Power-Plant-and-Water-Desalination-Plant-Locations/|title=Power Plant and Water Desalination Plant Locations (GB3 Power Plant)|publisher=[[Malakoff (power company)|Malakoff]]|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021035536/https://www.malakoff.com.my/Our-Business/Power-Plant-and-Water-Desalination-Plant-Locations/|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>

The state's piped [[water supply]] is managed by the Perak Water Board (PWB), a corporate body established under the Perak Water Board Enactment in 1988. It serves over 2.5 million people and is among the biggest water operators on the Malay Peninsula, after Selangor and Johor. Before the PWB was established, water services were initially provided by the Perak Public Works Department, and subsequently by the Perak Water Supply Department.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lap.com.my/bi/index.php/profil-korporat/about-us|title=About Us|publisher=Perak Water Board|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021064432/http://www.lap.com.my/bi/index.php/profil-korporat/about-us|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> The state's water supplies mainly come from its two major dams, the Air Kuning Dam in Taiping and the Sultan Azlan Shah Dam in Ipoh.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/472451/water-major-perak-dams-remains-normal-level-despite-dry-spell|title=Water at major Perak dams remains at normal level despite dry spell|author=Zahratulhayat Mat Arif|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=24 March 2019|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>

=== Telecommunications and broadcasting ===
Telecommunications in Perak was originally administered by the Posts and Telecommunication Department and maintained by the British [[Cable & Wireless Communications]], responsible for all telecommunication services in Malaya.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/983/3/CHAPT2.pdf|title=Chapter 2: An Overview of the Telecommunications Industry in Malaysia|publisher=University of Malaya|access-date=21 October 2019|page=2/21 (7)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702120800/http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/983/3/CHAPT2.pdf|archive-date=2 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="telecom merged">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19970517&id=6PxOAAAAIBAJ&pg=5076,2413004|title=Changing role of the Telecoms Department|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=17 May 1997|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> The first telegraph line, connecting the British Resident's Perak House in Kuala Kangsar to the house of the Deputy British Resident at Taiping, was laid by the Department of Posts and Telegraph in 1874.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2012/07/04/telekom-malaysia-puts-last-stop-to-telegram-service/|title=Telekom Malaysia puts last 'stop' to telegram service|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=4 July 2012|access-date=21 October 2019|quote=The first telegraph line was set up by the now defunct Department of Posts and Telegraph from Kuala Kangsar to Taiping in 1874. It signalled the beginning of an era of telecommunications in the country.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021075101/https://www.theborneopost.com/2012/07/04/telekom-malaysia-puts-last-stop-to-telegram-service/|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> Further lines were then built to link all of the key British economic areas of the time, and in particular the British Straits Settlements territory.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://commonrepo.um.edu.my/259/1/FMS%20GOV%201921_2.pdf|title=Supplement to the F.M.S. Government Gazette [XIV. – Posts and Telegraphs]|journal=Federated Malay States Authority|via=University of Malaya Repository|year=1921|page=8 [10/36]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023040539/http://commonrepo.um.edu.my/259/1/FMS%20GOV%201921_2.pdf|archive-date=23 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/08/31/ringing-in-the-many-changes/|title=Ringing in the many changes|author=Sharmila Nair|work=The Star|date=31 August 2017|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> Following the foundation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, in 1968 the telecommunications departments in Malaya and Borneo merged to form the Telecommunications Department Malaysia, which later became [[Telekom Malaysia]] (TM).<ref name="telecom merged"/> The state remains committed to full co-operation with the federal government to implement the latest telecommunications development projects in Perak.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bernama.com/en/news.php?id=1751127|title=Perak committed to implementing high-impact telecommunications development projects|publisher=Bernama|date=27 July 2019|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021080619/http://bernama.com/en/news.php?id=1751127|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>

Perak is set to become the first Malaysian state to introduce the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) for high-speed Internet in rural areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/07/04/perak-to-be-first-state-to-introduce-highspeed-internet-in-rural-areas|title=Perak to be first state to introduce high-speed Internet in rural areas|author=Ili Aqilah|work=The Star|date=4 July 2019|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> Television broadcasting in the state is divided into [[terrestrial television|terrestrial]] and [[satellite television]]. There are two types of [[free-to-air]] television providers: [[MYTV Broadcasting]] (digital terrestrial) and [[Astro NJOI]] (satellite), while [[IPTV]] is accessed via [[Unifi TV]] through the UniFi [[fibre optic]] internet subscription service.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tm.com.my/AboutTM/NewsRelease/Pages/TMUNIFISERVICENOWINPERAK.aspx|title=TM UniFi Service now in Perak|publisher=[[Telekom Malaysia]]|date=19 January 2012|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021085553/https://www.tm.com.my/AboutTM/NewsRelease/Pages/TMUNIFISERVICENOWINPERAK.aspx|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thesundaily.my/local/perak-tm-targets-90-unifi-users-by-2021-FY1166722|title=Perak TM targets 90% Unifi users by 2021|work=The Sun|date=28 July 2019|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021085646/https://www.thesundaily.my/local/perak-tm-targets-90-unifi-users-by-2021-FY1166722|archive-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> The Malaysian federal government operates one state radio channel, Perak FM.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://perakfm.rtm.gov.my/info|title=Sejarah|trans-title=History|language=ms|publisher=Perak FM|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-date=2 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302104700/https://perakfm.rtm.gov.my/info|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== {{anchor|Transportation}}Transport ===
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 300
| align             = left
| image1            = Ipoh Highway.jpg
| image2            = Tanjungmalimrailwaystation1.jpg
| image3            = Sultan Azlan Shah Airport.JPG
| image4            = Jetty at Lumut.jpg
| footer            = Clockwise from top right: [[Tanjung Malim railway station]], Pangkor Island ferry, [[Sultan Azlan Shah Airport]], and the [[North–South Expressway (Malaysia)|North–South Expressway]] of Ipoh
}}

[[File:Gloomy Sunset After The Rain in Kampar.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rush hour]] traffic at [[dusk]] in [[Kampar District|Kampar]]]]
[[File:Perak Transit bus at Jalan Kuala Kangsar, Ipoh (220806) 03 (cropped).jpg|thumb|A PerakTransit bus at Kuala Kangsar road, [[Ipoh]]]]

Malaysia's [[North–South Expressway (Malaysia)|North–South Expressway]] connects Perak with the other west coast Malaysian states and federal territories. Perak has two categories of roads, as of 2016 totalling {{convert|1516|km}} of [[Malaysian Federal Roads system|federal roads]], and {{convert|28767|km}} of [[Malaysian State Roads system|state roads]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jkr.gov.my/sites/default/files/upload/BUKU%20STATISTIK%20JALAN%20EDISI%202016.pdf|title=Statistik Jalan|trans-title=Road Statistics|language=ms|publisher=[[Malaysian Public Works Department]]|year=2016|access-date=21 October 2019|page=10/148 [6]|issn=1985-9619|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915154940/https://www.jkr.gov.my/sites/default/files/upload/BUKU%20STATISTIK%20JALAN%20EDISI%202016.pdf}}</ref> A new highway, the [[West Coast Expressway]], is being built to link the coastal areas of the state and reduce the growing [[traffic congestion]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/04/474833/west-coast-expressway-ease-traffic|title=West Coast Expressway to ease traffic|author=Mohd Noor Aswad|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=1 April 2019|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> Perak has a [[dual carriageway]] road network and follows the [[left- and right-hand traffic|left-hand traffic rule]]. Towns provide public transport, including buses, taxis, and [[Grab (company)|Grab]] services. Under the [[Eleventh Malaysia Plan]] (11MP), around 23 infrastructure projects, worth RM4.7 billion, have been implemented. These include 11 road projects for the state, involving allocations of RM1.84 billion for upgrade and expansion works carried out by the [[Malaysian Public Works Department|Public Works Department]] (PWD).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/04/360587/twenty-three-11mp-projects-worth-rm47-billion-boost-state|title=Twenty-three 11MP projects worth RM4.7 billion boost state|author=Shaarani Ismail|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=23 April 2019|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>

[[Ipoh railway station]], on Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab in the state capital, is the oldest station of Perak's rail network. It was built by the British in 1917, and upgraded in 1936.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/focus/2017/04/15/100-years-old-and-going-strong-despite-apathy-the-ipoh-railway-station-once-was-a-hive-of-activity-i/|title=100 years old and going strong despite apathy|author=T. Avineshwaran|work=The Star|date=15 April 2017|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Dominique Grele|title=100 Resorts Malaysia: Places with a Heart|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7C22s1cDfmgC&pg=PA71|date=November 2004|publisher=Asiatype, Inc.|isbn=978-971-0321-03-2|pages=71–}}</ref> In 2019, an integrated development project was launched to upgrade the railway station and its surrounding areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/10/10/rm5bil-project-to-turn-ipoh-railway-station-into-transport-hub|title=RM5bil project to turn Ipoh railway station into transport hub|author=Manjit Kaur|work=The Star|date=10 October 2019|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> [[Boat service]]s provide the main transport access to Pangkor Island, in addition to air travel.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Isabel Albiston|author2=Brett Atkinson|author3=Greg Benchwick|author4=Cristian Bonetto|author5=Austin Bush|author6=Robert Kelly|author7=Simon Richmond|author8=Richard Waters|author9=Anita Isalska|title=Lonely Planet Malaysia Singapore & Brunei|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V064DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT347|date=1 August 2016|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-76034-162-6|pages=347–}}</ref> [[Sultan Azlan Shah Airport]] is Perak's main international airport, acting as the main gateway to the state. Other public airports include [[Pangkor Airport]] and [[Sitiawan Airport]], and there are private or restricted airfields such as [[Jendarata Airport]] and the military [[Taiping Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ourairports.com/countries/MY/08/airports.html|title=Airports in Perak, Malaysia|publisher=OurAirports|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>

=== Healthcare ===
{{see also|List of hospitals in Malaysia}}
[[File:Taiping General Hospital - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Taiping Hospital]] in [[Taiping, Perak|Taiping]]]]

Health services in Perak are administered by the Perak State Health Department ({{langx|ms|Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Perak}}). The state's main government hospital is the 990-bed Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital, previously known as the Ipoh Hospital, which also incorporates a women's and children's hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hrpb.moh.gov.my/baru/index.php/mengenai-kami/imbasan-sejarah-latar-belakang|title=Sejarah Hospital|trans-title=Hospital History|language=ms|publisher=Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022014837/https://hrpb.moh.gov.my/baru/index.php/mengenai-kami/imbasan-sejarah-latar-belakang|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> Other hospitals include four specialist hospitals: [[Taiping Hospital]], Teluk Intan Hospital, Seri Manjung Hospital, and the minor speciality Slim River Hospital; nine district hospitals: Batu Gajah Hospital, Changkat Hospital, Gerik Hospital, Kampar Hospital, Kuala Kangsar Hospital, Parit Buntar Hospital, Selama Hospital, Sungai Siput Hospital, Tapah Hospital; and one psychiatric hospital: Bahagia Ulu Kinta Hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jknperak.moh.gov.my/v4/index.php/en/awam/senarai-tadbiran-jknp/senarai-hospital.html|title=Hospital|language=ms|publisher=Perak State Health Department|date=19 May 2011|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022015237/http://jknperak.moh.gov.my/v4/index.php/en/awam/senarai-tadbiran-jknp/senarai-hospital.html|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> Other public health clinics, [[1Malaysia#1Malaysia clinics|1Malaysia clinics]], and rural clinics are scattered throughout the state. There are a number of private hospitals, including the Anson Bay Medical Centre, Apollo Medical Centre, Ar-Ridzuan Medical Centre, Colombia Asia Hospital, Fatimah Hospital, Ipoh Pantai Hospital, Ipoh Specialist Centre, Kinta Medical Centre, Manjung Pantai Hospital, Perak Community Specialist Hospital, Sri Manjung Specialist Hospital, Taiping Medical Centre, and Ulu Bernam Jenderata Group Hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jknperak.moh.gov.my/v4/index.php/en/hospital-dan-pusat-rawatan-swasta|title=Hospital dan Pusat Rawatan Swasta|trans-title=Hospitals and Private Treatment Centres|language=ms|publisher=Perak State Health Department|date=9 February 2015|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022020811/http://jknperak.moh.gov.my/v4/index.php/en/hospital-dan-pusat-rawatan-swasta|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> In 2009, the state's doctor–patient ratio was 3 per 1,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crc.gov.my/nhsi/wp-content/uploads/publications/NHEWS_PrimaryCare/chapter3.pdf|title=Workforce in Primary Care in Malaysia [Table 3.1 Number and Density of Primary Care Doctors in Malaysia by State and Sector]|author1=Kamaliah MN|author2=Teng CL|author3=Nordin S|author4=Noraziah AB|author5=Salmiah MS|author6=Fauzia AM|author7=Normimiroslina CO|author8=Nadia FMG|author9=Farah A|author10=Mohd AY|publisher=National Healthcare Establishment and Workforce Statistics, Malaysia|year=2008–2009|access-date=22 October 2019|page=2/6 [8]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914031909/http://www.crc.gov.my/nhsi/wp-content/uploads/publications/NHEWS_PrimaryCare/chapter3.pdf|archive-date=14 September 2018}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{main|List of schools in Perak|List of universities in Malaysia}}

[[File:UTAR's Grand Hall Lighted Up.jpg|thumb|left|[[Chinese architecture]] of [[Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman]] (UTAR) Campus Grand Hall, Kampar, at night<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asc2017.net/utar-kampar-campus/|title=Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Kampar Campus|publisher=Asian Science Camp 2017|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022081309/https://www.asc2017.net/utar-kampar-campus/|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref>]]

All primary and secondary schools are within the jurisdiction of the Perak State Education Department, under the guidance of the national [[Ministry of Education (Malaysia)|Ministry of Education]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jpnperak.moe.gov.my/|title=Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Perak (Perak State Education Department)|publisher=Perak State Education Department|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-date=18 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118230103/http://jpnperak.moe.gov.my/}}</ref> Among the oldest schools in Perak are the [[King Edward VII School, Taiping|King Edward VII School]] (1883), the Anglo-Chinese School (1895), and [[St. Michael's Institution]] (1912).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://says.com/my/news/old-school-sekolah-menengahs-that-are-over-100-years-old-and-still-going-strong|title=14 SMKs That Are Over 100 Years Old And Still Going Strong|author=Anabelle Ong|publisher=Says.com|date=8 April 2015|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914003938/https://says.com/my/news/old-school-sekolah-menengahs-that-are-over-100-years-old-and-still-going-strong|archive-date=14 September 2018}}</ref> As of 2019, Perak had a total of 250 government secondary schools,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://myschoolchildren.com/data/SEK_MEN_Perak.htm|title=Senarai Nama Semua Sekolah Menengah di Negeri Perak (Sejumlah 250 buah) (List of All Secondary Schools in Perak) [Total 250]|work=Educational Management Information System|via=MySchoolChildren.com|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022025103/http://myschoolchildren.com/data/SEK_MEN_Perak.htm|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> six [[international school]]s (City Harbour International School,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cityharbour.edu.my/|title=Home|publisher=City Harbour International School|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> Fairview International School Ipoh Campus,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fairview.edu.my/fv_live/welcome-to-fairview-ipoh-campus/|title=Ipoh Campus|publisher=Fairview International School Ipoh Campus|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224223454/https://www.fairview.edu.my/fv_live/welcome-to-fairview-ipoh-campus/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Imperial International School Ipoh,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imperial.edu.my/|title=Imperial International School Ipoh Campus|publisher=Imperial International School|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> Seri Botani International School,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbis.edu.my/|title=Home|publisher=Seri Botani International School|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> Tenby Schools Ipoh,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tenby.edu.my/ipoh|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080428093129/http://www.tenby.edu.my/ipoh/|archive-date=28 April 2008|title=Home|publisher=Tenby Schools Ipoh|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> and the Westlake International School),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westlakeschool.edu.my/|title=Home|publisher=Westlake International School|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> and nine [[Chinese independent high school|Chinese independent schools]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.schoolmalaysia.com/school/list.php?page=2&type=9|title=List of Chinese Independent Schools [Perak]|publisher=School Malaysia|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> There is one Japanese learning centre, located in the state capital, Ipoh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jfkl.org.my/language/learners/list-of-japanese-language-school-in-malaysia/|title=List of Japanese Language School in Malaysia [Perak]|publisher=Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> [[Sultan Idris Education University]] is the sole [[public university]], and there are three [[private university|private universities]]: the [[Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman]] (UTAR), Quest International University,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.qiup.edu.my/about-us/about-the-university/|title=About QIUP|publisher=Quest International University|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022044036/https://www.qiup.edu.my/about-us/about-the-university/}}</ref> and [[Universiti Teknologi Petronas]], as well as the campus branch of the [[University of Kuala Lumpur]] Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology (UniKL MIMET),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eakrKPList.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=234|title=Universiti Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology (UniKL MIMET)|publisher=Malaysian Qualifications Register|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022091516/http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eakrKPList.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=234|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> and the University of Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak (UniKL RCMP).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr//english/eakrKPList.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=186|title=Universiti Kuala Lumpur - Royal College of Medicine Perak (UniKL RCMP) (Previously known as: Kolej Perubatan DiRaja Perak)|publisher=Malaysian Qualifications Register|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022091556/http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr//english/eakrKPList.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=186|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eakrKPList.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=239|title=Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Perak Campus|publisher=Malaysian Qualifications Register|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022091217/http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eakrKPList.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=239|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> Other colleges include the Cosmopoint College, Maxwell College Ipoh, Olympia College Ipoh, Sunway College Ipoh, Syuen College, Taj College, Tunku Abdul Rahman College Perak Branch Campus, and WIT College Ipoh Branch. There are several polytechnics, including the [[Sultan Azlan Shah Polytechnic]] in [[Behrang]], and [[Ungku Omar Polytechnic]] in Ipoh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eiptaKPListAA.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=574|title=Sultan Azlan Shah Polytechnic|publisher=Malaysian Qualifications Register|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022043836/http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eiptaKPListAA.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=574|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eiptaKPListAA.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=539|title=Ungku Omar Polytechnic|publisher=Malaysian Qualifications Register|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022043610/http://www2.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eiptaKPListAA.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=539|archive-date=22 October 2019}}</ref>

== Demography ==
=== Ethnicity and immigration ===
{{Historical populations
|align=left
|1970 |1569139
|1980 |1743655
|1991 |1877471
|2000 |1973368
|2010 |2299582
|2020 |2496041
|source={{my10|2020kf}}
|graph-pos=bottom
}}{{More citations needed|sub-section|small=y|date=January 2025}}{{bar box
|width=250px
|barwidth=100px
|title=Ethnic groups in Perak (2010)<ref name="total population"/>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Ethnic
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Malaysian Malays|Malay]]|Green|52.0}}
{{bar percent|[[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]]|Red|29.0}}
{{bar percent|[[Malaysian Indian|Indian]]|Orange|11.0}}
{{bar percent|Other [[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|Bumiputera]]|Teal|2.7}}
{{bar percent|Non-Malaysian citizen|Purple|2.9}}
}}
The 2015 Malaysian Census reported the population of Perak at 2,477,700, making it the fifth most populous state in Malaysia, with a non-citizen population of 74,200.<ref name="2015 population">{{cite web|url=http://pmr.penerangan.gov.my/index.php/info-terkini/19463-unjuran-populasi-penduduk-2015.html|title=Population by States and Ethnic Group|publisher=Department of Information, Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, Malaysia|year=2015|access-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212125740/http://pmr.penerangan.gov.my/index.php/info-terkini/19463-unjuran-populasi-penduduk-2015.html|archive-date=12 February 2016}}</ref> Of the Malaysian residents, 1,314,400 (53.0%) are [[Malaysian Malays|Malay]], 713,000 (28.0%) are [[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]], 293,300 (11.0%) are [[Malaysian Indian|Indian]], and another 72,300 (2.9%) identified as other [[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|bumiputera]].<ref name="2015 population"/> In 2010, the population was estimated to be around 2,299,582, with 1,212,700 (52.0%) Malay, 675,517 (29.0%) Chinese, 274,631 (11.0%) Indian, and another 62,877 (2.7%) from other bumiputera.<ref name="total population"/> Once the most populous state during the British administration under the FMS, Perak has yet to recover from the decline of the tin-mining industry.<ref name="transformation of Perak under the British"/><ref>{{cite book|url=http://myrepositori.pnm.gov.my/bitstream/123456789/3318/1/JB1288_BTMK.pdf|title=Beyond the Tin Mines: Coolies, Squatters and New Villagers in the Kinta Valley, Malaysia, c.1880–1980|author=Francis Loh Kok Wah|publisher=Oxford University Press|via=[[National Library of Malaysia]]|year=1988|pages=1–13 [1/10]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023035209/http://myrepositori.pnm.gov.my/bitstream/123456789/3318/1/JB1288_BTMK.pdf|archive-date=23 October 2019}}</ref> The associated economic downturn resulted in a massive manpower drain to higher-growth states such as [[Penang]], Selangor, and [[Kuala Lumpur]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Robin J. Pryor|title=Migration and development in South-East Asia: a demographic perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UNHpAAAAIAAJ&q=perak+tin+fall+migrate+penang+selangor+kuala+lumpur|year=1979|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=85–|isbn=978-0-19-580421-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Malaysian Journal of Tropical Geography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJMSAQAAIAAJ&q=perak+tin+fall+migrate+penang+selangor+kuala+lumpur|year=1994|publisher=Department of Geography, University of Malaya|pages=85–}}</ref>

The current constitution defines Malays as someone who is Muslim and assimilated with Malay community {{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} Traditionally, the native [[Perakian Malays|Malays]] mostly live in [[Lenggong]], [[Gerik]], [[Kinta District|Kinta]], [[Bota]] and [[Beruas]] while the Javanese mostly lived in Hilir Perak, comprising Bagan Datuk, [[Batak Rabit]], Sungai Manik, Teluk Intan, and a few other places along the Perak shores. The Mandailing and [[Rawa (tribe)|Rawa]] people were mostly in Gopeng, Kampar, [[Tanjung Malim]], and Kampung Mandailing at Gua Balak. These people had mostly come from neighbouring Selangor, escaping the [[Klang War]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} The Buginese are found in Kuala Kangsar, especially in Kota Lama Kiri and [[Sayong]]. The few Minangkabau people in the state lived among the other ethnic groups with no distinct villages or settlements of their own.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} As of 2015, there were some 3,200 [[Malaysian Siamese]] in Perak, a legacy of the Siamese presence in the northern Malay states.<ref>{{cite thesis|url=http://gscm.nida.ac.th/uploads/files/1536032634.pdf|title=Dynamic Construction of the Siamese-Malaysians' Ethnic Identity, Malaysia|author=Thatsanawadi Kaeosanit|type=PhD thesis|publisher=Graduate School of Communication Arts and Management Innovation, [[National Institute of Development Administration]], Thailand|year=2016|access-date=24 October 2019|page=143 [153/384]}}</ref> There is also a scattered [[Acehnese people|Acehnese]] presence, dating back to the rule of the [[Aceh Sultanate|Sultanate of Aceh]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

Perak's highest [[population density]] is mainly concentrated in the coastal and lowland areas. The Chinese and Indian population represents a higher percentage of the state's total population than in the neighbouring northern Malay states.<ref name="RumleyMinghi2014">{{cite book|author1=Dennis Rumley|author2=Julian V. Minghi|title=The Geography of Border Landscapes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XVivBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT132|date=3 October 2014|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-59879-4|pages=132–}}</ref> The presence of these groups was particularly significant after the British opened many tin mines and extensive rubber plantations in the mid-19th century. More than half of Perak's inhabitants in the 1930s were [[Chinese emigration|Chinese immigrants]].<ref name="British in the Malay States">{{cite book|title=World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=72VwCFtYHCgC&pg=PA1184|year=2007|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-7642-9|pages=1184–}}</ref> Perak's Indian community is mostly of [[Tamil Malaysian|Tamil]] ethnicity, although it also includes other South Indian communities such as the [[Malaysian Malayali|Malayalees]], principally in Sitiawan, Sungai Siput, Trolak and Kuala Kangsar; the [[Malaysian Telugu|Telugus]], in Teluk Intan and Bagan Datuk; and the [[Sikhs]], scattered in and around Perak, predominantly in [[Ipoh]] and [[Tanjung Tualang]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Melvin Ember|author2=Carol R. Ember|author3=Ian Skoggard|title=Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Volume I: Overviews and Topics; Volume II: Diaspora Communities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7QEjPVyd9YMC&pg=PA274|date=30 November 2004|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-0-306-48321-9|pages=274–}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=February 2021}}<ref name="Omar2015">{{cite book|author=Asmah Haji Omar|title=Languages in the Malaysian Education System: Monolingual strands in multilingual settings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iaQ0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT16|date=16 December 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-36421-4|pages=16–}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=February 2021}}

Population density is relatively low in much of Perak's interior, where the indigenous [[Orang Asli]] are scattered, including in the northernmost border district of Hulu Perak.<ref name="RumleyMinghi2014"/> The indigenous people originally inhabited most of Perak's coastal areas but were pushed deeper into the interior with the arrival of increasing numbers of Javanese, Banjar, Mandailing, Rawa, Batak, Kampar, Bugis and Minangkabau immigrants in the early 19th century. The Orang Asli [[oral tradition]]s preserve stories of Rawa and Batak atrocities and enslavement of the aboriginal population.<ref name="Duncan2008"/>

=== Religion ===
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 300
| align             = left
| image1            = Kuala Kangsar, Masjid Ubaidullah Mosque - panoramio.jpg
| image2            = Sam Poh Tong Temple.jpg
| image3            = Kallumalai Murugan Temple, Ipoh, Malaysia.jpg
| image4            = Sjc2 170916.jpg
| footer            = [[Place of worship]] in Perak, clockwise from top right: [[Sam Poh Tong Temple]], St. John Church, Kallumalai Murugan Temple and the [[Ubudiah Mosque]]
}}

{{bar box
|width=250px
|barwidth=100px
|title=Religion in Perak (2010)<ref name="total religion">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Population/files/census2010/Taburan_Penduduk_dan_Ciri-ciri_Asas_Demografi.pdf|title=Taburan Penduduk dan Ciri-ciri asas demografi (Population Distribution and Basic demographic characteristics 2010)|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|year=2010|access-date=23 October 2019|page=13 [26/156]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522234002/http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Population/files/census2010/Taburan_Penduduk_dan_Ciri-ciri_Asas_Demografi.pdf|archive-date=22 May 2014}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|Green|55.3}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhism]]|Yellow|25.4}}
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|Orange|10.9}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity]]|Blue|4.3}}
{{bar percent|Unknown|Brown|0.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Chinese folk religion]]|Magenta|1.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|No religion]]|Black|0.9}}
{{bar percent|Others|Gray|0.8}}
}}

As in the rest of Malaysia, [[Islam]] is recognised as the [[state religion]], although other religions may be freely practised.<ref>{{cite book|title=Who's who in Malaysia and Guide to Singapore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jNgUAQAAIAAJ&q=perak+state+religion|year=1977|publisher=J. V. Morais.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb|title=The Encyclopaedia of Islam: NED-SAM|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OO4pAQAAMAAJ&q=perak+state+religion|year=1995|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-09834-3}}</ref> According to the 2010 Malaysian Census, Perak's population was 55.3% [[Muslim]], 25.4% [[Buddhist]], 10.9% [[Hindu]], 4.3% [[Christians|Christian]], 1.7% [[Taoism|Taoist]] or followers of [[Chinese folk religion]], 0.8% other religions or unknown, and 0.9% non-religious.<ref name="total religion"/> The census indicated that 83.7% of Perak's Chinese population identified as Buddhist, with significant minorities identifying as Christian (9.2%), Chinese folk religion adherents (5.8%), and Muslim (0.2%). The majority of the Indian population identified as Hindu (87.6%), with significant minorities identifying as Christian (6.01%), Muslim (2.67%), and Buddhist (1.0%). The non-Malay bumiputera community was predominantly [[irreligion]] (28.2%), with significant minorities identifying as Muslim (24.1%), and Christian (22.9%). Among the majority population, all Malay bumiputera identified as Muslim. [[Article 160 of the Constitution of Malaysia]] defines professing the Islamic faith as one of the criteria of being a Malay.<ref name="total religion"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Andrew Harding|title=The Constitution of Malaysia: A Contextual Analysis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DZV6BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT141|date=27 July 2012|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-84731-983-8|pages=141–}}</ref>

=== Languages ===
[[File:Malay signboard with English location name in Ipoh.jpg|thumb|right|[[Malay language]] road sign with English location name in Ipoh]]
[[File:Roadsign in Ipoh city centre (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Road sign near [[Ipoh City Council]]]]

As a multi-ethnic state, Perak is also linguistically diverse. The main local variety of Malay spoken in the state is [[Perak Malay]], which is characterised by its "e" (as in "red", {{IPAblink|e}}) and its "r", like the [[French language|French]] "r" ({{IPAblink|ʁ}}). It is commonly spoken in central Perak, more specifically in the districts of [[Kuala Kangsar District|Kuala Kangsar]] and [[Perak Tengah District|Perak Tengah]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Sir Hugh Charles Clifford|author2=Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham|title=A Dictionary of the Malay Language|url=https://archive.org/details/adictionarymala00swetgoog|year=1894|publisher=Authors at the Government's Printing Office}}</ref><ref name="Malay dialects of Perak">{{cite book|chapter-url=http://language.cs.usm.my/publications/tienping/ialp2012-synthesis.pdf|author1=Tien-Ping Tan|author2=Sang-Seong Goh|author3=Yen-Min Khaw|title=2012 International Conference on Asian Language Processing |chapter=A Malay Dialect Translation and Synthesis System: Proposal and Preliminary System |via=Speech Processing Group, School of Computer Sciences, [[Universiti Sains Malaysia]]|year=2012|pages=1–4 [109–112]|doi=10.1109/IALP.2012.14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024033022/http://language.cs.usm.my/publications/tienping/ialp2012-synthesis.pdf|archive-date=24 October 2019|isbn=978-1-4673-6113-2|s2cid=15342784}}</ref> Speakers of the northern [[Kedah Malay]] dialect are also found in the northern part of Perak, comprising [[Kerian]], Pangkor Island, and [[Larut, Matang and Selama District|Larut, Matang and Selama]] districts.<ref>{{cite thesis|url=http://web.usm.my/kajh/vol23_s1_2016/kajh23s12016_01.pdf|title=Hybrid Language and Identity among the Samsam, Baba Nyonya and Jawi Peranakan Communities in North Peninsular Malaysia|author=Noriah Mohamed|publisher=Universiti Sains Malaysia|year=2016|pages=1–23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024021613/http://web.usm.my/kajh/vol23_s1_2016/kajh23s12016_01.pdf|archive-date=24 October 2019}}</ref> In the northeastern part of Perak (Hulu Perak), and some parts of Selama and Kerian, the Malay people speak another distinct Malay language variant known as [[Reman Malay]] or locally known as ''Basa Ulu/Grik'' (named after [[Grik]]), which is most closely related to [[Kelantan-Pattani Malay]] in Kelantan and [[southern Thailand]] (Yawi) due to geographical proximity and historical assimilation.<ref name="Malay dialects of Perak"/> In the southern parts of Perak (Hilir Perak and Batang Padang), and also in the districts of Kampar and Kinta and several parts of Manjung, the dialect spoken is heavily influenced by the southern Malay dialects of the peninsula such as Selangor, Malacca, and Johore-Riau Malay. It is also influenced by several languages of the Indonesian archipelago: [[Javanese language|Javanese]], [[Banjar language|Banjar]], [[Rawa (tribe)|Rawa]] (a variety of [[Minangkabau language|Minangkabau]]), [[Batak languages|Batak]] ([[Mandailing language|Mandailing]]), and [[Buginese language|Buginese]], as a result of historical immigration, civil wars such as the Klang War, and other factors.<ref name="Malay dialects of Perak"/>

Among Perak's various Chinese ethnicities, [[Malaysian Cantonese]] has become the [[lingua franca]], although a number of [[Chinese dialect|dialects]] are spoken including [[Cantonese]], [[Hakka]], [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]], [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]], [[Hokkien]], and [[Fuzhou dialect|Hokchiu]].<ref name="Omar2015"/><ref>{{cite book|author1=Jacquetta Megarry|author2=Stanley Nisbet|author3=Eric Hoyle|title=World Yearbook of Education: Education of Minorities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wIErNLnCT1MC&pg=PA166|date=8 December 2005|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-39297-6|pages=166–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2017/12/09/the-rise-and-fall-of-languages-and-dialects/|title=The rise and fall of languages and dialects|author=A. Y. Yong|work=The Star|date=9 December 2017|access-date=24 October 2019}}</ref>

The Tamil community mainly speaks a [[Malaysian Tamil|Malaysian]] dialect of the [[Tamil language]]; the [[Malaysian Malayali|Malayalees]] speak [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]; the Telugus speak the [[Telugu language]]; and the Sikhs speak [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]].<ref name="Omar2015"/> Over time, [[Tamil language|Tamil]] became a lingua franca among Perak's different Indian communities as Tamil-speaking people became the majority in several west coast Malaysian states with higher Indian populations.<ref name="British in the Malay States"/><ref name="Omar2015"/> A small number of [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]] speakers also found in parts of the state capital, Ipoh.<ref name="Omar2015"/>

Several Orang Asli languages are spoken within the state, all belonging to the [[Aslian languages|Aslian]] branch of the [[Austroasiatic languages]]. These languages are [[Lanoh language|Lanoh]], [[Temiar language|Temiar]], [[Jahai language|Jahai]], [[Kensiu language|Kensiu]], [[Kintaq language|Kintaq]], and [[Semai language|Semai]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Members of the Siamese community mainly speak a [[Southern Thai language|Southern Thai]] variant, and are fluent in Malay, also having some knowledge of some of the Chinese dialects. With the multi-ethnic make-up of Perak's society, some people speak more than one language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=100379|title=Language unites Malay and Siamese community|work=Bernama|publisher=Daily Express|date=5 June 2015|access-date=24 October 2019|quote=Thai was widely used among the Malays who live in villages shared by the Siamese community, especially in states like Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan and Terengganu.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024041319/http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=100379|archive-date=24 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2019/10/17/how-knowing-mandarin-helps-this-perak-veterinarian-in-her-work/1801084|title=How knowing Mandarin helps this Perak veterinarian in her work|author=Sylvia Looi|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=17 October 2019|access-date=24 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024041813/https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2019/10/17/how-knowing-mandarin-helps-this-perak-veterinarian-in-her-work/1801084|archive-date=24 October 2019}}</ref>

== Culture ==
{{see also|Culture of Malaysia}}
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| align             = left
| image1            = Cantonese opera, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.jpg
| width1            = 123
| image2            = 2017 Thaipusam Festival, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.jpg
| width2            = 122
| image3            = Dance at the 2017 Ipoh Cultural Parade.jpg
| width3            = 250
| footer            = Multiculturalism in Perak. Clockwise from top right: [[Thaipusam]] festival, Cultural Parade, and [[Cantonese opera]] performance
}}

[[File:Labu Sayong Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia.jpg|thumb|122px|''[[Labu sayong]]'' [[pottery]] traditional in Kuala Kangsar<ref name="Kuala Kangsar pottery">{{cite journal|url=http://web.usm.my/km/33(Supp.2)2015/km33s22015_07.pdf|title=Traditional Malay Pottery of Kuala Kangsar: Its History and Development|author=Azmi Arifin|journal=Malaysia Research|via=Universiti Sains Malaysia|year=2015|volume=33|issue=2|pages=113–133|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024091848/http://web.usm.my/km/33(Supp.2)2015/km33s22015_07.pdf|archive-date=24 October 2019}}</ref>]]

Perak's [[multiculturalism|multicultural]] society reflects the influences of different ethnicities throughout its history. Several Malay art forms, such as [[embroidery]] and performances like ''dabus'', show apparent [[Arab culture|Arab cultural]] influence. The state's characteristic embroidery, ''tekat emas'' (gold embroidery), was once presented to royalty. Designs are based on [[floral]], animal, and [[geometric]] motifs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goingplacesmagazine.com/golden-heritage-the-malaysian-art-of-gold-embroidery/|title=Golden Heritage: The Malaysian Art Of Gold Embroidery|author=Rachael Lum|publisher=Going Places Magazine|via=Malaysia Airlines|date=28 June 2019|access-date=24 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024085612/https://www.goingplacesmagazine.com/golden-heritage-the-malaysian-art-of-gold-embroidery/|archive-date=24 October 2019}}</ref> ''Dabus'' has existed for some 300 years, and is inseparable from a ritual involving [[incantation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2017/09/16/bringing-old-dances-to-new-audiences|title=Bringing old dances to new audiences|author=Ivan Loh|work=The Star|date=16 September 2017|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> It was brought to Perak by traders from Sumatra, and practised by the Malay community in Lumut, Pasir Panjang Laut Village in Sitiawan, and Teluk Intan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kkmm.gov.my/pdf/buku/dabus.pdf|title=Dabus (Pengenalan)|trans-title=Dabus (Introduction)|language=ms|publisher=Ministry of Communications and Multimedia of Malaysia|year=2003|access-date=24 October 2019}}</ref> The traditional Malay [[pottery]] handicraft called ''[[labu sayong]]'' is part of the art heritage of Kuala Kangsar. Its unique design is uninfluenced by foreign techniques.<ref name="Kuala Kangsar pottery"/> ''Labu sayong'' is associated with a dance called the ''sayong''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tourism.gov.my/media/view/the-many-colours-of-malaysia|title=The Many Colours of Malaysia|publisher=[[Tourism Malaysia]]|date=24 March 2003|access-date=26 October 2019|quote=The most famous product which has every tourist in awe is the ''labu sayong'' - a calabash shaped [[urn]] used during mystical rituals or simply for storing water. It's a wonder as the water stored in it is always cool. The people of Perak even have a dance called the ''labu sayong''.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025225806/https://www.tourism.gov.my/media/view/the-many-colours-of-malaysia|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> Another dance local to the Malays of Perak is the ''bubu'', known for 120 years, which originates from Tanjung Bidara Village on Tiga Parit Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://commonrepo.um.edu.my/7275/1/Perak-perkenal_n2-241287.jpg|title=Perak perkenal Tarian Bubu sebagai seni budaya Melayu|trans-title=Perak introduces Bubu Dance as Malay cultural art|author=Raihana Abdullah|language=ms|via=University of Malaya Common Repository|year=1987|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025231001/http://commonrepo.um.edu.my/7275/1/Perak-perkenal_n2-241287.jpg|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref>

[[Cantonese opera]] once flourished in the town of Ipoh, as the majority of Chinese there were Cantonese.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.travelandleisureasia.com/features/2987465/ipohs_old_town_revival.html|title=Ipoh's Old Town Revival|magazine=Travel + Leisure|date=25 March 2016|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025082500/http://www.travelandleisureasia.com/features/2987465/ipohs_old_town_revival.html|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mysinchew.sinchew.com.my/node/61711|title=Untiring commitment for Cantonese opera|author=Chan Li Lin|publisher=Sin Chew Daily|date=5 August 2011|access-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025082559/http://mysinchew.sinchew.com.my/node/61711|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://web.usm.my/km/29(Supp1)2011/KM%20Vol.%2029%20Supp.%201%20-%20Art.%205%20-%20(Ngo%20Sheau%20Shi).pdf|title=The Shaw Brothers' Wuxia Pian: An Early Identity and Business-Cultural Connection for the Chinese in Malaya|author=Ngo Sheau Shi|journal=Malaysia Research|via=Universiti Sains Malaysia|year=2011|volume=29|issue=1|pages=75–93|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025090805/http://web.usm.my/km/29(Supp1)2011/KM%20Vol.%2029%20Supp.%201%20-%20Art.%205%20-%20(Ngo%20Sheau%20Shi).pdf|archive-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> The [[history of China]], and particularly [[History of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]], is recreated in Qing Xin Ling Leisure and Cultural Village (nicknamed Little [[Guilin]]) in Ipoh, with painted wooden structures around a lake set among limestone hills and caves.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2016/07/24/a-walk-through-time-at-ipohs-qing-xin-ling-leisure-cultural-village/1167711|title=A walk through time at Ipoh's Qing Xin Ling Leisure & Cultural Village|author=Vivian Chong|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=24 July 2016|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026023020/https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2016/07/24/a-walk-through-time-at-ipohs-qing-xin-ling-leisure-cultural-village/1167711|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.star2.com/travel/malaysia/2018/03/19/qing-xin-ling-leisure-cultural-village/|title=What to do at Qing Xin Ling Leisure and Cultural Village in Ipoh, Perak|author=Ming Teoh|publisher=Star2.com|date=19 March 2018|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026023329/https://www.star2.com/travel/malaysia/2018/03/19/qing-xin-ling-leisure-cultural-village/|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> Another ethnic Chinese cultural location in Perak is [[Bercham]], originally called ''Wo Tau Kok'' in Cantonese in the 1950s. The area was formerly a tin mining centre, which also become one of the relocation points for Malayan ethnic Chinese during the British era under the government's [[Briggs Plan]] to protect and distance them from communist influence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2015/11/26/booming-township-bercham-a-former-tin-mining-centre-has-been-developing-rapidly-since-the-british-co|title=Bercham - former tin mining centre turned booming township|author=Amanda Yeap|work=The Star|date=26 November 2015|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/01/16/insight-into-chinese-culture-cultural-tourist-centre-to-have-displays-on-bercham-new-villages-60year|title=Insight into Chinese culture|author=Amanda Yeap|work=The Star|date=16 January 2017|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> Perak's Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities, representing its three main ethnic groups, each have their own traditional arts and dance associations to maintain and preserve their respective cultural heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmm.gov.my/files/5-PERAK.pdf|title=Senarai Persatuan/Pertubuhan Tarian dan Seni Kebudayaan Kaum di Perak|trans-title=List of Ethnic Folk Dance and Cultural Arts Association/Organisation in Perak|language=ms|publisher=Department of Museums Malaysia|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026025300/http://www.jmm.gov.my/files/5-PERAK.pdf|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{see also|Ipoh cuisine}}
[[File:IpohWhiteCoffee..jpg|thumb|right|[[Ipoh white coffee]], Perak's signature [[drink]]<ref name="Ipoh white coffee">{{cite news|url=https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2019/09/10/intriguing-and-interesting-inception-of-ipoh-white-coffee/|title=Intriguing and interesting inception of Ipoh White Coffee|author=Dave Avran|work=Free Malaysia Today|date=10 September 2019|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026044300/https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2019/09/10/intriguing-and-interesting-inception-of-ipoh-white-coffee/|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref>]]

As a melting pot of different cultures, Perak features various cuisines. ''[[Lemang]]'', a Malay delicacy made from [[glutinous rice]] cooked in a [[bamboo]] tube over a slow fire, is very popular in the state. It is mainly served during the festivities of [[Eid al-Fitr]] (''Hari Raya Aidilfitri'') and [[Eid al-Adha]] (''Hari Raya Haji''), along with ''[[rendang]]''.<ref name="Perak cuisine">{{cite web|url=http://www.peraktourism.com.my/about-perak/2014-11-14-20-40-24/food-and-cuisine.html|title=Food and Cuisine|publisher=Perak Tourism|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026031613/http://www.peraktourism.com.my/about-perak/2014-11-14-20-40-24/food-and-cuisine.html|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> The method of its preparation is believed to derive partly from the indigenous Orang Asli of Perak, explaining the origins of the dish. Another popular Malay delicacy is ''[[tempoyak]]'', a durian extract that is preserved and kept in a traditional urn. It is commonly mixed with [[bird's eye chilli]]es and eaten with other dishes.<ref name="Perak cuisine"/> [[Malaysian Chinese cuisine|Chinese cuisine]] is very common in Perak, because of the state's history of Chinese migration and trade relations over centuries. It was traditionally popular chiefly in Ipoh. Through over 2,000 years of contact with India, the [[Malaysian Indian cuisine|influence of Indian cuisine]] also spread in Perak.<ref name="Perak cuisine"/> The state is particularly known as a producer of the Bali [[pomelo]] (''limau bali''). This fruit was introduced by Hugh Low, Perak's fourth British Resident, who brought [[seed]]lings from the neighbouring [[Dutch East Indies]] and distributed them both in Penang and in Perak (mainly in Tambun).<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://eprints.utar.edu.my/1975/1/Pomelo_-_Citrus_maxima_-_the_indigenous_mega-citrus_of_South-East_Asia.pdf|title=Pomelo—''Citrus maxima''—the indigenous mega-citrus of South-East Asia|author=Casey Ng|journal=UTAR Agriculture Science Journal|via=[[Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman]]|volume=1|number=3|year=2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026033640/http://eprints.utar.edu.my/1975/1/Pomelo_-_Citrus_maxima_-_the_indigenous_mega-citrus_of_South-East_Asia.pdf|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> Other districts are also known for their agricultural production: Bidor for its [[guava]], Hulu Perak (durian), Menglembu ([[peanut|groundnut]]), and Tapah ([[petai]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2007/08/01/please-keep-pomelos-special-to-perak|title=Please keep pomelos special to Perak|author=Zari Mahmood|work=The Star|date=1 August 2007|access-date=26 October 2019|quote=Talking about fruits, Perak is one state where particular districts are known for certain fruits. Bidor is famous for the guava, Tapah the petai, Menglembu the groundnuts, Hulu Perak the durians, and of course Tambun for the pomelo.}}</ref> [[Ipoh white coffee]], a popular Malaysian [[drink]], traces its origin to Ipoh.<ref name="Ipoh white coffee"/>

=== Sports ===
[[File:Perak football supporters, 2017 Malaysia Cup quarter-finals.jpg|thumb|left|[[Perak F.C.]] football supporters at the [[2017 Malaysia Cup|Malaysia Cup]] quarter-finals against [[Pahang FA|Pahang]], [[Perak Stadium]], Ipoh, 24 September 2017]]

Perak became a part of Malaya since 1957, and its athletes have represented Malaya, and later Malaysia, at the [[Summer Olympic Games]], [[Commonwealth Games]], [[Asian Games]], and [[Southeast Asian Games]]. The Perak State Youth and Sports Department was established in 1964 to raise the standard of sports in the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jbsn.gov.my/en/2015-12-09-03-05-18.html|title=Sejarah JBS Perak|trans-title=History of Perak YSD|language=ms|publisher=Perak State Youth and Sports Department|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919051521/http://www.jbsn.gov.my/en/2015-12-09-03-24-43.html|archive-date=19 September 2018}}</ref> Perak hosted the [[Sukma Games]] in 1994 and [[2018 Sukma Games|2018]]. The state has a number of sports complexes, located around Ipoh and in other districts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mbi.gov.my/en/citizens/services/sports-complex|title=Sports Complex|publisher=Ipoh City Council|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026053250/http://www.mbi.gov.my/en/citizens/services/sports-complex|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> The state government allocates funds for sports development to each district-level sports association.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/community-sports/2019/10/01/boost-in-funding-for-district-level-sports-associations|title=Boost in funding for district-level sports associations|author=Ili Aqilah|work=The Star|date=1 October 2019|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref>

Ipoh's [[Perak Stadium]] is the main stadium for [[Perak F.C.]] (formerly Perak FA). The team was formed in 1951, although the state had had a football team since 1921.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://johorsoutherntigers.com.my/team/perak-fa/|title=Perak FA|publisher=Johor Southern Tigers|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026054540/http://johorsoutherntigers.com.my/team/perak-fa/|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> Perak F.C. won the [[Malaysia FA Cup]] in 1990 and 2004; the [[Malaysia Cup]] in 1926, 1931, 1957, 1967, 1970, 1998, 2000, and [[2018 Malaysia Cup|2018]]; was runner-up in the [[Malaysia Super League]] in [[2006–07 Malaysia Super League|2006–07]] and [[2018 Malaysia Super League|2018]]; and won the [[President Cup Malaysia]] in 2006–07, 2012 and 2014. The state women's football team was runner-up in the [[Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup]] in 1977, 1979 and 1992. Another notable stadium in the state is [[Naval Base Stadium]] in [[Lumut, Perak|Lumut]].

The annual [[field hockey]] tournament in Perak, the [[Sultan Azlan Shah Cup]], traced its roots to former state Sultan [[Azlan Shah of Perak|Azlan Shah]], an avid fan of the sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/why-not/2014/05/30/a-sultans-legacy|title=A Sultan's legacy|author=Dorairaj Nadason|work=The Star|date=30 May 2014|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> Perak was the first Malaysian state to introduce [[e-sports]], in the Sukma Games. The state government is further targeting e-sports development with the increase in youth interest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://teknoratz.com/perak-menjadi-negeri-pertama-memperkenalkan-e-sukan-dalam-temasya-sukma-2018/|title=Perak Menjadi Negeri Pertama Memperkenalkan E-Sukan Dalam Temasya SUKMA 2018|trans-title=Perak Becomes The First State To Introduce E-Sports At SUKMA Games 2018|author=Azuan|language=ms|publisher=TeknoRatz|date=24 September 2018|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026055230/https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/wilayah/2019/03/536657/perak-mahu-bina-stadium-e-sports|archive-date=26 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/wilayah/2019/03/536657/perak-mahu-bina-stadium-e-sports|title=Perak mahu bina stadium e-sports|trans-title=Perak wants to build an e-sports stadium|author=Shamsul Kamal Amarudin|language=ms|newspaper=Berita Harian|date=2 March 2019|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030065109/https://teknoratz.com/perak-menjadi-negeri-pertama-memperkenalkan-e-sukan-dalam-temasya-sukma-2018/|archive-date=30 October 2019}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/perakmalayssaron00mcnauoft/page/n9|title=Perak and the Malays: 'Sarong' and 'kris.'|author=John Frederick Adolphus McNair|work=University of Toronto Libraries|publisher=London, Tinsley brothers|year=1878|page=504}} {{free access}}
* {{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/goldenchersones02birdgoog/page/n13|title=The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither|author=Isabella Lucy Bird|work=Harvard University|publisher=G. P. Putnam's sons|year=1883|page=543}} {{free access}}
* {{cite book|title=Perak, the Abode of Grace: A Study of an Eighteenth-century Malay State|author=Barbara Watson Andaya|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1979|isbn=978-0-19-580385-3}}
* {{cite book|title=Raja Bilah and the Mandailings in Perak, 1875–1911|author1=Abdur-Razzaq Lubis|author2=Khoo Salma Nasution|publisher=Areca Books|year=2003|isbn=978-967-9948-31-8}}

== External links ==
{{sister project links|collapsible=true|wikt=no|q=no|n=no|v=no|voy=Perak}}
* {{official website}}
* [https://www.lonelyplanet.com/malaysia/perak Perak] at [[Lonely Planet]]

{{Geographic location
| Centre    = Perak
| North     = [[Yala Province]], {{flag|Thailand}}
| Northeast = [[Narathiwat Province]], {{flag|Thailand}}<br />{{flag|Kelantan}}
| East      =
| Southeast = {{flag|Pahang}}
| South     = {{flag|Selangor}}
| Southwest =
| West      = ''[[Strait of Malacca]]'' <br /> [[North Sumatra]], {{flag|Indonesia}}
| Northwest = {{flag|Kedah}}<br />{{flag|Penang}}
}}
{{Perak}}
{{States and Federal Territories of Malaysia}}
{{Portal bar|Asia|Geography|Malaysia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Perak| ]]
[[Category:States of Malaysia]]
[[Category:Peninsular Malaysia]]
[[Category:Strait of Malacca]]
[[Category:Feudalism in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Malaysia–Thailand border]]
[[Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in Asia]]