Kuala Krai

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Kuala Krai territory is a landlocked administrative area in the centre of the State of Kelantan in the north east of 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 Peninsular to its estuary in the South China Sea near the State capital of Kota Bharu.

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 its route. Road links followed, and towns and villages grew to cater for the mainly agricultural population. Rubber production was increasingly important throughout Malaysia, 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.

The territory "Jajahan Kuala Krai" has an area of 2329 km² and comprises three administrative districts (daerah):[1]

Daerah Olak Jeram (757.6 km²) with 67 villages
Daerah Batu Mengkebang (726.9 km²) with 122 villages
Daerah Dabong (844.5 km²) with 27 villages
Some of the better known towns and villages in the territory include Dabong, Kemubu, Manek Urai, Pahi and Kampung Laloh.