Perlis is the country's northernmost state, bordering the Satun and Songkhla provinces of southern Thailand and Kedah in Malaysia.

It is also Malaysia’s smallest state, covering an area of only 810sq km, with just two districts: Kangar (the state capital) and Padang Besar.

Despite its small area, the state has carved a name for itself through its agricultural produce, namely the sweet Perlis mango. It has also turned out a number of entrepreneurs who have risen to the ranks of the country’s corporate sector elite, among them Tan Sri Halim Saad, the former Renong conglomerate chairman, and former Mentri Besar Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh.

The JKR clock tower in Kangar

Siamese Influence

Thai (Siamese) influence is evident in the state not only through the natural sharing of borders and the environment but because Perlis was once part of the greater Kingdom of Thailand.

Perlis came into being as a part of Kedah since its first known settlement in the 17th century. However, after conquering the state in 1821, the Siamese established Perlis as a vassal principality in its own right.

They appointed a territorial chief leader whose descendants under Raja Jamalullail still rule today in the form of the Malay monarchy.

In 1909, the Thais handed Perlis to the British but the state was handed back to Thailand again during the Japanese occupation and it was only after World War II that Perlis became part of the Federation of Malaya and eventually part of Malaysia after Independence.

The Thai influence is manifested in places, names and the spiciness of Perlis food where locals on both sides of the border are likely to speak both Bahasa Malaysia and Thai. A thriving border trade continues to fuel this cross-border integration.

The most precious commodity was once tin, mined from the depths of caves from the 1800s until the 1980s, and this resource attracted many migrant Chinese entrepreneurs.

The main Malay village was Wang Kelian which means “the Valley” although the mining enclave where the mainly Chinese miners settled was Kaki Bukit, literally “the Foothills”.

This is the only place in the world where large-scale cave tin-mining was conducted, which adds to the area’s historical and cultural significance.

The Heritage Town Clock building which housed the Mentri Besar's office and State Assembly Hall in Kangar

Commercial Interest

The state is peopled predominantly by Malays and is economically dependent on agriculture, especially rice. Its main produce is padi, sugarcane, rubber and teakwood with the agricultural sector contributing 32.2% to the state's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Perlis’ sole coastal township, Kuala Perlis, has recorded the highest landings of fish for the western part of Peninsular Malaysia since the 1990s.

Another notable GDP contributor is manufacturing, which accounts for 11% of GDP.

The State Government headed by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim has embarked on a mission to attract investment in manufacturing activities. A cement factory was built at Bukit Keteri in Jejawi and industrial zones set up in Kuala Perlis, Sungai Chuchoh and Padang Besar to facilitate rapid growth in this sector. The manufacturing sector produces plastic products, electrical, textiles, cement, wood-based products and non-metallic products.

There is also a thriving cottage industry in Kuala Perlis which produces Malay traditional cakes, snacks and handicraft for export.

Geographical Landmarks

The state's highest point is Gunung China in Padang Besar which is 721m above sea level. Perlis has a tropical monsoon climate and the temperature is uniform in the range of 21 degrees C to 32 degrees C, while the weather is generally dry and warm with humidity in the lowlands ranging from 82% to 86%.

The state's average rainfall is between 2,032mm and 2,540mm with the wettest months being from May to December.

Perlis does have the distinction of having moderately cold evenings from December to February when a cold front originating in China sweeps in from southern Thailand. The locals aptly call this the “winter wind”.

Perlis can be accessed by air through the Kepala Batas domestic airport in Kedah where travellers can hop onto a taxi for a 30-minute journey to Kangar. By road, the North-South Highway links Kangar to the south through Alor Star to Kuala Lumpur and north to Padang Besar. By rail, it is along the railway that stretches from Singapore in the south to Padang Besar and on to Haadyai in Thailand.

A highway also links Kangar and Kuala Perlis to Changloon (Kedah), intersecting the North-South Highway, while Perlis is also connected by sea through the Kuala Perlis ferry terminal where daily ferries ply the routes between Langkawi (Kedah ) and the state, and from Satun in Thailand.

Bustling border trade

Kangar is the administrative capital and retail centre while Arau is the royal town. Kuala Perlis, being the only coastal town, is naturally a fishing industry town while the two border townships of Padang Besar and Wang Kelian (Kaki Bukit) see bustling cross-border trade and activity.

The three-star Putra Palaca Hotel in Kangar is the foremost of the state’s six major accommodation facilities.

Tourist attractions include the state park in Wang Kelian, Gua Kelam, the herbal garden in Sungai Batu Pahat, the Kayang state museum, the Timah Tasoh recreational lake, a snake park in Sungai Batu Pahat, the wholesale market in Wang Kelian and border trade activities in Padang Besar.

There are two border crossings. In Padang Besar, the checkpoint is open between 7am and 10pm while in Wang Kelian, the hours are 7am to 7pm.

Gua Kelam entrance