For administrative purposes the state is divided into six dis tricts : Upper Perak, Kuala Kangsar and Lower Perak, on the Perak River; Kinta ; Batang Padang, Larut and Krian. Of these, Larut and Kinta are the principal mining centres, while Krian is a rice-growing district. The districts on the Perak river are mostly peopled by Malays. The administrative capital is Taiping, the chief town of Larut.
Selangor.—Selangor is situated between the parallels 2° 32' and 3° 37' N. and i oo° 38' and 102° E., on the western side of the Malay peninsula. It is bounded on the north by Perak, on the south by Negri Sembilan, on the east by Pahang and Negri Sem bilan, and on the west by the Straits of Malacca. The coast-line is about i oo m. in length, greatest length about 104 m., and greatest breadth about 48 m., total area estimated at about 3,00o sq.m.
The state consists of a narrow strip of land between the moun tain range which forms the backbone of the peninsula and the Straits of Malacca. Compared with other states in the peninsula, Selangor is poorly watered. The principal rivers are the Selangor, the Klang and the Langat. The principal port is Port Swettenham, situated at the mouth of the Klang river, and is connected with the capital, Kuala Lumpor, by a railway. The state is possessed of valuable deposits of alluvial tin ; mining and rubber-planting are chief industries. Kuala Lumpor is the federal capital of the Malay States.
According to native tradition, the ruling house of Selangor is descended from a Bugis raja, who, with two of his brothers, settled in the state in 1718, the son of the youngest brother by a Johore princess becoming ruler of the country. In 1783 the then sultan of Selangor joined with the Yang-di-per-Tuan Muda of Riau in an unsuccessful attack upon the Dutch who then held Malacca. In retaliation the Dutch, under Admiral Van Braam, invaded Selangor and drove the sultan out of his country. In 1785, aided by the Bendahara of Pahang, Sultan Ibrahim of Se langor reconquered his state; but the Dutch blockaded his ports, and eventually forced him to enter into a treaty whereby he con sented to acknowledge their sovereignty. The earliest British political communication with Selangor began in 1818, when a commercial treaty was concluded with the governor of Penang. From 1867 till 1873 there was civil war in the state. In 1874 an
atrocious act of piracy off the mouth of the Langat river led to the governor, Sir Andrew Clarke, appointing, at the request of the sultan, a British Resident.
By the census taken on April 5, 1891 the population of Selan gor was given at 81,592. The census taken in 1921 gave a total population of 401,009. Of these 170,687 were Chinese, 91,787 were Malays, 132,545 were Tamils, and 2,467 were Europeans. The returns deal with nearly a score of different nationalities. The inhabitants of this state were, even at the time of the census of 1901, over 64% Chinese, while the Malays were little more than 20% of the population. In 1921 there were 133,844 females to 267,165 males. The development of planting enterprise in Selan gor, and more especially the cultivation of rubber, has led during recent years to the immigration of a huge number of Indian coolies. Total population was estimated at in 1932.
The revenue of Selangor in 1875 amounted to only $115,656; in 1926 it had increased to $38,692,262. Of this latter sum $4, was derived from duty on tin exported, $32,889,090 from federal receipts, and $1,967,057 from land revenue. The expendi ture for 1926 amounted to $32053,452, of which sum was on account of federal charges and $2,257,352 for public works. The value of the imports in 1926 was $91,898,797 and that of the exports was $161,184,681. The amount of tin exported in 1926 was 13,285 tons. The total area of alienated mining land amounted to 53,853 acres.
The main trunk line of the Federated Malay States railways passes through Selangor. It enters the state at Tanjong Malim on the Perak boundary, runs southward through Kuala Lumpor and so into the Negri Sembilan. It runs for 81 m. in Selangor territory. A branch line 27 m. long connects Kuala Lumpor with Port Swettenham on the Klang straits where there are extensive wharves, capable of accommodating ocean-going vessels. A sec ond branch line, measuring rather more than 4 m. in length, con nects the caves at Batu with Kuala Lumpor. Frequent communi cation is maintained by steamer between Port Swettenham and Singapore, and by coasting vessels between the former port and those on the shores of the Straits of Malacca. All the principal places in the state are connected with one another by telegraph and telephone.