Kedah

Kedah, north-western state of West Malaysia, including the Langkawi Islands. Kedah borders on Thailand, and the states of Pinang, Perlis, and Perak; the state capital is Alor Setar. Kedah's area is 9,426 sq km (3,639 sq mi).

Traditionally, Kedah’s economy has centred around the cultivation of rice, with much of Malaysia's rice production being concentrated in the Kedah-Perlis plain. An extensive irrigation scheme is in operation at Muda. Tourism, particularly in the Langkawi Islands, the “Islands of Legends”, is of economic importance. Kedah as a whole is a significant source of labour for the industrial development of the northern states.

Kedah is the oldest state in Malaysia and its ruling family traces its line back to Hindu times. They were vassals of the kingdom of Sri Vijaya in the 7th and 8th centuries. Kedah came under Thai suzerainty from 1511 to 1909. The threat of Thai attack forced it to cede Pinang to Great Britain at the end of the 18th century, and from 1821 to 1846 it was under direct Thai rule. The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 transferred suzerainty to Britain. In 1948 the state became part of the Federation of Malaya, the forerunner of modern Malaysia. Population 1,530,100 (1997 estimate).