This article is about a town in Malaysia. For tropical cyclones named Tapah, see Tropical Storm Tapah (disambiguation). For the fish, see Wallago attu. For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat, see Tapah (federal constituency).
Not to be confused with Tapah Road.
Tapah
Town and district capital
CountryMalaysia
StatePerak
DistrictBatang Padang
Time zoneMalaysian Standard Time (UTC+8)
Coordinates4°11′53″N 101°15′41″E
Governing bodyTapah District Council
PresidentAhmad Roslan Mohamed Nazir
Websitehttp://mdtapah.gov.my
Tapah District Council
Native nameMajlis Daerah Tapah
LegislatureLocal Government Act 1976
Foundation1 September 1979
JurisdictionTapah
PresidentAhmad Roslan Mohamed Nazir
Meeting placeJalan Stesyen, 35000 Tapah, Perak Darul Ridzuan.
Websitewww.mdtapah.gov.my

Tapah is a town and the capital of Batang Padang District, Perak, Malaysia.[1] It is one of the two gateway towns to the renowned hill retreat of Cameron Highlands alongside Simpang Pulai, with the latter situated approximately 39 kilometres (24 mi) to its north.

Tapah is located 49 kilometres (30 mi) to the southeast of Ipoh, the state capital city.

Name

The name "Tapah" is said to be originated from the name of a freshwater fish, "Ikan Tapah". The scientific name of the fish is Wallago leeri. The locals said that the name has been taken from the Perak Malay word which means "no worry" (Standard Malay: tidak mengapa, colloquial speech: takpa).[2]

Geography

The Batang Padang River flows through Tapah.[3] Major neighbouring towns are Kampar and Bidor. Attributing to its location on the western foothills of the Titiwangsa Range, there are some magnificent waterfalls within its vicinity. The Lata Kinjang waterfall is about 18 km from Tapah on the road to Chenderiang. It is an impressive series of cascades down a 100 m drop. The falls can be seen from the North–South Expressway (PLUS). The other one is the Lata Iskandar waterfall, located further inland along the main route linking the town with Ringlet of Cameron Highlands.

Transport

Tapah is located on the trunk road between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. There is an entrance to the North–South Expressway (E1) at Tapah via exit 132. This town is also widely considered as the main entry point into the old Cameron Highlands route, which is a winding and narrow road uphill. The nearest train station is Tapah Road.[4]

References

  1. ^ The Directory & Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Sian, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines. Hongkong Daily Press Office. 1910. p. 1394.
  2. ^ Article title (in malay)
  3. ^ Nathan, R S (1970). "Batang Padang". Malaysia in History. 13 (1–2): 20. Malaysian Historical Society.
  4. ^ Richmond, Simon (2010). Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei. Lonely Planet. p. 147. ISBN 9781741048872.