Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Perak Perak (; 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, Kel ...

. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

and southeast of George Town in neighbouring

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

. As of the 2020 census Ipoh had a population of 759,952, making it the ninth-largest city in Malaysia by population and the fourth most populous state capital, after

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...

Shah Alam Shah Alam (, from Persian language, Persian, meaning "king of the world") is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia which is situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam rep ...

and George Town. In recent years, Ipoh's popularity as an international tourist destination has been significantly boosted by efforts to conserve its

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

colonial-era architecture. The city is also well known for its

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

and natural attractions, such as its limestone hills and caves within which Buddhist temples were built. Ipoh's location between

and George Town has made it a major land transportation hub within West Malaysia, with both the Malayan Railway's West Coast Line and the North-South Expressway cutting through the city. Aside from the land transportation links, Ipoh is also served by the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport.

Etymology

The name Ipoh is derived from the Malay name of '' Antiaris toxicaria'' (''pokok ipoh'') which grows locally. The sap of this plant, which is poisonous, was mixed with Strychnos latex by Aslians to coat the tips of their blowpipe darts for hunting.

History

Originally a village, Ipoh began to grow rapidly in the 1880s after huge deposits of tin were discovered within its vicinity. Its geographic location in the rich tin-bearing valley of the Kinta River made it a natural centre of growth. The Great Fire of Ipoh in 1892 destroyed over half the town, but also presented an opportunity to rebuild the town in a more orderly grid pattern. By 1895, it was the second largest town within the Federated Malay States, which also consisted of

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

, Negeri Sembilan, and

Pahang {{Infobox political division , name = Pahang , official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur , native_name = , settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State , image_skyline = , imagesize ...

. Ipoh was subsequently rebuilt in time for the second tin rush and grew rapidly as a result of the booming tin mining industry, particularly in the 1920s and 1930s. A local Hakka miner, millionaire Yau Tet Shin, started developing a large tract of the town in the early 1930s, today known as the "New Town", from the eastern bank of the Kinta River to Greentown.Ipohworld’s World » Yau Tet Shin’s New Town Under Construction 1908
Ipohworld.org. Retrieved 27 September 2013. In 1937, Ipoh was made the capital of

, replacing Taiping. IPOH TOWN

Ipoh was invaded by the Japanese on 15 December 1941. In March 1942, the Japanese Civil Administration or Perak Shu Seicho was set up at St. Michael's Institution. After the liberation of Malaya by British forces, Ipoh remained the capital of Perak as it does to this day. Following the depletion of its tin deposits and the collapse of tin prices in the 1970s, the city suffered decades of decline and neglect. With the closure of the tin mines, its urban population was forced to seek employment in other cities within Malaysia. In spite of this, Ipoh remains one of the largest cities in Malaysia in terms of population, with tourism now a main driver of the city's economy. Ipoh gained Municipal status in 1962, and in 1988 it was declared a city by the then Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah.

Geography

Topography

Ipoh is in the state of

, which is in the central part of

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

. The city is in the middle of the karstic Kinta Valley region, on the bank of the Kinta River and the confluence of the smaller rivers Sungai Pinji and Sungai Pari. Hills of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, called mogotes, surround the city, which can be found around suburban areas to the northeast, east and southeast. The Keledang mountain range stretches from the north to the west of the city. This range runs parallel to the Bintang mountain range with the Perak River running on its left bank and the Kinta River to its right. This range is interrupted to the north of Ipoh by a tributary of the Perak River called the Pelus River, which is sourced from the Titiwangsa mountain range, which runs to the east of Ipoh.

Climate

Ipoh has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

. Ipoh is more subject to the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ , or ICZ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the t ...

than the

trade wind The trade winds or easterlies are permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere, ...

s and very rarely has

cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

s, therefore it can be described as having an equatorial climate. The city's temperature shows little variation throughout the year, the average temperature being . Ipoh sees high precipitation throughout the year with an average of of rain each month and averaging of rain per year. The wettest month is October when on average of rain falls. Ipoh's driest month is January which has of rainfall on average.

Limestone caves

Mogotes are the most prominent natural features of the city. There are many caves in these outcrops, some of which have cave temples built in them. The Sam Poh Tong Temple is a notable example, along with Kek Lok Tong; Cavern of Utmost Happiness), which lies on the other side of the same outcrop. It is accessible through the Gunung Rapat housing area. Other cave temples in Ipoh include Ling Sen Tong, Nan Tian Tong, Kwan Yin Tong and Perak Tong. Gua Tempurung, near

Gopeng Gopeng (Jawi script, Jawi: ڬوڤيڠ) is a town located in Mukim Teja, Kampar District, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated approximately south of Ipoh, the state capital. History Gopeng was the most important town in the Kinta Valley until 1890 ...

, south of Ipoh, is a show cave open to the public and popular among spelunkers. More than long, it is one of the longest caves in Peninsular Malaysia. Part of it has been developed with electric lighting and walkways, and there are tours of varying lengths and difficulty. A river passage runs about through the hill. There are five large chambers, filled with spectacular speleothems which include stalactites and stalagmites.

Economy

In its early history, Ipoh as a settlement was built around its mining industry, although inferior to that of

, some to the south. Ipoh was once one of the richest cities in Malaysia and South East Asia, in the days when tin was its major product. During the 1980s, when tin prices collapsed, the economy of Ipoh was affected significantly. However, the city has since experienced economic growth. The city of Ipoh hosts the headquarters of several large multinational corporations, such as: Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, a major palm oil company; Batu Kawan Berhad, an investment company which holds the majority share in Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad; Hovid Berhad, a major Malaysian pharmaceutical company; and Old Town White Coffee (or Old Town Berhad), a food and beverage giant originating from Ipoh which specializes in white coffee. Other public listed companies in Ipoh include, Perak Transit Berhad, Tasek Cement Berhad, DKLS Industries Berhad, Wellcall Holding Berhad, Rubberex Berhad, and Perak Corp. Ipoh also hosts the Malaysian headquarters for several foreign multinational companies, including Finisar, Voith, ITL Asia Pacific, and Sagami Manufacturers.

Governance

The Ipoh City Council governs the city. Datuk Rumaizi Baharin, appointed in April 2020, is the current mayor of Ipoh. Ipoh is divided into two parliamentary constituencies: '' Ipoh Barat'' (Ipoh West) and '' Ipoh Timor'' (Ipoh East). The parliamentary seat for ''Ipoh Barat'' is held by Democratic Action Party (DAP) Representative M. Kulasegaran. The seat for ''Ipoh Timor'' is held by fellow DAP leader Howard Lee Chuan How. As of 2022, there were 233,000 voters in Ipoh. Most of the voters in Ipoh are Chinese, followed by Malays, Indians and others.

Demographics

Ipoh remains one of

's largest cities. As of 2010, the municipal area of Ipoh has a population of 657,892. It ranks as the seventh most populous urban centre in Malaysia (2010). The following is based on Department of Statistics Malaysia 2010 census.

Town Layout / Cityscape

See List of Ipoh areas

Culture

Cuisine

Ipoh has a significant food scene with many hawker centres and restaurants. It has dishes derived from Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine. See

Film and television

Movies filmed in Ipoh include: * 1992: '' Indochine'' * 1999: '' Anna and the King'' * 2003: '' Kadhal Kisu Kisu'' * 2005: '' Sepet'' * 2005: '' Gubra'' * 2006: ''After This Our Exile'' * 2006: ''Goodbye Boys'' * 2006: '' Lust, Caution'' * 2015: '' Blackhat''

Greenery & Public Parks

* D. R. Seenivasagam Park (Coronation Park) * Sultan Abdul Aziz Recreational Park (Polo Ground) * Kledang Saiong Forest Eco Park * Botani Eco Park

Theme parks

There are several theme parks in Ipoh, including the Sunway Lost World of Tambun and the now defunct Movies Animated Park Studios (MAPS).

Famous attraction

Source: * Qing Xing Ling Leisure & Cultural Village * Kek Look Tong Cave Temple * Perak Cave Temple * Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat * Tasik Cermin (Mirror Lake) * Gunung Lang Recreational Park * Pavilion Petting Zoo & Gunung Lang Climbing Park * Funtasy House Trick Art * Fujiwara Tofa Shop * Kinta Riverfront * Ipoh Town Hall * Market Lane (Concubine Lane) * Trail of Dr. Sun Yat Sen and His Comrades in Ipoh * Sam Poh Tong Temple * Ipoh Railway Station * Sultan Azlan Shah Roundabout

Transport

Roads

The old interstate Federal Route 1 connects Ipoh with other major towns and cities in peninsular Malaysia, for example to

Alor Setar Alor Setar ( Kedah Malay: ) is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is home to the third-tallest ...

, Taiping and

to the north and Tapah,

, Seremban and even

in the south. Motorists from the east coast can use Federal Route 4 (from Gerik) in northern Perak or Federal Route 185 (from Cameron Highlands). The new North–South Expressway is a faster and more efficient alternative to Route 1. However, some towns such as Kampar can only be accessible via Route 1.

Train

Ipoh Railway Station by Fairus Khafiz Photo

Ipoh's railway station is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) and is in the Old Town. However, it does not have intra-city travel like there is in

; the railway only connects Ipoh with neighbouring towns and cities. The station is a stately building, referred to by locals as the "Taj Mahal of Ipoh". KTM Intercity began the Shuttle Train Service between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh from 1 December 2008 while the modern Electric Train System (ETS) shuttle began from 12 August 2010, with an average speed of , plying the Ipoh-Seremban route, which cut the travelling distance between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur to 120 minutes. There are 10 dedicated shuttle train services between these two cities daily, beginning at 5 am from both of the stations. Travel time between the cities was expected to be reduced from three hours to two hours and fifteen minutes when the new set of EMU trains arrived in mid-2009.

Bus

The inter-city bus terminal is located at Amanjaya Integrated Bus Terminal in Bandar Meru Raya, just north of the city. Medan Kidd is the public transport intracity terminal that is very near to Ipoh Railway Station. Currently, the main public transport operator in the city is PerakTransit under the branding of BAS.MY Ipoh.

Air

The Sultan Azlan Shah Airport is the only airport in Ipoh, located near Gunung Rapat. Domestic and international flights are available. Scoot and

AirAsia Capital A Berhad (), operating as AirAsia (stylised as ''airasia'') is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Established in 1993 and commencing operations in 1996, the airline is the largest in M ...

provide daily flights from Ipoh to

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Changi Airport while Batik Air Malaysia used to provide daily flights to Senai International Airport, serving as a link to the city of

. There are also planned flights to Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and China, with talks of a new airport soon.

Education

This is a list of schools in Ipoh, Perak. *Sekolah Izzuddin Shah * Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman *Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bercham *Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tanjung Rambutan *Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seri Puteri *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) St. Philomena Convent, Ipoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan Dato' Panglima Kinta, Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Yuk Choy, Ipoh *SMJK Yuk Choy, Ipoh *Tarcisian Convent School, Ipoh (TCS) * Anderson School, Ipoh * Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh * St. Michael's Institution, Ipoh *SMK Jalan Tasek, Ipoh * Methodist Girls Secondary School (MGS), Ipoh *Perak Girls Secondary School (PGS), Ipoh * SMK Main Convent, Ipoh *Wesley Methodist School, Ipoh *Ipoh International School (Private) *Fairview International School, Ipoh *Perak Yuk Choy High School (Private), Ipoh * Poi Lam High School (Private), Ipoh *Shen Jai High School (Private), Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) Kerajaan, Sungai Pari, Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) Gunung Rapat, Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) Perak Sangeetha Sabha, Ipoh *SMK Rapat Setia, Ipoh *SMK Jalan Pasir Puteh, Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Poi Lam, Ipoh *SMK Seri Keledang, Ipoh *SMK Menglembu, Ipoh *SMJK Poi Lam, Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Sam Tet, Ipoh * SMJK Sam Tet, Ipoh *SMK Dato Ahmad Said *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Ave Maria Convent, Ipoh *SMJK Ave Maria Convent, Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Gunung Rapat, Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Wan Hwa (1) *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Wan Hwa (2) *Sekolah Kebangsaan (ACS), Ipoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan (P) Methodist, Ipoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan Haji Mahmud Chemor, Ipoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Pari, Ipoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Pegoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan Jelapang *Sekolah Kebangsaan Marian Convent, Ipoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan Raja Ekram, Ipoh *SMK Raja Perempuan, Ipoh (RPS) Royal Princess School "Cluster School" *SRK Raja Perempuan, Ipoh (RPS) *Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Ampang, Ipoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan St. Michael's Institution (1), Ipoh *Sekolah Kebangsaan St. Michael's Institution (2), Ipoh *Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Chung Shan

Sports

Ipoh has a sports complex known as Kompleks Sukan MBI or MBI Sports Complex. Among the facilities located within the complex is the Perak Stadium (), the home of Perak Football Association who play in the

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional Football in Malaysia, football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnersh ...

. Golf courses in Ipoh include the Royal Perak Golf Club off Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah (Tiger Lane), the Meru Golf Club in Jelapang, and Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Club en route to Batu Gajah. Other sports venues include the Kilat Club in Pasir Pinji, Ipoh Field (''Padang Ipoh'') in the Old Town, the

Polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

Grounds, and the Iskandar Polo Club in Ampang Baru. The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is an annual international men's

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

tournament held in Ipoh.

Notable people

Film and television * Angie Cheong, actress * Mimi Chu, actress and singer * Iqram Dinzly, actor and model * Mamat Khalid, film director and screenwriter * Peter Pek, TV host and businessman * Afdlin Shauki, screenwriter, director and actor * Patrick Teoh, actor and radio host *

Michelle Yeoh Yeoh Choo Kheng (; born 6 August 1962), known professionally as Michelle Yeoh (), is a Malaysian actress. In a career spanning over four decades, Yeoh has appeared Michelle Yeoh filmography, in projects encompassing a wide array of genres, a ...

, actress famous for role in '' Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' * Natasha Hudson, actress and model * Mandy Lieu, actress and model Music * Michael Wong, singer-songwriter * Jamal Abdillah, pop singer and actor * Shila Amzah, singer-songwriter and actress *

Ning Baizura Ning Baizura binti Sheikh Hamzah (born 28 June 1975), better known by her stage name Ning Baizura, is a Malaysian pop and R&B singer, actress who sings in Malay, English, Japanese, Italian, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Early life She ...

, pop and R&B singer, actress * Francissca Peter, singer-songwriter * Sophia Liana * Sam Chin Neng of pop duo Fuying & Sam Sports (

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

) * Koo Kien Keat * Choong Tan Fook * Lee Wan Wah * Cheah Soon Kit * Wong Pei Tty * Wong Mew Choo Sports (

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

) * Nazirul Naim * Chan Kok Heng * Muhamad Khalid Jamlus * Azizon Abdul Kadir Sports (others) * Tony Underwood (rugby) * Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi (sports shooting) * Leong Mun Yee (diving) * Cheong Jun Hoong (diving) * Cindy Ong Pik Yin (competitive swimming) Business * David Ho Sue San of Hovid Berhad and Carotech Berhad * Lee Loy Seng, founder of Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad * Dr. Wong Jeh Shyan, CEO of CommerceNet Singapore Limited * Koon Yew Yin, founder of IJM Corporation Bhd and Gamuda Berhad * Leong Sin Nam, tin mine owner * Eu Tong Sen, tin mine owner * Foo Choo Choon, tin mine owner who has a road in Ipoh named after him * Chung Thye Phin, tin mine owner who has a road in Ipoh named after him * Leong Fee, tin mine owner Politics * Yeoh Ghim Seng, Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore 1970–1989 * Dr Yeoh Eng Kiong, Hong Kong Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food 2002–2004 * S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, Member of the Ceylonese Parliament 1956–1977 * Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Second Minister of Finance of Malaysia 2009–2016 * D. R. Seenivasagam, co-founder of the People's Progressive Party * Lim Keng Yaik, president of the Malaysian People's Movement Party 1980–2007 * Lee Lam Thye, social activist and former politician * Chang Lih Kang, Malaysian politician * Lee Chuan How, Member of the Perak State Executive Council 2018–2020 * Yusof bin Ishak, president of Singapore 1965–1970

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

Other * Adeline Ooi, curator and art advisor * Andrea Fonseka, beauty paegeant titleholder (maternal hometown) * Chan Sek Keong, Chief Justice of Singapore 2006–2012 * Lat, cartoonist * Huen Su Yin, blogger and cake designer * Desmond Koh, Youtuber and Chief Technical Officer of Coregas * Tang Siew Mun, academic * Tang Tuck Kan, artist * Wu Lien-teh, physician during the Manchurian Plague

Sister cities

Ipoh currently has two

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

: *

Nanning Nanning; is the capital of the Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, southern China. It is known as the "Green City (绿城) " because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of Guangxi, Nanning ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. *

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

References

External links

Ipoh Tourism Board Official Website

Ipoh City Guide Website
{{Authority control Populated places in Perak Populated places established in 1880 State capitals in Malaysia Cities built on a grid