Pahangis the third largest state inMalaysia, afterSarawakandSabah, and the largest inPeninsular Malaysia. It hasthe longest river in Peninsular Malaysia the Pahang River), and by far the most ethnically diverse state on theEast Coast, with a large Malay majority but quite a substantial Chinese presence in cities, towns and some rural areas, some Indians, and the largest number of Orang Asli (aboriginal people) in any state on the peninsula. It is also the state of Gunung Tahan, the highest peak on the peninsula, which is withinTaman Negara, Malay for "National Park." Taman Negara contains some of the world's oldest virgin tropical rainforest.
The Arabic honorific of Pahang isDarul Makmur("Abode of Tranquility").