Perlis is malaysia's smallest state with an area of 795sq km. It is flanked by thailand in the north and kedah in the south. Kangar is the capital of perlis while arau, 10 km away is the royal town.

Predominantly agricultural, perlis has a serene unspoilt beauty. Its picturesque low-lying padi fields stretch for miles, broken only by occasional limestone outcrops. Perlis enjoys a dry season from january to april while the months of september through to december are wet months.

Main towns in the state include kangar, arau, kuala perlis and padang besar. Kuala perlis is an important ferry terminal for visitors heading for the famed islands of langkawi while padang besar is one of the major entry points for visitors from thailand travelling by road or rail into peninsular malaysia.

History

Historically this state was part of the kedah sultanate and came under thai domination at various points. When the thai conquered kedah in 1821, the sultan had to accede to siamese terms and when kedah was finally restored to him in 1842, perlis was established as a vassal state. The anglo-siamese treaty of 1909 transffered thai suzerainty over perlis to the british but during the japanese occupation, the state was placed under thai rule. After the japanese surrended, perlis once again came under british protection until it gained indepedence in 1957.