From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kuala Terengganu (colloquially abbreviated as KT; Jawi: كوالا ترڠڬانو) is the state and royal capital of Terengganu state, Malaysia as well as its largest town. The town has a population of 250,939 (2000 census) ^[1] and is also the seat of a district of the same name. Kuala Terengganu is located about 500 kilometers northeast of Kuala Lumpur on a promontory surrounded on three sides by the South China Sea. The name means the "river mouth of Terengganu", referring to the broad expanse of the Terengganu River estuary which empties into the ocean at this point.

Contents 1 History 2 Economy 3 Tourism 3.1 Monsoon Cup 4 Transport 5 References

There was only one street, called Kampung Cina (Chinatown), when Kuala Terengganu was founded. A family of Chinese traders who were trading between China and the Malay Peninsula established it as early as the 15th century. This is evidenced by the Chinese families that live in Kampung Cina (Chinatown) and the buildings which are hundreds of years old.

It soon grew into an important trading post between the two countries. However, after the Melaka Empire conquered the town, its influence as a leading port in the Southeast Asian region diminished as most of the traders preferred to stop at Melaka, which was the center of trade between China, India and Southeast Asia.

Main economic activities include retail and wholesale trade in food items, fabric and apparels, fisheries, agriculture, service industries, and tourism, particularly as a jumping-off point for the nearby Perhentian Islands.

Places of interest include Chinatown, Pasar Payang (Central Market), the Sultan's Palace, the State Museum, Pulau Duyong.

The Monsoon Cup 2005 celebrated its inauguration and debut as the 50th official event of the Swedish Match Tour (http://www.swedishmatchtour.com/), and serves as the Malaysian leg for the prestigious international sailing event. Dubbed ‘The Formula One of Sailing’, this professional sailing series was formed in 2000 to unite the world’s best match-race regattas under one banner. The Swedish Match Tour comprises nine events in nine specially selected locations around the world. As the leading professional sailing series in the world, the Tour events are recognized as must-attend regattas on the match-race circuit. The Monsoon Cup 2005 was held at Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, from 29 November to 4 December 2005. The Monsoon Cup for the 2006 now offers the highest prize money in the world (RM1 million) for a match racing event with the sponsorship of Mr Richard Mille of Richard Mille Watches. Richard Mille will also be the official time keeper for the event. The Monsoon Cup 2006 will be held at Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, from the 29 November to 3 December 2006 (http://www.monsooncup.com.my).

The town is connected to other towns via a good network of roads and also some ferries that ply the Terengganu River. On the other side of the Terengganu River, there is a medium-sized airport serving domestic routes.

• Kuala Terengganu travel guide from Wikitravel

Coordinates: 5°20′N 103°09′E