Kampar is a town in the state of Perak, Malaysia.

Kampar is a town in the state of Perak, Malaysia. Founded in 1887, the town lies within the Kinta Valley, an area rich with tin reserves. It was a tin mining town which boomed during the height of the tin mining industry. There were many tin mines on the outskirts of Kampar during the height of the mining boom. Most of them were established in the late 19th century, flourished in the 1900s, only to stagnate and decline after World War I, with the exception of an exhilarating boom in the 1920s. Most have closed down following the collapse of the industry.

Kampar is situated in the Kinta Valley, which was well-known for its high tin ore reserves. Many KLites spend their weekends here. Its vast surroundings as well as abandoned mining-ponds are suitable for fishing.

Kampar town can be broadly divided between the 'old town' and 'new town' areas. The old town consists of two main streets of charming pre-war shophouses, the fronts of which are still mostly in its original unrenovated appearance. Commerce in the old town area mainly consists of coffee shops, goldsmiths and local retailers. The new town area mainly consists of new residential developments and some commerce servicing the burgeoning education industry in Kampar. As of 21 May 2009 the Sultan of Perak declared Kampar the state's 10th district.

Kampar had its share of war during the Japanese Occupation between 1941 and 1945. From December 30 1941 to 2 January 1942 the Battle of Kampar occurred. An estimated 3000 British soldiers defended the Kampar area against over 6000 Japanese soldiers. The British Army inflicted serious casualties on the Japanese and only retreated when their flank and rear was threatened by Japanese seaborne landings on the coast south of their position. This battle was documented by the famous Kampar historian, Chye Kooi Loong.

The name Kampar was derived from the Cantonese words kam pou, which means 'precious gold'. This refers to the town's previously large tin reserves.

Another more plausible theory is that Kampar is named after the Kampar river (north of the current township). The river itself got its name from immigrants from the Kampar Regency in Riau Province, in Sumatra, who used the river to navigate upstream. This predates the large-scale mining of tin in Kampar, so it is likely that the Cantonese words "kam pou" were derived from the word Kampar, rather than the other way around. Curiously, Kampar Regency in Sumatra was where the 1st Sultan of Perak (Sultan Mudzaffar Shah) was based before becoming Sultan of Perak in Perak (his highness was a son of the last Sultan of Malacca).