# Perak: Tin Ore, the Pangkor Treaty and the Start of the British Resident System

> A profile of Perak Darul Ridzuan — its capital Ipoh, the institution of the Sultan of Perak, and the state's place as where the Pangkor Treaty was signed on 20 January 1874, the treaty that introduced the British Resident system in Malaya.

- Category: states
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/states/perak

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On 20 January 1874, a treaty was signed in the waters near Pangkor Island.
The document ceded no territory and declared no war. It introduced only one
new office: a Resident, whose advice had to be obeyed.

From that single clause the structure of government in Malaya changed — and
Perak was the first state to go through it.

## Key facts

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Perak Darul Ridzuan |
| Capital | Ipoh |
| Head of state | Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan |
| First Sultan | Sultan Muzaffar Syah I (began reign 1528) |
| Population (2025, preliminary) | 2,574.9 thousand people |
| GDP per capita (2025) | RM41,960 (Malaysia: RM59,167) |
| Economic growth (2025) | 5.7 percent (Malaysia: 5.2 percent) |
| State Legislative Assembly constituencies | 59 (N.01–N.59) |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley |

Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, the official portal of the Perak
State Government, and the official portal of the Perak State Assembly.

## Before the treaty: tin in Larut

The Sultanate of Perak began in 1528 with Sultan Muzaffar Syah I, who
according to the state government's official portal was descended from
Sultan Mahmud Syah of Melaka — a direct link to the [Melaka
Sultanate](/en/malaysia/melaka-sultanate), which fell in 1511.

For three centuries after that, Perak was a Malay state on the banks of the
Perak River like the other states along the west coast.

What changed things was mineral wealth. The state government's official
portal records that Perak "became better known once the richness of its land
was discovered, namely following the discovery of tin ore at Larut in 1848
by Cik Long Jaafar."

Tin transformed the state's economy from agriculture and river trade into
large-scale mining. It drew capital, labour and — eventually — the attention
of outside powers.

## What was sealed on 20 January 1874

The Pangkor Treaty was sealed between the British and the Malay chiefs of
Perak. The official portal of the Perak State Government states that the
sealing of the treaty "confirmed British power in Perak."

The most decisive clause concerned the office of Resident. The state
government's official portal summarises it this way: the Sultan would
accept a British Resident whose advice **"must be asked and acted upon in
all matters except those touching the religion and customs of the
Malays."**

Notice three features of its design:

1. **It did not abolish the Sultanate.** The Sultan remained head of state;
   what changed was who gave binding advice in administrative matters.
2. **It drew a boundary of jurisdiction.** Malay religion and custom were
   explicitly excluded from the Resident's advice — a division whose shape
   continued into the constitutional arrangements that followed.
3. **It operated through advice, not direct administration.** Formally,
   governance remained in the Sultan's hands; in practice, administrative
   power shifted to whoever's advice had to be followed.

The official portal of the Perak State Assembly sums up the change in one
sentence: the traditional system of government between the Sultan and the
Malay chiefs changed following indirect British intervention in the Malay
states, when a British Resident was appointed to advise the Sultan.

## After Pangkor: Birch, 1875, and the 1877 council

The first British Resident in Perak was J.W.W. Birch. The state government's
official portal records that he was appointed the first Resident and was
killed in 1875 — one year after the treaty was sealed.

Three years after the treaty, the new structure of government began to take
institutional shape. The official portal of the Perak State Assembly records
that the first Perak State Council sat on **10 September 1877** at the
British Resident's residence in Kuala Kangsar.

The composition of that first sitting says a great deal about the
arrangement of power at the time:

| Role | Individual |
| --- | --- |
| Chairman | Raja Muda Yusuf |
| British Resident | Sir Hugh Low |
| Member | Raja Idris |
| Member | Captain Speedy |
| Member | Orang Kaya Temenggung |
| Kapitan Cina | Chung Ah Kwee |
| Kapitan Cina | Ching Ah Yam |

Council business was conducted in Malay and recorded in Jawi script, while
the minutes were translated into English. Every motion was debated and
voted on before becoming law.

This is why the Perak State Assembly states that Malaysia's constitutional
history can be said to begin with the 1874 Pangkor Treaty, which was
implemented through the Perak State Council in 1877. That institutional
lineage extends all the way to today's Perak State Assembly, which has 59
State Assembly Member constituencies numbered N.01 to N.59.

## Ipoh and the Kinta Valley

If Larut was the first tin field, the Kinta Valley was the field that built
a city.

The Ipoh City Council records that in 1884 a road began to be built
connecting the village of Gopeng to its port at Kota Bharu, and onward to
the mining areas of Papan and Batu Gajah. In 1895 Ipoh became the largest
town in the State of Perak and the second largest in the Federated Malay
States. Between 1905 and 1914, the town area expanded across the Kinta
River — the area known today as Ipoh New Town.

Capital status, however, came through an event of war. The official portal
of the Perak State Assembly records that when Japanese forces captured
Perak in 1942, the state's administrative centre was moved from Taiping to
Ipoh.

Its administrative status followed later. Ipoh became the Ipoh Municipal
Council on 31 May 1962, and on **27 May 1988** the Sultan of Perak declared
Ipoh a city, the capital of Perak Darul Ridzuan.

Kuala Kangsar, meanwhile, remains the centre of royal ceremony. Istana
Iskandariah there is where the coronation ceremony of the 35th Sultan of
Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin
Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah, took place on 6 May 2015, followed by the Istiadat
Tabal Pusaka and Istiadat Bersiram Tabal ceremonies on 7 May 2015.

## Perak today, by the official numbers

The Department of Statistics Malaysia estimates Perak's population in 2025
(preliminary figures) at **2,574.9 thousand people**, compared with 2,569.4
thousand in 2024. Of that total, 2,415.4 thousand are citizens.

| Indicator (2025, preliminary) | Perak |
| --- | --- |
| Total population | 2,574.9 thousand |
| Population density | 122 people per km² |
| Median age | 32.1 years |
| Population aged 65 and above | 10.3 percent |
| Number of households | 730.4 thousand |
| Average household size | 3.5 people |

Citizen ethnic composition in 2025 (preliminary): Bumiputera 62.4 percent
(Malay 59.2 percent, other Bumiputera 3.2 percent), Chinese 26.0 percent,
Indian 11.2 percent, and others 0.4 percent.

One figure worth noting: 10.3 percent of Perak's population is aged 65 and
above, up from 8.9 percent in 2020. This is among the most mature age
structures in the Peninsula.

Economically, DOSM reports that Perak's economy grew **5.7 percent in
2025**, exceeding national growth of 5.2 percent, and the state's strongest
growth in more than a decade. The main driver was the
[manufacturing](/en/economy/manufacturing) sector, which rose 15.2 percent,
particularly the transport equipment and other manufacturing industries,
which surged 162.9 percent following the expansion of automotive
manufacturing activity in the state. The services sector grew 3.4 percent.

Perak's GDP per capita in 2025 was RM41,960 (2024: RM39,057), compared with
the Malaysian average of RM59,167.

Administratively, the official Hansard of the Perak State Assembly records
that the state has 12 districts.

## Older than any sultanate: the Lenggong Valley

Far in the north of Perak, the human record begins much earlier than 1528.

The Department of National Heritage records that the Archaeological
Heritage of the Lenggong Valley was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site on **30 June 2012** at the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee
in St Petersburg, Russia. The site area covers 398.64 hectares.

The site comprises open-air locations and caves, with a cultural sequence
from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic through to the Metal Age, dated from
1.83 million years to 1,000 years ago.

The best-known find is **Perak Man** from Gua Gunung Runtuh — the most
complete and oldest prehistoric human skeleton found in Southeast Asia,
dated to approximately 10,000 years ago, and the only prehistoric skeleton
in the world born with the congenital defect Brachymesophalangia type A2.
Kota Tampan, discovered in 1987, is dated to approximately 74,000 years.

## Common misconceptions

**"The Pangkor Treaty made Perak a colony."** Not accurate in form. The
treaty preserved the Sultanate and introduced a Resident whose advice was
binding in administrative matters, with Malay religion and custom excluded.
The distinction between direct administration and government through advice
is what set Perak apart from the Straits Settlements such as
[Penang](/en/states/penang), which were administered directly.

**"Ipoh has always been Perak's capital."** No. The official portal of the
Perak State Assembly records that the state's administrative centre was
moved from Taiping to Ipoh in 1942, during the Japanese occupation. Ipoh was
only declared a city in 1988.

**"The Sultan of Perak has the same role as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong."**
Two different offices. The Sultan of Perak is the head of state for Perak;
the [Yang di-Pertuan Agong](/en/government/yang-di-pertuan-agong) is the
Supreme Head of State for the Federation under the Federal Constitution,
elected by the Conference of Rulers.

**"Tin ore is just old history."** The tin legacy shapes the urban geography
of Perak's towns to this day — but the state's economic structure in 2025
is driven by manufacturing, including automotive and electrical and
electronics, not mining.

## What's next

If you're following the effects of the Pangkor Treaty forward, the two most
useful further readings are [the Melaka
Sultanate](/en/malaysia/melaka-sultanate) to understand the origins of the
Perak Sultanate's lineage, and [Independence
1957](/en/malaysia/independence-1957) to see how the Resident and Federation
arrangement eventually ended.

For the context of a neighbouring state that went through a different
colonial path, compare with [Penang](/en/states/penang) — a Straits
Settlement that was administered directly — and [Selangor](/en/states/selangor),
which accepted a British Resident after Perak.

For current figures, check the latest releases from the Department of
Statistics Malaysia for population estimates and GDP by state, as both are
updated annually.

## Sources

- Sejarah Ringkas Negeri Perak — https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/ms/kerajaan-negeri/info-umum/sejarah-ringkas (Portal Rasmi Kerajaan Negeri Perak)
- Sejarah — Portal Rasmi Dewan Negeri Perak — https://dewan.perak.gov.my/sejarah/ (Bahagian Dewan Negeri dan Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri Perak)
- Senarai ADN — Portal Rasmi Dewan Negeri Perak — https://dewan.perak.gov.my/senarai-adn/ (Bahagian Dewan Negeri dan Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri Perak)
- Sultan & Raja-Raja Bergelar — https://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/informasi-kesultanan-tepi/sultan-raja-raja-bergelar (Portal Rasmi Sultan Perak)
- Senarai Sultan Perak Terdahulu — https://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/informasi-kesultanan/senarai-sultan-perak (Portal Rasmi Sultan Perak)
- Istiadat Pertabalan DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Ke-35 — https://www.perak.gov.my/index.php/en/?view=article&id=333%3Aistiadat-pertabalan-dymm-paduka-seri-sultan-perak-ke-35-8-disember-2014&catid=30 (Portal Rasmi Kerajaan Negeri Perak)
- Anggaran Penduduk Semasa Malaysia 2025 (Jadual 1.7: Statistik utama penduduk, Perak, 2020–2025) — https://storage.dosm.gov.my/demography/population_2025.pdf (Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia (DOSM))
- Kenyataan Media: Keluaran Dalam Negeri Kasar (KDNK) Mengikut Negeri, 2025 — https://www.dosm.gov.my/uploads/release-content/file_20260701120804.pdf (Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia (DOSM))
- Info Ipoh — Portal Rasmi Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh — https://www.mbi.gov.my/index.php/en/info-ipoh (Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh)
- Tapak Warisan Dunia UNESCO Lembah Lenggong — https://www.heritage.gov.my/en/kraf.html?view=article&id=147%3Atapak-warisan-dunia-unesco-lembah-lenggong&catid=17%3Ainfo-jwn (Jabatan Warisan Negara)
- Warisan Arkeologi Lembah Lenggong, Perak — https://www.heritage.gov.my/en/warisan-arkeologi-lembah-lenggong-perak.html (Jabatan Warisan Negara)
- Perlembagaan Persekutuan — Undang-Undang Malaysia — https://lom.agc.gov.my/federal-constitution.php (Pejabat Peguam Negara Malaysia (AGC))
- Penyata Rasmi Dewan Negeri Perak, 2 Disember 2024 — https://dewan.perak.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Penyata-Rasmi-2-Disember-2024-Edited.pdf (Bahagian Dewan Negeri dan Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri Perak)

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