Pahang

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Pahang
State
Pahang Darul Makmur
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Ya Latif O God the Gentle[1]
Anthem: Allah Selamatkan Sultan Kami Allah, Save Our Sultan
Pahang in    Malaysia
Country	Malaysia
Old Pahang kingdom	5th CE
Establishment of the sultanate	1470
Union with Johor	1623
Pahang under Bendahara dynasty	1770
Anglo-Dutch Treaty	1824
Japanese occupation	1942
Accession into the Federation of Malaya	1948
Declaration of Independence	31 August 1957
Capital and largest city	Kuantan 3°45′N 102°30′E / 3.750°N 102.500°E / 3.750; 102.500
Royal capital	Pekan
Official languages	Malay
Recognised regional languages	Pahang Malay Terengganu Malay Semai Semelai Temiar Jah Hut Others
Ethnic groups (2020)[2]	81.0% Bumiputera 14.7% Chinese 3.7% Indian 0.6% Other ethnicities
Religion (2020)[2]	76.5% Sunni Islam (official) 13.6% Buddhism 4.1% No religion 3.7% Hinduism 1.5% Christianity 0.7% Others
Demonym(s)	Pahangite, Pahangese
Government	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Sultan	Abdullah
• Menteri Besar	Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail (BN–UMNO)
Legislature	Legislative Assembly
Area
• Total	35,965 km2 (13,886 sq mi)
Highest elevation (Mount Tahan)	2,187 m (7,175 ft)
Population
• 2020 census	1,591,295[3]
• Density	45/km2 (116.5/sq mi) (14th)
GDP (PPP)	2023 estimate
• Total	$52.939 billion (8th)
• Per capita	$32,227[4] (8th)
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$16.602 billion (8th)
• Per capita	$10,106[4] (8th)
Gini (2022)	0.308[5] low
HDI (2023)	0.801[6] very high · 9th
Currency	Malaysian ringgit (RM/MYR)
Time zone	UTC+8 (Malaysian Time)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	Left
Calling code	09 (Pahang except as noted) 05 (Cameron Highlands) 03 (Genting Highlands)
Postal code	25xxx to 28xxx, 39xxx, 49000, 69000
ISO 3166 code	MY-06
Number plate prefixes	C
Website	pahang.gov.my

Pahang (Malay pronunciation: [paˈhaŋ]; Pahang Hulu Malay: Paha, Pahang Hilir Malay: Pahaeng, Ulu Tembeling Malay: Pahaq), officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific Darul Makmur ("The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and a federal state of Malaysia. It is the third largest state in the country and the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, and the ninth most populous.^[8] The state occupies the basin of the Pahang River, and a stretch of the east coast as far south as Endau. The state borders the Malaysian states of Kelantan and Terengganu to the north, Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan to the west and Johor to the south, with the South China Sea is to the east. Pahang is separated from the west coast states by the Titiwangsa Mountains that forms a natural divider between the peninsula's east and west coasts from north to south, and from Terengganu in the east by the Pantai Timur Range. The state's highest elevation culminates at Mount Tahan in the eponymous Tahan Range, which is 2,187 metres (7,175 ft) high. Although two thirds of the state is covered by dense rain forest, its central plains are intersected by numerous rivers, and along the coast there is a 32-kilometre (20 mi) wide expanse of alluvial soil that includes the deltas and estuarine plains of the Kuantan, Pahang, Rompin, Endau, and Mersing Rivers.^[9]

The state is divided into 11 districts (daerah) – Pekan, Rompin, Maran, Temerloh, Jerantut, Bentong, Raub, Lipis, Cameron Highlands and Bera. The largest district is Jerantut, which is the main gateway to the Taman Negara national park. Pahang's capital and largest city, Kuantan, is the eighth largest urban area by population in Malaysia. The royal capital and the official seat of the Sultan of Pahang is located at Pekan. Pekan was also the old state capital and its name translates literally into 'the town', it was known historically as 'Inderapura'.^[10] Other major towns include Temerloh, Raub, Bentong, Jerantut, Kuala Lipis and its hill resorts of Genting Highlands, Bukit Tinggi, and Cameron Highlands. The head of state is the Sultan of Pahang, while the head of government is the Menteri Besar. The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system. The state religion of Pahang is Islam, but allows other religions in its territory.

Archaeological evidence shows that humans have inhabited the area that is now Pahang since as early as the Paleolithic age. The early settlements gradually developed into an ancient maritime trading state by the 3rd century.^[11] In the 5th century, the Old Pahang Kingdom sent envoys to the Liu Song court. During the time of Langkasuka, Srivijaya and Ligor, Pahang was one of the outlying dependencies. In the 15th century, the Pahang Sultanate became an autonomous kingdom within the Malacca Sultanate. Pahang entered into a dynastic union with the Johor Sultanate in the early 17th century and later emerged as an autonomous kingdom in the late 18th century. Following the bloody Pahang Civil War that concluded in 1863, the state under Tun Ahmad of the Bendahara dynasty, was eventually restored as a sultanate in 1881. In 1895, Pahang became a British protectorate along with Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. During the World War II, Pahang and other states of Malaya were occupied by the Empire of Japan from 1941 to 1945. After the war, Pahang became part of the Malayan Union before being absorbed into the Federation of Malaya which gained full independence from the British.

Modern Pahang is an economically important state with main activities in the services, manufacturing and agricultural sectors. As part of the East Coast Economic Region, it is a key region for the manufacturing sector, with the local logistics support network serving as a hub for the east coast region of Peninsular Malaysia.^[12] Over the years, the state has attracted much investment, both local and foreign, in the mineral sector. Important mineral exports include iron ore, gold, tin and bauxite. Malaysia's substantial oil and natural gas fields lie offshore in the South China Sea. At one time, timber resources also brought much wealth to the state. Large-scale development projects have resulted in the clearing of hundreds of square miles of land for oil palm and rubber plantations and the resettling of several hundred thousand people in new villages under federal agencies and institutions like FELDA, FELCRA and RISDA.