Pahang

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 (lit. 'The Abode of Tranquility'), is a state of Malaysia. It is the third largest state in the country and the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, covering a total land area of 36,005.95 km2 (13,901.98 sq mi), and the ninth most populous. 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 over 56.8% of the state is covered by permanent forest reserves, 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. The state is divided into 11 districts (daerah) – Pekan, Rompin, Maran, Temerloh, Jerantut, Bentong, Raub, Lipis, Cameron Highlands, Bera and Kuantan – which are administered by 12 local authorities. The largest district is Jerantut, which covers 7,304.55 km2 (2,820.30 sq mi) and serves as the main gateway to the Taman Negara national park. Pahang's capital and largest city, Kuantan, is the eighth largest urban area...