Perak River
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The Perak River (; ) is the second longest
river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in
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 ...
after
Pahang River The Pahang River () mainly flows through the state of Pahang, Malaysia. Its drainage basin covers its Pahang as well as the neighbouring state of Negeri Sembilan. At 459 km in length, it is the longest river on the Malay Peninsula. Cours ...
in
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 ...
,
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 ...
. A number of towns are on the banks of the river including the royal town of
Kuala Kangsar Kuala Kangsar (Perak Malay: ) is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and southeast of George Town, Penang, Ge ...
. Most of the settlements in what is today Perak were situated near the river until the 19th century, when tin deposits were discovered elsewhere, most notably
Ipoh Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...
.


History

One of the streams that flows into the Perak River is known locally as the Sungai Kangsar ( Kangsar River). The portion that enjoins the main Perak River is known as Kuala. Overlooking the river bank there is a hill where the British Resident for Perak resided and appropriately named as Bukit Residen (Residence Hill). During the British occupation the British Resident being Advisor to the Sultan will conduct the Council Meeting with the Sultan and Chieftains from the districts at Bukit Residen. The council meeting was usually a pompous event with Chieftains coming with sailing boats and the Royalty and palace officials came riding on elephants. The subjects camped at the foot of the Bukit Residen for days as the Council Meeting was usually more than three days. For the subjects the Council meeting was a festival where they congregated at river bank. The subjects and locals had free flows of food and cultural activities at the river bank. Thus the local dialects named the confluence of Kangsar River and Perak River as Kuala Kangsar, Kangsar was coined from the word Council and Kuala means confluence of river.


Literature

The Perak is mentioned in
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
's story ''The Crab That Played with the Sea'' (published as one of the '' Just So Stories''). There, the man complains to his creator, the eldest magician, about the tides running into and out from the Perak: "Once a day and once a night the Sea runs up the Perak river and drives the sweet-water back into the forest, so that my house is made wet; once a day and once a night it runs down the river and draws all the water after it, so that there is nothing left but mud, and my canoe is upset."


Course

The Perak River is the second-longest river in
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 source of Perak River is in the Perak–
Kelantan Kelantan (; Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate''; ) is a state in Malaysia. The capital, Kota Bharu, includes the royal seat of Kubang Kerian. The honorific, honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' ("The Blissful Abode"). ...
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
border
tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...
near the Royal Belum State Park, in the
Titiwangsa Mountains The Titiwangsa Mountains ( Malay: ''Banjaran Titiwangsa'', ), also known as ''Banjaran Besar'' (lit. 'main range') by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula. The northern section of the range is in sout ...
. To be exact, the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the Machang and Merah Rivers, deep in the remote area of Royal Belum State Park. The Machang River originated from the Titiwangsa along the Perak–Kelantan border, while the Merah River started from the upper stream near Bang Lang National Park in the Sankalakhiri, Yala on the Thai side. The confluence of these rivers joined together and forms the headwater of the Perak. It then flows southwest through the district of Hulu Perak, mainly in the vicinities of
Gerik Gerik (alternate spelling: Grik) is a mukim and the district capital of Hulu Perak District, Perak, Malaysia. The town is also known as Rest Town due to its strategic location next to East-West Highway Federal Route 4, the main route linkin ...
and Lenggong, before meeting with the Kangsar River at the royal seat of
Kuala Kangsar Kuala Kangsar (Perak Malay: ) is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and southeast of George Town, Penang, Ge ...
, in its eponymous district. It then enters the Perak Tengah district, snaking through the towns of
Parit Parit (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ڤاريت) is a main town of Perak Tengah District, Perak, Malaysia. List of Schools in Parit:- Primary schools: # Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Parit (SRKP). # Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Iskandar Shah (SRKIS). # Seko ...
,
Pasir Salak Pasir Salak is a mukim and historical riverside town in Perak Tengah District, Perak, Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal ...
and
Kampung Gajah Kampung Gajah ( Jawi: كامڤوڠ ڬاجه) is a town and mukim in Perak Tengah District, Perak, Malaysia.http://apps.water.gov.my/jpskomuniti/dokumen/Laporan%20Profil%20Daerah%20Perak%20Tengah.pdf Geography The mukim has a population of 7, ...
, before emptying into the
Straits of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...
near Bagan Datuk in Bagan Datuk District.


Basin extent and tributaries

The Perak River basin encompasses almost all districts of
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 ...
, except for Kerian and Larut, Matang and Selama, as the Bintang Mountains serves as a
drainage divide A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a single ...
between the
Kerian River The Kerian River (), alternately ''Krian'', is a river in the northern part of the Malaysian state of Perak. The river originates from the Bintang Range. It flows westerly and discharges into the Strait of Malacca. The main tributaries are the ...
basin in the west and the Perak River in the east. The river has many
tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
, including Bidor River and the Kinta River.


Towns along the river basin

*
Gerik Gerik (alternate spelling: Grik) is a mukim and the district capital of Hulu Perak District, Perak, Malaysia. The town is also known as Rest Town due to its strategic location next to East-West Highway Federal Route 4, the main route linkin ...
* Lenggong *
Sungai Siput Sungai Siput (U) ( Malay for 'snail river', Jawi: سوڠاي سيڤوت) is a town and mukim in Kuala Kangsar District, Perak, Malaysia, covering 155,141 hectares, 61.5% of the total area of Kuala Kangsar. Sungai Siput falls under the manage ...
* Karai *
Kuala Kangsar Kuala Kangsar (Perak Malay: ) is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and southeast of George Town, Penang, Ge ...
* Manong *
Parit Parit (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ڤاريت) is a main town of Perak Tengah District, Perak, Malaysia. List of Schools in Parit:- Primary schools: # Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Parit (SRKP). # Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Iskandar Shah (SRKIS). # Seko ...
*
Kampung Gajah Kampung Gajah ( Jawi: كامڤوڠ ڬاجه) is a town and mukim in Perak Tengah District, Perak, Malaysia.http://apps.water.gov.my/jpskomuniti/dokumen/Laporan%20Profil%20Daerah%20Perak%20Tengah.pdf Geography The mukim has a population of 7, ...
*
Pasir Salak Pasir Salak is a mukim and historical riverside town in Perak Tengah District, Perak, Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal ...
*
Teluk Intan Teluk Intan is a town in Hilir Perak District, Perak, Malaysia. It is the district capital, the largest town in the district and fourth largest town in the state of Perak with an estimated population of around 172,505, more than half of Hilir P ...
* Bagan Datoh


Gallery

Sungei_Perak.JPG, Perak River seen from the Perak River Kuala Kangsar.jpg, The river in
Kuala Kangsar Kuala Kangsar (Perak Malay: ) is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and southeast of George Town, Penang, Ge ...
SultanAbdulJalilBridge.jpg, Sultan Abdul Jalil Bridge, Kuala Kangsar Airasia - Aerial photographs of Perak River (230815) (cropped).jpg, Aerial photo of Perak river near Parit


See also

*
Geography of Malaysia The geography of Malaysia includes both the physical and the human geography of Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country made up of two major landmasses separated by water—Peninsular Malaysia to the west and East Malaysia to the east—and numer ...
*
List of rivers of Malaysia This is an incomplete list of rivers that flow at least partially in Malaysia. The rivers are grouped by strait or sea. The rivers flowing into the sea are sorted along the coast. Rivers flowing into other rivers are listed by the rivers they flow ...


References

{{coord, 4, 01, N, 100, 47, E, display=title, region:MY_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Rivers of Perak Rivers of Malaysia