Kelantan

Kelantan is a state in Malaysia in the north-eastern corner of Peninsular Malaysia, with the honorific name Darul Naim, the Blissful Abode. Its capital is Kota Bharu, which includes the royal seat of Kubang Kerian. It is an agrarian state of paddy fields, fishing villages and casuarina-lined beaches, and it holds some of the most ancient archaeological discoveries in Malaysia, including several prehistoric aboriginal settlements. Because of its relative isolation and largely rural lifestyle, Kelantanese culture differs somewhat from Malay culture elsewhere on the peninsula, in its cuisine, its arts and the Kelantanese Malay language, which is not readily intelligible with standard Malay. Kelantan is bordered by Narathiwat province of Thailand to the north, Terengganu to the south-east, Perak to the west and Pahang to the south, with the South China Sea to the north-east. It joined the Federation of Malaya on 1 February 1948 and became one of the states of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.