Photo : Kedah Paddy Field

History

It is believed that traders, who plied the East-West trade route, used Kedah as a stopover point since the 5th Century AD. The traders used Gunung Jerai (Mount Jerai), Kedah's highest peak, as a navigational point to guide them into Kuala Muda, which was Kedah's famous trading port at that time. Early Hindu-Buddhist civilisation also left their marks in the form of ancient candi (temples) around Lembah Bujang (Bujang Valley).

Later in the 7th and 8th Centuries, Kedah became a vassal of the Sumatran Kingdom of Sri Vijaya. After the kingdom's disintegration, the Thais placed Kedah under their wing. It was later won by the reigning Malacca Sultanate in the 15th Century. During the 17th Century, Kedah was fiercely attacked by the Portuguese and Achinese. In the 18th century, Penang, which was once belonged to Kedah, was handed over to the British in compensation for the latter's protection from the Thai attacks. However, Kedah still fell to the Thais in 1821.

In 1907, the Thais handed over Kedah to the British and a British advisor was appointed to advise the Sultan on State matters. The State of Kedah also suffered, as did others, during the Japanese occupation of Malaya until the year 1945. Then in 1948, it joined the Federation of Malaya, which gained Independence in 1957. Today, Kedah is a prosperous State with an expanding economy, fuelled by agriculture, manufacturing and tourism.

Economy

Known as the nation's -Rice Bowl', along with its neighbour Perlis, Kedah is fast developing past its agriculture-based economy. Many hitech industrial parks are being built to garner ore income from the industrial and manufacturing sectors as well. Tourism is another sector that the State managed to tap into, especially in Langkawi.

Geography

Kedah sits in the northwest corner of the Peninsular Malaysia. The State is bounded on the north by Southern Thailand and Perlis, on the west by the Straits of Malacca and on the south by Penang and Perak.

Off its coast are the isles of Langkawi. Covering an area of 9,425 sq km, Kedah consists mostly of paddy fields and mountain ranges. Kedah's highest point is Gunung Jerai (1,200 metres).

Climate

On the whole, Kedah's climate is tropical monsoon. The temperature is relatively uniform within the range of 21°C to 32°C throughout the year. During the months of January to April, the weather is generally dry and warm. Humidity is consistently high on the lowlands ranging between 82% to 86% per annum. The average rainfall per year is 2,032 mm to 2540 mm and the wettest months are from May to December.