Perak
Perak (Malay pronunciation: [peˈraʔ]; Jawi: ڨيراق), one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the fourth largest state in the country. It borders Kedah and the Thai Yala Province to the north; Penang to the northwest; Kelantan and Pahang to the east; Selangor to the south, and the Straits of Malacca to the west.
The state's administrative capital of Ipoh was known historically for tin-mining activities until the price of the metal dropped, severely affecting the state's economy. The royal capital, however remains at Kuala Kangsar, where the palace of the Sultan of Perak is located.
The Arabic honorific of Perak is Darul Ridzuan ("Abode of Grace").
Name
The state's official name is Perak Darul Ridzuan (Jawi: ڨيراق دار الرّضوان), or "Perak, the Abode of Grace". Perak means silver in Malay, which is probably derived from the silvery colour of tin. In the 1890s, Perak, with the richest alluvial deposits of tin in the world was one of the jewels in the crown of the British Empire. However, some say the name comes from the "glimmer of fish in the water" that sparkled like silver. Darul Ridzuan is the state's Arabic honorific, and can mean either "land" or "abode" of grace.
