Page 34 - The Guide To Malaysia 9th Edition

30 INTRODUCTION TO THE STATES OF MALAYSIA
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
(Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur)
the first town in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR
Historical Background
Kuala Lumpur was originally a tin mining trading post
at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers
in the 1850’s; its name translates as “muddy confluence”. With the boom in tin mining it grew into a thriving frontier town. The British installed a Kapitan (headman) to administer Kuala Lumpur and by 1880, under the leadership of Kapitan Yap Ah Loy, it had
It has a highly-developed service sector
comprising finance, insurance, real estate, retail and media companies. It lies within the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and also
has a high concentration of hospitals, institutions of higher learning and centres for arts and culture. Light and medium manufacturing industries are also important, as
are the property and construction sectors.
As the home of many of Malaysia’s most iconic attractions, including the PETRONAS Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur’s tourism, convention, transportation and hospitality industries are also well developed.
to achieve this status. On Malaysia Maps
Population: 1.67 million
Area: 2,800sq km Website: dbkl.gov.my
HOW TO GET THERE
By Air: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), 70km from Kuala Lumpur. Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport, 25km away.
By Road: The North- South Expressway from Kedah in the North connects through Kuala Lumpur to Johor in the South.
By Rail: Kuala Lumpur (KL) Sentral is the main railway terminus in the country and the hub for the Malaysian Railway (KTM) Intercity, KLIA Transit, KLIA Ekspress and RapidKL Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines.
By Sea: As Kuala Lumpur is landlocked, access is via ports in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
become developed and replaced Klang as the state capital of Selangor.
In 1896 Kuala Lumpur was chosen as capital of the newly formed Federated Malayan States. Kuala Lumpur under Selangor joined the Federation of Malaya in 1948, became independent via the Federation of Malaya in 1957 and became part of Malaysia in 1963. It was declared a city in 1972,
1st February, 1974, Kuala Lumpur was ceded by Selangor and declared a Federal Territory.
State Government
Kuala Lumpur is governed by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur), led by a Mayor (Datuk Bandar), appointed by the Minister of Federal Territories.
Major Economic Activities
Kuala Lumpur is the financial and commercial center of Malaysia and home to Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Bank), the Companies Commission and Bursa Malaysia (Kuala
Labuan
Lumpur Stock Exchange).
SARAWAK