Gerik
Town and district capital
Seal
Gerik Location of Gerik
Coordinates: 5°25′N 101°08′E / 5.417°N 101.133°E / 5.417; 101.133
Country	Malaysia
State	Perak
District	Hulu Perak
Government
• Type	Local government
• Body	Gerik District Council
• President	Mohd Zairasyahli Shah Zakaria
Time zone	UTC+8 (Malaysian Standard Time)
Website	https://www.gerik.gov.my/

Gerik District Council Majlis Daerah Gerik
Local Government Act 1976
Type
Type	Municipal Council of Gerik
History
Founded	1 December 1979
Leadership
President	Mohd Zairasyahli Shah Zakaria
Structure
Political groups	Councillors:   DAP (6)   PKR (3)   Amanah (1)   UMNO (4)   Vacant (11)
Motto
Menuju Era Gemilang Towards A Glorious Era
Meeting place
Jalan Haji Meor Yahaya, 33300 Gerik, Perak Darul Ridzuan.
Website
www.gerik.gov.my

Gerik (Jawi: ڬريق; Chinese: 宜力 ; Tamil: கிரிக் ; alternate spelling: Grik) is a mukim and the district capital of Hulu Perak District, Perak, Malaysia.^[1] The town is also known as Rest Town owing to its strategic location next to East-West Highway Federal Route 4, the main route linking Kedah, Penang and Kelantan.^[2]

History

From historical records, the first person who enter Gerik was Tun Saban, the son of Tun Perak, and the treasurer of the Malacca Sultanate in the early 16th century. During the fall of the Malacca government into the hands of the Portuguese, Tun Saban migrated to Hulu Patani and then moved to Belum, Gerik. He became the chairman of the community at Belum.

Gerik is bordered by Reman State to the north. Raja Reman trespassed into Gerik and captured Klian Intan and Kroh (Pengkalan Hulu). By the 19th century, most of Gerik's territory was conquered by King Reman. In 1902, the monarchy in Reman was abolished by the Siamese government and the Gerik region was incorporated as a colony.

On 9 July 1902, the Siamese government entered into an agreement with the British government to hand over Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu to British rule. The agreement was signed in Bangkok by Sir John Anderson (Straits Settlements) and the Siam Foreign Secretary. Among the conditions in the agreement, the Siamese government also had to hand over the Gerik district which had been taken by Raja Reman to the Perak government. The ceremony of handing over the Gerik area was held in Kroh on 16 July 1909.

Notable landmarks

• District and Land Office
• Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR) district offices
• District mosque
• Bus Station
• Klinik Kesihatan Plang

Schools

Fishing and camping

• Belum Rainforest Resort
• Air Beruk (Camping Site)
• Homestay Eco Resort Kampung Plang
• Tasik Banding
• Tasik Temenggor (Temenggor Lake)
• Tasik Bersia Lama
• Gerik Illo

Transportation

Gerik is located right next to the intersection of highways 4 and 76. Highway Federal Route 4 is the main route preferred by Penang and Kedah motorists to access the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Highway Federal Route 76 links Gerik to Pengkalan Hulu (right next to the border with Thailand) and then Baling in Kedah due north, and to Kuala Kangsar, the royal seat of Perak in the south.

Politics

Gerik is currently represented in the Dewan Rakyat of the Malaysian Parliament by Dato' Hasbullah bin Osman of UMNO, part of the Barisan Nasional coalition.^[3]

The constituency also supplies two seats to the Perak State Legislative Assembly, namely:

• Pengkalan Hulu; and
• Temenggor.

Both seats are also currently held by Barisan Nasional.

Notable people

• Salbiah Mohamed - politician
• Hasbullah Osman - politician
• Syazwan Roslan - footballer
• Wan Mohamed Wan Teh - politician

See also

• Kingdom of Reman

References

5°25′N 101°08′E / 5.417°N 101.133°E / 5.417; 101.133