Kedah is one of the border States of the north of peninsula, with access to its neighbour thailand via the road to sadao which crosses the frontier at bukit kayu hitam, near changlun. This sungai sanglang marks the boundary with Perlis to the north, and the sungai muda with province wellesley (seberang prai) to the south. The sungai krian forms its boundary with Perak.

The Langkawi group of islands forms part of the state. The greater part of the state is taken up by the broad Kedah-Perlis rice plain which produces over half the nation’s home-grown rice supplies and whose exploitation has been intensified with the contruction of the muda irrigation scheme. There are industrial eStates at Alor Setar, kuala Kedah and Sungai Petani.

The university of the north (university utara) is temporarily situated near Jitra, but before long will move to its permanent site at sintok, near the thai border. Gunung Jerai (Kedah peak) forms a prominent landmark on the coast, overlooking the muda estuary, and is a tourist attraction.