Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km (125 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway.
Ipoh developed into one of Malaysia's main cities around the turn of the 19th century due to the booming tin mining industry. During the British colonial era, Ipoh was Malaysia's second city for administrative purposes. Architecturally, the city centre is characterised by colonial era Chinese shop houses. There are also several impressive historical buildings from the British Colonial era such as the Railway Station, the Town Hall and the Court House. Economically, the city's growth stagnated following the collapse in tin prices in the 1970s, so a very large proportion of the historical buildings still exist and function, in contrast to cities like Kuala Lumpur and Singapore where a greater proportion of the colonial era buildings have now been demolished.
80% of Ipoh's population is of Chinese origin
