Kuala Lumpur

I

Introduction

Kuala Lumpur, capital city and federal territory of Malaysia, located on the southern Malay Peninsula. Kuala Lumpur, or KL, as it is commonly known, is Malaysia’s largest city and principal economic, administrative, and cultural center. Since it was founded as a Chinese mining settlement in the 1850s, the city has developed into an important Southeast Asian center of manufacturing and trade.

KL lies at the confluence of the muddy Kelang (Klang) and Gombak rivers. In the Bahasa Malaysia language, Kuala Lumpur means “muddy confluence.” A large metropolitan area called the Kelang Valley conurbation extends beyond KL’s borders into surrounding suburbs and new towns. Because KL lies just north of the equator, the city experiences a hot, humid climate year-round with little seasonal variation in temperature or rainfall. The total annual rainfall is high, averaging 2,370 mm (93 in) a year. The average annual temperature is 27° C (80° F).

II

Kuala Lumpur and Its Metropolitan Area

The city of Kuala Lumpur, which is equal in size to the federal territory officially called Wilayah Persekutuan, covers an area of 243 sq km (94 sq mi). The Kelang Valley conurbation, however, extends into an area at least twice that size, although it is not precisely defined and some consider it even larger. KL’s urban sprawl extends in all directions well into the surrounding state of Selangor, but particularly into the Kelang Valley to the south and southwest. The Kelang Valley encompasses the industrial heartland of Selangor in an urban agglomeration that includes KL, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam (Selangor’s capital), Kelang, and Port Kelang (Malaysia’s most important seaport). The KL metropolitan region is undergoing extensive growth and modernization. New industrial areas and suburbs are emerging all around KL, especially in the cities of the Kelang Valley, in Ampang to the east of the city center, and in the district of Sepang to the south.

The KL metropolitan area has grown to encompass much of Sepang, which is the site of a major development project to create a technology-oriented business and administrative center in Malaysia. The project is designed to propel Malaysia into the digital age and entice foreign investment to the country. Launched in 1996 with massive government funding, construction of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) has been transforming the area south of KL from rubber-tree and oil-palm plantations into a modern high-technology center. The MSC spans an area of about 800 sq km (about 300 sq mi) and extends 50 km (30 mi) south of KL to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The corridor includes Putrajaya, the new “paperless” administrative center of the federal government, and Cyberjaya, a planned city designed for a population of more than 200,000.

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At the center of KL proper is Merdeka Square, located just west of the point where the Gombak River joins the Kelang. To the south, on the Kelang’s west bank, are the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, where Malaysia’s High Court sits; the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, constructed in a Moorish architectural style; and the main post office. Farther west is Taman Tasek Perdana (Lake Gardens), an elaborate 90-hectare (230-acre) park that encompasses two lakes and includes the National Monument. The Malaysian Parliament House and the National Museum are located on the outskirts of the park. On the Kelang’s east bank near its confluence with the Gombak lies KL’s Old Town, which includes Chinatown, the Central Market, and two of the city’s major religious structures: the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, an ornate Hindu temple built in 1873, and the Masjid Jamek mosque, a 1909 structure that is the oldest surviving mosque in KL. The city’s commercial heart, with modern banks, retail stores, shopping malls, restaurants, and hotels, also lies east of the Kelang. Outside the old core area of the city, housing consists of two-story Chinese shop houses and traditional Malay wooden houses built on stilts. Still farther outside the core are residential areas of all types, from low-income squatter settlements to the upper-class Kenny Hill neighborhood. To the east and north of the city center is the Golden Triangle, a modern business district of luxury hotels, multistoried office buildings, and the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC). The KLCC contains the Petronas Towers, which rise to a height of 452 m (1,483 ft), among the tallest buildings in the world.

III

Population

The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur had a population of 1,297,526 in 2000. The population of the greater metropolitan area, which extends into the surrounding state of Selangor, is estimated at more than 2 million. From 1980 to 2000 the population growth rate of the federal territory averaged 2 percent annually, slightly lower than the national growth rate. In Selangor, however, the rate was about double the national rate. Much of this growth took place in the KL metropolitan area, reflecting the urban sprawl that extends outward from the federal territory. The growth also suggests heavy rates of migration from Malaysia’s rural areas to KL’s outer suburbs. The migration has had various consequences, including a decline in Malaysia’s rice production caused by labor shortages in rural areas. In addition to Malaysia’s rural poor, migrants to KL’s metropolitan area have included large numbers of immigrants from nearby nations, especially Indonesia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh. These newcomers, many of whom are illegal immigrants, are a source of friction for long-term residents of Kuala Lumpur. Most of the migrants are poor, and many live in low-income areas, including squatter settlements located mostly in the suburbs.

The ethnic makeup of KL’s population varies from the overall national pattern, reflecting the city’s origins as a Chinese settlement. Whereas ethnic Malays are in the majority nationally, ethnic Chinese constitute the predominant group in KL, although the city also has a large Malay population and a substantial ethnic Indian minority. The principal languages include Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, and Tamil (an Indian language); English is widely used in business. Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism are the principal religions practiced by Chinese, Malays, and Indians, respectively.

IV

Education and Culture

Kuala Lumpur is the nation’s educational and cultural center. Cultural landmarks include the National Museum; the National Planetarium; the National Art Gallery, which features Malaysian artists; and the Karyaneka Handicraft Center, which includes a collection of handicrafts from Malaysia’s 13 states. The metropolitan area contains several important religious buildings including Malaysia’s largest mosque, the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque, in Shah Alam. The Masjid Negara (National Mosque) lies southwest of the city center. Farther south is the International Buddhist Pagoda. To the north, in Selangor, the Batu Caves attract many Hindu pilgrims.

The KL metropolitan area contains several of the nation’s universities. The University of Malaya and a branch of the University of Technology, Malaysia are in the city. The National University of Malaysia; the University of Agriculture, Malaysia; and the International Islamic University are located in Selangor.

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