KELANTAN
This State lies on the Eastern Coast of the Malay Peninsula between latitudes 4 deg. 42 min. and 6 deg. 15 min. North and longitudes 101 deg. 19 min. and 102 deg. 37 min. East. It embraces an area of 5,750 square miles. Behind a low sandy coast line of some 60 miles in length lies a fertile plain of about 1000 square miles in area, densely populated and closely cultivated with rice, coconut and fruit trees. South of this plain the country is hilly and broken.
The total population for year 1938 was 399, 299 of whom over 350, 526 were Malays, 29,294 Chinese, 11,399 Indians and 85 Europeans.
Kota Bharu, six miles up the Kelantan River, is the capital, and the chief port is Tumpat at its mouth. His Highness the Sultan resides at Kota Bharu which is the capital and administrative headquarters of the State.
The chief exports are copra, rubber, betulnut, poultry, cattle, dried fish, jungle produce, tin ore, manganese ore and iron ore. The characteristic. features of the climate are uniform temperature, high humidity, and copious rainfall, arising mainly from the situation of the State in the equatorial zone of constant precipitation. Actually the State is just far enough north and distant from, the Straits of Malacca, for its climate to be appreciably affected by the Central Asian mountain inass. Most of the rest of the peninsula shares with Kelantan the heavy rainfall in November, December and January, during the North East Monsoon, but only Trengganu and Kedah have anything approaching the Kelantan continuous dry period from February to September, most other regions having only a short dry spell in February with a second wet season reaching its maximum in April. This climate rhythm is however far less marked than it is in countries bordering on the Indian Ocean.
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In 1938, the revenue had risen to $3,134,035 and the expenditure to $3,001,033. The public debt now stands at $5,119,069. The debit balance of the State at the end of 1938 was $3,102,295. The value of the imports in 1938 was $7,434,361, against $7,941,213 in 1937. The principal imports were: textiles, tobacco, petroleum, benzine, tinned milk, drugs and medicines, sugar and provisions. The tonnage of the steamers using Kelantan ports was 366,228 in 1938 against 141,000 in 1937. There is regular steamship communication with Bangkok and Singapore. The State had at the end of 1938, 291 miles of road open to wheeled traffic, the two main roads being those from Kota Bharu to Kuala Krai (45 miles) and to Pasir Puteh (26 miles). The latter has been extended to give connection to Kuala Besut in the State of Trengganu. By rail the State has been some years connected with Bangkok, and also with Penang, through lower Thailand and Kedah. Since the opening in 1931 of the East Coast Railway, there has been direct communication with Singapore through Pahang. During 1938 the Mail train services were greatly improved and there are now two well-equipped Mail trains twice Weekly, between Singapore and Kota Bharu. It is also connected by telegraph and telephone with the two chief ports, Tumpat and Bachok, and with Kuala Krai, Pasir Puteh, Temangan, Sungai Nal and Pasir Mas. There are three wireless transmitting and receiving sets in Kelantan, one at Kota Bharu, belonging to the Royal Air Force, but worked and maintained by the Kelantan Government, one at Kuala Krai and one at Kemubu. Both the last named Stations belong to the Federated Malay States Railways.