Located in eastern Peninsular Malaysia, Terengganu is bordered in the northwest by Kelantan, in the southwest by Pahang, and in the east by the South China Sea. Several outlying islands, including the Perhentians, Kapas and Redang, are also part of the state. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Iman or Abode of Faith. Terengganu is geographically divided into sparsely populated and mountainous inland known as the Terengganu Highlands and largely flat coastal plains, in which most of the state’s people are concentrated. The state is known for having the longest coastline in west Malaysia and many of the most popular islands in Malaysia are located in the state of Terengganu.

The coastal city of Kuala Terengganu, which stands at the mouth of the broad Terengganu River, is both the state and royal capital as well as the largest city in Terengganu. Other major cities and towns include Jerteh, Kuala Dungun, Chukai, Kuala Berang, Marang, and Permaisuri. Terengganu is Malaysia’s 7th-largest state by area and 10th-largest in population. Terengganu, along with Kelantan, Perlis and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, is one of the most homogeneous states and territories in the country, of which 95% of the population are ethnic Malay-Muslims with their distinct language, dialect, culture, history, and tradition.

In Malay, kuala can mean river mouth, estuary, or confluence. Thus, Kuala Terengganu is roughly translated as the confluence or estuary of Terengganu, referring to the broad expanse of the Terengganu River estuary, which empties into the South China Sea. There are several theories regarding the name Terengganu. One theory attributes the name’s origin to terang ganu, Malay for bright rainbow. Another story, considered to be the most popular version, is said to have been originally narrated by the ninth Sultan of Terengganu, Baginda Omar. It tells of a party of hunters from Pahang roving and hunting in what is now southern Terengganu. One of the hunters spotted a big animal fang lying on the ground. A fellow party member asked to which animal the fang belonged. The hunter, not knowing which animal, simply answered taring anu, Malay for fang of something. The party later returned to Pahang with a rich hoard of game, fur, and sandalwood, which impressed their neighbours. They asked the hunters where they sourced their riches, to which they replied, from the land of Taring Anu, which later evolved into Terengganu. Terengganu was called Trangkanu by the Siamese when it was under their influence. Terengganuans usually pronounce Terengganu as Tranung or Ganu, with the G often being emphasized.

The traditional Chinese name for Terengganu has been Dīngjiānú, which is a direct transcription of the Malay name. However, in recent years, the Chinese community in Terengganu has raised objections to the name, citing that the characters used loosely translate to giving birth to a child who will become a slave. They successfully petitioned the regulatory commission for the Chinese language in Malaysia to change the Chinese name for the state to Dēngjiālóu, which can be loosely translated to aspiring or stepping up to a higher level, in September 2004. The new name was in unofficial use by the state’s Chinese community for at least 30 years before its official adoption.

Human activities may have already existed in Terengganu as early as 16,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic age, as evidenced by the discovery of a skeleton in Gua Bewah, Hulu Terengganu, in 2009. The skeleton, which is called Bewah Man, has been analysed as 5,000 years older than skeletons found in Perak, making it the oldest known modern human skeleton in the country.

Terengganu’s location by the South China Sea ensured that it had been on trade routes since ancient times. Based on Ptolemy’s 2nd-century map called Golden Chersonese, the areas of what would be known as Terengganu today were historically called Perimula and Kole Polis. The earliest written reports on the area that mentioned the name Terengganu were by Chinese merchants and seafarers in the early 6th century A.D. During the early Hindu-Buddhist period, Terengganu was known as Tan-Tan, which is based on what is now Kuala Telemong. It was a small ancient polity that came under the influence of Langkasuka, a powerful kingdom based either in Kedah or Patani in the 1st century AD. In the 7th century, the dynasty of Langkasuka that once ruled over Terengganu was replaced by a new kingdom called Srivijaya, under whom Terengganu traded extensively with other kingdoms in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra, Champa, the Khmer Empire, the Majapahit Empire and especially the Chinese.

The present Sultanate of Terengganu was established in 1708. The first Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Zainal Abidin I, established his court near Kuala Berang, then moved his court a few more times until he settled near Bukit Keledang, Kuala Terengganu. During the early 18th century, Kuala Terengganu was still a small town. It was described as having about one thousand houses that were scattered around the town. The Chinese were already present in Kuala Terengganu at that time. Half of the population were Chinese, and they were engaged in agriculture and trading. After the death of Sultan Daud in 1831, a brief civil war erupted between two claimants to the throne, namely Tengku Mansur and Tengku Omar. Tengku Omar was based at Bukit Puteri, while Tengku Mansur was based at Balik Bukit. Tengku Omar was defeated by Tengku Mansur, and he fled from Terengganu. Tengku Mansur became the next Sultan as Sultan Mansur II. His son, Sultan Muhammad, succeeded him as the next Sultan after his death in 1837. However, in 1839, Tengku Omar returned to Terengganu with his entourage to reclaim the throne. He defeated Sultan Muhammad and forced Sultan Muhammad to flee. Tengku Omar reoccupied his fort at Bukit Puteri and was throned as the next Sultan, Sultan Omar.

Terengganu was the first Malay state to receive Islam, as attested to by the Terengganu Inscription Stone with Arabic inscriptions found in Kuala Berang. The inscribed date, which is incomplete due to damage, can be read as various dates from 702 to 789 AH (1303 to 1387 CE). Terengganu became a vassal state of Malacca but retained considerable autonomy with the emergence of the Johor Sultanate.

Terengganu emerged as an independent sultanate in 1724. The first sultan was Tun Zainal Abidin, the younger brother of a former sultan of Johor, and Johor strongly influenced Terengganu politics through the 18th century. In the 19th century, Terengganu became a vassal state of the Thai Rattanakosin Kingdom and sent tribute every year called bunga mas. Terengganu prospered and was largely left alone by the authorities in Bangkok, unlike in neighbouring Patani and Kelantan. The period also witnessed the existence of a Terengganuan vassal, Besut Darul Iman.

The terms of the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 saw power over Terengganu transferred from Siam to Great Britain. A British advisor was appointed to the sultan in 1919, and Terengganu became one of the Unfederated Malay States. The move was highly unpopular locally, and in 1928, the British used military force to suppress a popular uprising.

During World War II, Japan occupied Terengganu and transferred sovereignty over the state back to Siam, which had been renamed Thailand in 1939, along with Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis. After the defeat of Japan, British control over these Malay states was reestablished. Terengganu became a member of the Federation of Malaya in 1948, then a state of a sovereign Malaya in 1957, which became Malaysia in 1963. Following decades of rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) came to power in 1999, making Terengganu the second state in Malaysia to be ruled by the Islamist party, the first being neighbouring Kelantan.

Terengganu used to be Malaysia’s poorest state until oil and gas were discovered off its coastline in the 1980s, and the state’s main industry now is petroleum and gas. Tourism and fishing are also major industries and agriculture also remains important. Terengganu was traditionally famous for boatbuilding, with highly decorated, carved wooden boats called bangau to be found in the harbour of every village and town. The state did not receive many Indian or Chinese migrants, and therefore Malay cultural influences predominate. Traditional pursuits such as kite-flying contests, top-spinning contests, and traditional arts and crafts such as batik and songket are still very much alive.

Terengganu, along with Kelantan, is known as the cradle of the Malay civilization in Peninsular Malaysia. There are various traditional dances in the state, such as the Ulek Mayang, Rodat, Saba, Balai, and Nur Sakti; some even predate the arrival of Islam in the region. Terengganu is also one of few states to adopt the gamelan as part of their traditional theatre, after Riau and Pahang; the Terengganu gamelan has developed a distinct identity from the Sundanese and Javanese gamelan. The gamelan was originally brought to Pahang and later to Terengganu and was played only during royal occasions. Today, the gamelan is part of the state’s cultural heritage.