Kuala Krai District Kkeghe
District of Malaysia
Jajahan Kuala Krai
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	كوالا كراي‎
• Chinese	瓜拉吉赖县
• Tamil	கோலா கிராய்
Flag
Location of Kuala Krai District in Kelantan
Kuala Krai District Location of Kuala Krai District in Malaysia
Coordinates: 5°30′N 102°10′E / 5.500°N 102.167°E / 5.500; 102.167
Country	Malaysia
State	Kelantan
Seat	Kuala Krai
Local area government(s)	Kuala Krai District Council (North Kuala Krai) Dabong District Council (South Kuala Krai)
Government
• District officer	Haji Tengku Ab Rahman bin Tuan Yunus[1]
• Administrative office	Kuala Krai Land Officers and Colony
Area [2]
• Total	2,275 km2 (878 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	105,900
• Density	47/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+8 (Not observed)
Postcode	18xxx
Calling code	+6-09-9
Vehicle registration plates	D

Kuala Krai

Kuala Krai District is a district (jajahan) in Kelantan, Malaysia. Historically, it was known as Kuala Lebir.^[4]

Background

The Kuala Krai district is a landlocked district in the centre of the State of Kelantan in northeastern Malaysia. The land is hilly, and before the 20th century the entire area was tropical rain forest. The territory contains the confluence of two major rivers, the Lebir and Galas, to form the Kelantan River, which then flows some 70 km northwards through one of the most densely populated flood plains on the Malay Peninsula to its estuary in the South China Sea near the State capital of Kota Bharu.

Kuala Krai was the most affected district in Kelantan by a massive 2014 flood known as Bah Kuning that resulted in property loses and in the federal government declaring a State of Emergency. This catastrophic event was cushioned by great societal support and aid from NGOs.

As transport links improved during the 20th century, people moved into the area to take advantage of the abundant land available for farming. A railway was constructed in the 1920s through the undeveloped interior of Malaysia to link Kelantan State with the main centres of population on the west coast. This line ran through Kuala Krai territory, and settlements became established along the route. Road links followed, and towns and villages grew to house the mainly agricultural population. Rubber production was becoming increasingly important throughout Malaysia at the time, and many rubber-tree plantations were set up in this area. Later, the country-wide shift to oil palm in the 1970s and 1980s saw the establishment of oil palm plantations in the territory, some of which replaced rubber.

Kuala Krai was originally part of Ulu Kelantan until it was split following a re-delineation in 1974. Kuala Krai formally gained its own district and municipal administration in 1977.^[5]

Infrastructure developed to support the population, and by the end of the 20th century Kuala Krai town had become a busy, thriving town as well as the administrative centre for the territory.

Population

Map of Kuala Krai District

The population of Kuala Krai territory was 117,800 in 2009.

Ranking Population Jajahan Kuala Krai.

Rank	Daerah/Mukim	Population 2000	PBT Council
1	Batu Mengkebang	55,975	Kuala Krai District Council
2	Olak Jeram	24,665	Dabong District Council
3	Dabong	11,131	Dabong District Council

Population ethnicity

The population and ethnicity of the territory is as follows:^[2]

Population of the territory – breakdown by race

Race	1990	%		1995	%		2000	%		2004	%
Malay	92,916	91.4		110,246	90.9		130,810	90.9		149,018	90.8
Chinese	5,685	5.6		7,282	6.0		8,657	6.0		9,862	6.0
Indian	2,650	2.6		3,364	2.7		3,990	2.8		4,545	2.7
Other	354	0.4		121,339	0.4		463	0.3		527	0.3

Attractions

• Taman Tasik Krai
• Taman Chintawangsa
• Taman Masjid Bandar
• Zoo Mini Kuala Krai
• Muzium Kuala Krai
• Tangga Bradley
• Jambatan Sultan Ismail
• Tembikar Kampung Mambong
• Kampung Lemang Manek Urai
• Gunung Stong
• Gua Ikan
• Air Terjun Jelawang
• Lata Berangin
• Lata Chenulang
• Lata Rek
• Lata Y
• Istana Sangkut

Famous people from Kuala Krai

• Loh Sea Keong, Malaysian professional cyclist
• Mee Fong, a commercial photographer, had a studio in Kuala Krai in 1930^[8]
• Mohd Khairul Anuar also known as Lan Cairo, who is a Nurse. He was born in Kuala Krai on Dragon Years 27 May 1988. He is very good personal rapport with international people as well as a representative of Malays to the worlds.
• Datuk Rafiah Salim, is the first female Vice-Chancellor in Malaysia, posted to Universiti Malaya.
• T. Wignesan, writer, was born in Kuala Krai in the early 1930s^[9][10]
• Tengku Budriah binti Al-Marhum Tengku Ismail, the Raja Perempuan of Perlis, was born in Kuala Krai on 28 March 1925. Her husband, Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail was elected as the third King of Malaysia (known as Yang di-Pertuan Agong) from 1960 to 1965.^[11]
• Terence Fernandez, a Journalist and current deputy editor special reports & investigations of The Sun Newspaper. He was kidnapped in Iraq in 2003 but survived and currently writes a column in The Sun every Tuesday and Thursday, frequently writing on corruption and mismanagement of funds by politicians. He grew up in Kuala Krai and spent his entire childhood and teenage years there.
• Zang Toi, New York fashion designer, was born in Kuala Krai on 11 June 1961^[12]
• Muhammad Shahrol Nizam, centerback for UPNM F.C. on 3 September 2019.

Federal Parliament and State Assembly Seats

List of LMS district representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat)

List of LMS district representatives in the State Legislative Assembly of Kelantan

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kuala Krai District.

• Kuala Krai Bridge
• Kuala Krai railway station

References