Dungun is a coast district of Terengganu state, Malaysia. Kuala Dungun is the capital of the district. This district is made up of eleven 'mukim', or subdistricts which are Abang, Besol, Jengai, Jerangau, Kuala Dungun, Kuala Paka, Kumpal, Pasir Raja, Rasau, Sura, and Hulu Paka.
Before this, Kuala Dungun used to be an iron mining town in the 1940s. Iron ore was mined in a small town inland called Bukit Besi located to the west, while Kuala Dungun served as the port where the ore was transferred onto ships.
Kuala Dungun and Bukit Besi were connected by a railway line that not only served the mining industry but also served as public transportation for inland villagers, the Dungun township and its businesses.
This "golden" era ended in the late 1970s and early 1980s. When the mines were gradually closed down, the rail service stopped and the company left the area.
Kuala Dungun is now just another town on the coast of Terengganu, sorely bereft of cultural activities, with less activities.
Nowadays, it is not a busy small town anymore. There are still pockets of fishing and farming families and some people involved in small businesses, while a large part of the population are involved with the petroleum industry concentrated in another township to the south, Kerteh.
