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97-579: Like all other historical urban centres, the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur , contains a number of current and old roads and streets across the city. This article contains an alphabetical list of notable roads within Kuala Lumpur. The majority of older roads in and around Kuala Lumpur were originally named during British rule in Selangor, and as such, were in English and named after British figures,
194-661: A classical European understanding of the known world : Europe , North Africa , and Southwest Asia . The phrase is related to the enduring power of the city first as the capital of the Republic and the Empire , and later as the centre of the Catholic Church . In several English-speaking states , the terms county town and county seat are also used in lower administrative divisions . In some unitary states , subnational capitals may be known as 'administrative centres'. The capital
291-476: A country , state , province , department , or other subnational division , usually as its seat of the government . A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the government's offices and meeting places; the status as capital is often designated by its law or constitution . In some jurisdictions , including several countries, different branches of government are in different settlements, sometimes meaning multiple official capitals. In some cases,
388-550: A haze over the region, and is a major source of pollution, along with open burning, motor vehicle emissions, and construction. Kuala Lumpur was administered by a corporation sole called the Federal Capital Commissioner from April 1, 1961, until it was awarded city status in 1972, after which executive power transferred to the Lord Mayor ( Datuk Bandar ). 14 mayors have been appointed since then. The current mayor
485-497: A monarch held his or her court, the selection, relocation, founding, or capture of a modern capital city is a highly symbolic event. For example: The capital city is usually but not always a primary target in a war, as capturing it usually guarantees capture of much of the enemy government, victory for the attacking forces, or at the very least demoralization for the defeated forces. In ancient China , where governments were massive centralized bureaucracies with little flexibility on
582-518: A Federal Territory on 1 February 2001, as well as the seat of the federal government. The administrative and judicial functions of the government were shifted from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya . Kuala Lumpur however still retained its legislative function , and remained the home of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Constitutional King). From the 1990s onwards, major urban developments in the Klang Valley extended
679-445: A compromise between two or more cities or other political divisions, historical reasons, or enough land was needed to deliberately build a new planned city for the capital. The majority of national capitals are also the largest city in their respective countries. Modern examples are Beijing , Berlin , Cairo , London , Madrid , Mexico City , Moscow , Paris , Rome , Jakarta , Metro Manila , Seoul , and Tokyo . Counties in
776-405: A distinction is made between the official ( constitutional ) capital and the seat of government, which is in another place . English-language news media often use the name of the capital city as an alternative name for the government of the country of which it is the capital, as a form of metonymy . For example, the "relations between London and Washington " refers to the " relations between
873-710: A handful of local dignitaries or royalties, districts, local populations, landmarks or geographical features. Other surrounding locales, such as Kampung Baru , Pudu , Imbi and Sentul have had roads known primarily in Malay since colonial rule. Following Malaya's independence in 1957 and the formation of Malaysia in 1963, street names in Kuala Lumpur were translated into the Malay language, some of which were given more simplified descriptions (i.e. "Old Market Square" as " Medan Pasar Besar " and "Foch Avenue" as " Jalan Foch "), as Malay
970-416: A large extent by Chinese businessmen such as Loke Yew , who was then the richest and most influential Chinese in Kuala Lumpur. The growth of the rubber industry led to an influx of foreign capital and planters, with new companies and industries becoming established in Kuala Lumpur, and other companies previously based elsewhere also found a presence here. During World War II , Kuala Lumpur was captured by
1067-470: A matter of convention, and because all or almost all the country's central political institutions, such as government departments, supreme court, legislature, embassies, etc., are located in or near them. Many modern capital cities are located near the centre of the country, so that they are more accessible to its population and have better protection from possible invasions. (See also § Capitals in military strategy ) The location may also be based on
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#17331049982251164-457: A month. Kuala Lumpur is highly prone to severe thunderstorms and lightning strikes. The Klang Valley , including Kuala Lumpur, is one of the places where thunderstorms are most frequently observed on Earth. Floods are frequent in Kuala Lumpur after heavy downpours, especially in the city centre, because irrigation structure lags behind the intense development in the city. Smoke from forest fires in nearby Sumatra and Kalimantan sometimes casts
1261-460: A slump. A major outbreak of cholera caused many to flee. The slump lasted until late 1879, when rising prices for tin allowed the town to recover. In late 1881, the town was severely flooded, after a fire that had destroyed the entire town in January. With the town being rebuilt a few times and having thrived, this was due in large to Yap Ah Loy. Yap, together with Frank Swettenham who was appointed
1358-714: A territory of Selangor State Government. In 1974, Kuala Lumpur was split off from Selangor to form the first Federal Territory governed directly by the Malaysian federal government. Its location in the most developed state on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia , which has a wider stretch of flat land than the east coast, has helped it develop faster than other cities in Malaysia. The municipality covers an area of 243 km (94 sq mi), with an average elevation of 81.95 m (268 ft 10 in) highest point being Bukit Nanas at 94 meters above sea level. Protected by
1455-548: A territory: Plymouth in Montserrat . There are several countries where, for various reasons, the official capital and seat of government are separated: Some historical examples of similar arrangements, where the recognized capital was not the official seat of government: With the rise of the modern nation-state , the capital city has become a symbol for the state and its government , and imbued with political meaning. Unlike medieval capitals, which were declared wherever
1552-459: A time. Yap Ah Loy also built Kuala Lumpur's first school and a major tapioca mill in Petaling Street , in which the Selangor's Sultan Abdul Samad held an interest. A railway line between Kuala Lumpur and Klang, initiated by Swettenham and completed in 1886, increased access and resulted in rapid growth. The population grew from 4,500 in 1884 to 20,000 in 1890. As development intensified in
1649-610: Is Kamarulzaman Mat Salleh , who has been in office since 17 April 2023. The local administration is carried out by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall , an agency under the Federal Territories Ministry of Malaysia . It is responsible for public health and sanitation, waste removal and management, town planning, environmental protection and building control, social and economic development, and general maintenance functions of urban infrastructure. Executive power lies with
1746-489: Is RM9,073 (~$ 2,200) as of 2016, growing at a pace of approximately 6% a year. The service sector, comprising finance, insurance, real estate, business services, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and hotels, transport, storage and communication, utilities, personal services and government services form the largest component of employment, representing about 83.0 percent of the total. The remaining 17 percent comes from manufacturing and construction. The large service sector
1843-561: Is also the owner of the Malaysia International Trade And Exhibition Centre (MITEC), the largest trade and exhibition centre of Malaysia , which is a component of the larger KL Metropolis development situated in the suburb of Segambut . Another notable trend is the increased presence of budget hotels in the city. The major tourist destinations in Kuala Lumpur include the Petronas Twin Towers ,
1940-665: Is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia , both in population and economic development. The city serves as the cultural, financial, tourism, political and economic centre of Malaysia. It is also home to the bicameral Parliament of Malaysia (consisting of the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara ) and the Istana Negara , the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (monarch of Malaysia). Kuala Lumpur
2037-765: Is considered by some to have been founded by the Malay Chief of Klang , Raja Abdullah, who sent Chinese miners into the region to open tin mines in 1857, although it is unclear who the first settlers were since there were likely settlements at the Gombak-Klang river confluence prior to that in the 1820s. Chinese miners were known to be involved in tin mining up the Selangor River in the 1840s about 16 kilometres (10 miles) north of present-day Kuala Lumpur, and Mandailing Sumatrans led by Raja Asal [ ms ] and Sutan Puasa were also involved in tin mining and trade in
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#17331049982252134-463: Is evident in the number of local and foreign banks and insurance companies operating in the city. Kuala Lumpur is poised to become the global Islamic financing hub with an increasing number of financial institutions providing Islamic financing and the strong presence of Gulf financial institutions such as the world's largest Islamic bank, the Al-Rajhi Bank and Kuwait Finance House . Apart from that,
2231-583: Is home to the Parliament of Malaysia . The federal Constitution stipulates the three branches of the Malaysian government: the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative branches. The Parliament consists of the Dewan Negara (Upper House / House of Senate) and Dewan Rakyat (Lower House / House of Representatives). List of Kuala Lumpur representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat) While DBKL acts as
2328-500: Is often the largest city of its constituent, though not always . Historically, the major economic centre of a state or region has often become the focal point of political power, and became a capital through conquest or federation . Historical examples are ancient Babylon , ancient Athens , ancient Rome , Abbasid Baghdad , Constantinople , Chang'an , and ancient Cusco . The modern capital city has not always existed: in medieval Western Europe, an itinerant (wandering) government
2425-582: Is the case with Nanjing by Shanghai , Quebec City by Montreal , and several US state capitals . The decline of a dynasty or culture could also mean the extinction of its capital city, as occurred at Babylon and Cahokia . "Political nomadism" was practiced in ancient Near East to increase ties between the ruler and the subjects. Although many capitals are defined by constitution or legislation, many long-time capitals have no such legal designation, including Bern , Edinburgh , Lisbon , London , Paris , and Wellington . They are recognized as capitals as
2522-529: Is usually not a separate national capital, but rather the capital city of one constituent nation will also be the capital of the state overall, such as London , which is the capital of England and of the United Kingdom. Similarly, each of the autonomous communities of Spain and regions of Italy has a capital city, such as Seville and Naples , while Madrid is the capital of the Community of Madrid and of
2619-534: Is well connected with neighboring urban metro regions such as Petaling Jaya via the rapidly expanding Klang Valley Integrated Transit System . Residents of the city can also travel to other parts of Peninsular Malaysia as well as to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) via rail through KL Sentral . Kuala Lumpur was ranked the 6th most-visited city in the world on the Mastercard Destination Cities Index in 2019. The city houses three of
2716-983: The Bukit Bintang shopping district, the Kuala Lumpur Tower , Petaling Street (Chinatown), the Merdeka Square , the Kuala Lumpur railway station , the House of Parliament building, the National Palace ( Istana Negara ), the National Planetarium , the National Science Centre , the National Art Gallery ( Balai Seni Negara ), the National Theatre ( Istana Budaya ), the National Museum ,
2813-510: The Byzantine capital, Constantinople , Byzantine forces were able to regroup in several provinces; provincial noblemen managed to reconquer the capital after 60 years and preserve the empire for another 200 years after that. The British forces sacked various American capitals repeatedly during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 , but American forces could still carry on fighting from
2910-561: The Chinese New Year with the cutting of pigtails and ended with rioting and factional fighting lasting a number of days. The worst rioting on record in Malaysia, however, occurred on 13 May 1969, when race riots broke out in Kuala Lumpur. The so-called 13 May Incident included violent conflicts between members of the Malay and the Chinese communities, the result of Malays' dissatisfaction with their socio-political status. The riots caused
3007-780: The Dow Jones & Company is keen to work with Bursa Malaysia to set up Islamic Exchange Trade Funds (ETFs), which would help raise Malaysia's profile in the Gulf. The city has a large number of foreign corporations and is also host to many multi national companies' regional offices or support centres, particularly for finance and accounting, and information technology functions. Most of the country's largest companies have their headquarters here, and as of December 2007 and excluding Petronas , there are 14 companies that are listed in Forbes 2000 based in Kuala Lumpur. There has been growing emphasis on expanding
List of roads in Kuala Lumpur - Misplaced Pages Continue
3104-469: The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur , and colloquially referred to as KL , is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia . It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of 243 km (94 sq mi) with a census population of 2,075,600 as of 2024 . Greater Kuala Lumpur , also known as the Klang Valley , is an urban agglomeration of 8.8 million people as of 2024. It
3201-584: The Hai San secret society, they fought against a rival secret society, Ghee Hin , whom allied themselves with Raja Mahdi. Raja Asal and Sutan Puasa switched sides to Raja Mahdi, and Kuala Lumpur was captured in 1872 and burnt to the ground. Yap escaped to Klang where he assembled another fighting force and recaptured Kuala Lumpur in March 1873, defeating Raja Mahdi's forces with the help of fighters from Pahang . The war and other setbacks, such as dropping tin prices, led to
3298-528: The Imperial Japanese Army on 11 January 1942. Despite suffering little damage during the course of the battle, the wartime occupation of the city resulted in significant loss of lives; at least 5,000 Chinese were killed in Kuala Lumpur in just a few weeks of occupation by Japanese forces, and thousands of Indians were sent as forced labour to work on the Burma Railway where many died. They occupied
3395-668: The Kingdom of Spain as a whole and Rome is the capital of Italy and of the region of Lazio . In the Federal Republic of Germany , each of its constituent states (or Länder , plural of Land ) has its own capital city, such as Dresden , Wiesbaden , Mainz , Düsseldorf , Stuttgart , and Munich , as do all of the republics of the Russian Federation . The national capitals of Germany and Russia (the Stadtstaat of Berlin and
3492-1123: The Kuala Lumpur City Hall authority. For land administration purposes, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur is divided into eight mukims , and several mukim-level towns ( pekan / bandar ): Kampung Baru Titiwangsa Sentul Maluri Pudu Brickfields Mid Valley City Bukit Tunku Perdana Botanical Gardens and Cenotaph Shamelin Perkasa (partial) Bandar Tun Razak Salak South Bangsar University of Malaya Pantai Dalam Jalan Klang Lama ( Taman Desa ) Bukit Damansara Sri Hartamas and Taman Duta Istana Negara Taman Tun Dr Ismail Kampung Sungai Penchala Sri Petaling Bukit Jalil Bandar Tasik Selatan Sungai Besi Jinjang Segambut Mont Kiara Batu Jalan Ipoh Sentul (partial) Taman Wahyu Wangsa Maju Taman Melati Setiawangsa (partial) Ampang Kampung Datuk Keramat Cochrane (partial) Maluri (partial) Cheras (partial) Taman Connaught Kuala Lumpur
3589-507: The Malaysian government to turn Malaysia into a high income economy nation. Tourism plays an important role in the city's service-driven economy. Many large worldwide hotel chains have a presence in the city. One of the oldest hotels is the Hotel Majestic . Kuala Lumpur is the sixth most visited city in the world , with 8.9 million tourists per year. Tourism here is driven by
3686-807: The National Monument , and religious sites such as the Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque , Thean Hou Temple and Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields . Kuala Lumpur plays host to many cultural festivals such as the Thaipusam procession at the Sri Mahamariamman Temple . Every year during the Thaipusam celebration, a silver chariot carrying the statue of Lord Muruga together with his consort Valli and Teivayanni would be paraded through
3783-516: The Resident in 1882, were the two most important figures of early Kuala Lumpur with Swettenham credited with its rapid growth and development and its transformation into a major urban centre. The early Chinese and Malay settled along the east bank of the Klang River. The Chinese mainly settled around the commercial centre of Market Square. The Malays, and later Indian Chettiars and Muslims, resided in
3880-597: The Royal Museum , the National Textile Museum , Islamic Arts Museum , Telekom Museum , Royal Malaysian Police Museum , the National Mosque of Malaysia ( Masjid Negara ), Federal Territory Mosque ( Masjid Wilayah ), Sultan Abdul Samad Building , DBKL City Theatre ( Panggung Bandaraya ), Medan Pasar , Central Market , KL Bird Park , KL Butterfly Park , Aquaria KLCC , Saloma Link ( Pintasan Saloma ),
3977-856: The Titiwangsa Range in the east and Indonesia's Sumatra Island in the west, Kuala Lumpur is sheltered from strong winds and has a tropical rainforest climate ( Köppen climate classification Af ), hot, humid and sunny, with abundant rainfall, especially during the northeast monsoon season from October to March. Temperatures tend to remain constant. Maximums hover between 32 and 35 °C (90 and 95 °F) and sometimes topping 38 °C (100.4 °F), while minimums hover between 23.4 and 24.6 °C (74.1 and 76.3 °F) and have never fallen below 17.8 °C (64.0 °F). Kuala Lumpur typically receives at least 2,600 mm (100 in) of rain annually; June to August are relatively dry, but even then rainfall typically exceeds 131 millimetres (5.2 in)
List of roads in Kuala Lumpur - Misplaced Pages Continue
4074-505: The Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) , formerly known as Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD). The TRX's landmark and prominent building is The Exchange 106 tower. The 70-acre development will be situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and will serve international finance and business opportunities. The new financial hub is a strategic enabler of the Malaysian government's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) , an initiative by
4171-829: The Ulu Klang region before 1860, and Sumatrans may have settled in the upper reaches of Klang River in the first quarter of the 19th century, or possibly earlier. Kuala Lumpur was originally a small hamlet of just a few houses and shops at the confluence of the Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang ( Klang River ). Kuala Lumpur became established as a town c. 1857 , when Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar, aided by his brother Raja Juma'at of Lukut , raised funds from Malaccan Chinese businessmen to hire Chinese miners from Lukut to open new tin mines there. The miners landed at Kuala Lumpur and continued on foot to Ampang , where they opened
4268-524: The United Kingdom have historic county towns, which are often not the largest settlement within the county and often are no longer administrative centres, as many historical counties are now only ceremonial, and administrative boundaries are different. The number of new capitals in the world increased substantially since the Renaissance period, especially with the founding of independent nation-states since
4365-513: The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Naypyidaw was founded in Burma 's interior as the former capital, Rangoon , was claimed to be overcrowded. A few nation-states have multiple capitals, and there are also several states that have no capital. Some have a city as the capital but with most government agencies elsewhere. There is also a ghost town which is currently the de jure capital of
4462-488: The federal city of Moscow ) are also constituent states of both countries in their own right. Each of the states of Austria and cantons of Switzerland also have their own capital cities. Vienna , the national capital of Austria , is also one of the states, while Bern is the ( de facto ) capital of both Switzerland and of the Canton of Bern . Governing entities sometimes plan, design and build new capital cities to house
4559-481: The mayor in the city hall, who is appointed for three years by the Federal Territories Minister. This system of appointing the mayor has been in place ever since the local government elections were suspended in 1970. Kuala Lumpur's eleven parliamentary constituencies, with 2020 population, area, density and percentage of the total are congruent with administrative subdivisions under the authority of
4656-490: The 1880s, putting pressure on sanitation, waste disposal and other health measures. A Sanitary Board created on 14 May 1890 was responsible for sanitation, road upkeep, street lighting, and other functions. This would eventually become the Kuala Lumpur Municipal Council in 1948. In 1896, Kuala Lumpur was chosen as the capital of the newly formed Federated Malay States . Kuala Lumpur expanded considerably in
4753-407: The 20th century. It was 0.65 km (0.25 sq mi) in 1895, but was extended to encompass 20 km (7.7 sq mi) in 1903, and to 52 km (20 sq mi) by 1924. By the time it became a municipality in 1948 it had expanded to 93 km (36 sq mi), and then to 243 km (94 sq mi) in 1974 as a Federal Territory. Before 1974, Kuala Lumpur was also
4850-457: The Java Street area, now Jalan Tun Perak . In 1880, the colonial administration moved the state capital of Selangor from Klang to the more strategically advantageous Kuala Lumpur, and British Resident William Bloomfield Douglas decided to locate the government buildings and living quarters to the west of the river. Government offices and a new police headquarters were built on Bukit Aman , and
4947-628: The Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area. This area, known as Greater Kuala Lumpur , extends from the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur westward to Port Klang , east to the edge of the Titiwangsa Mountains as well as to the north and south. The area covers other administratively separate towns and cities such as Klang, Shah Alam , Putrajaya and others, and is served by the Klang Valley Integrated Transit System . Notable projects undertaken within Kuala Lumpur itself included
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#17331049982255044-479: The Malay chief, and Hiu Siew, the early Chinese trader, became the first Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur. The third Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, Yap Ah Loy , was appointed in 1868. Important Malay figures of early Kuala Lumpur also included Haji Mohamed Tahir, who became the Dato Dagang ("chief of traders"). The Minangkabaus of Sumatra became another important group who traded and established tobacco plantations in
5141-716: The Padang initially created for police training. The Padang, now known as Merdeka Square , would later become the centre of the British administrative offices when the colonial government offices moved to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in 1897. Frank Swettenham , on becoming the British Resident, began improving the town by cleaning up the streets. He also stipulated in 1884 that buildings should be constructed of brick and tile so that they would be less flammable, and that
5238-527: The United Kingdom and the United States ". The word capital derives from the Latin word caput (genitive capitis ), meaning ' head ', later borrowed from Medieval Latin capitālis ('of the head'). The Latin phrase Roma Caput Mundi meaning 'Rome capital of the world' ( lit. ' head of the world ' ) was already used by the poet Ovid in 1st century BC . It originates out of
5335-538: The area. Notable Minangkabaus included their headman, Dato' Sati, Utsman Abdullah, and Haji Mohamed Taib , who was involved in the early development of Kampung Baru . The Minangkabaus were also significant socio-religious figures, for example Utsman bin Abdullah was the first kadi of Kuala Lumpur, as well as Muhammad Nur bin Ismail. Early Kuala Lumpur was a small town that suffered from many social and political problems –
5432-439: The buildings were made of wood and ' atap ' (palm frond thatching ). The buildings were prone to catching fire, and due to a lack of proper sanitation the town was plagued with diseases. It also suffered from a constant threat of flooding due to its location. The town became embroiled in the Selangor Civil War in part over control of revenue from the tin mines. Yap Ah Loy allied himself with Tengku Kudin [ ms ] and
5529-482: The capital has been changed for geopolitical reasons; Finland 's first city, Turku , which had served as the country's capital since the Middle Ages under the Swedish rule, lost its position during the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1812, when Helsinki was made the current capital of Finland by the Russian Empire. The convergence of political and economic or cultural power is by no means universal. Traditional capitals may be economically eclipsed by provincial rivals as
5626-423: The city after the country's independence also contributed to the widening of existing artery routes, creation of highways and new roadways, and extensive grade separation of roadways. This resulted in significant alterations of roadways in the city, with several roads merged, split, or modified, forming new roads or retiring old ones. While earlier street name changes post-independence have been generally accepted,
5723-430: The city beginning at the temple all the way to Batu Caves in the neighboring Gombak , Selangor. The primary entertainment and shopping district of the city is mainly centred in the Golden Triangle encompassing Jalan P. Ramlee , Jalan Sultan Ismail , Jalan Bukit Bintang , Ampang Road and Bintang Walk . Capital city A capital city or just capital is the municipality holding primary status in
5820-474: The city has played host to many international sporting, political and cultural events, including the 1998 Commonwealth Games , 2001 Southeast Asian Games , 2017 Southeast Asian Games , Formula One , Moto GP and FIFA World Youth Championships . Kuala Lumpur has undergone rapid development in recent decades and is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Towers which have since become an iconic symbol of Malaysian development. Kuala Lumpur
5917-456: The city until 15 August 1945, when the commander in chief of the Japanese Seventh Area Army in Singapore and Malaysia, Seishirō Itagaki , surrendered to the British administration following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Kuala Lumpur grew during the war, and continued after the war during the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) , during which Malaya was preoccupied with a communist insurgency and New Villages were established on
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#17331049982256014-443: The city with the main arterial routes of the present Ampang Road , Pudu Road and Petaling Street . As Chinese Kapitan, he held wide powers on a par with Malay community leaders. Law reforms were implemented and new legal measures introduced to the assembly. Yap also presided over a small claims court . With a police force of six, he was able to uphold the rule of law, constructing a prison that could accommodate sixty prisoners at
6111-443: The city's cultural diversity, relatively low costs, and wide gastronomic and shopping variety. MICE tourism, which mainly encompasses conventions — has expanded in recent years to become a vital component of the industry, and is expected to grow further once the Malaysian government's Economic Transformation Programme kicks in, and with the completion of a new 93,000 square meter-size MATRADE Centre in 2014. The MATRADE agency
6208-440: The city. The city remains the economic and business hub of the country. Kuala Lumpur is a centre for finance, insurance, real estate, media and the arts of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is rated the only global city in Malaysia, according to the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC). Bursa Malaysia , or the Malaysia Exchange, is based in the city and forms one of its core economic activities. As of 5 July 2013,
6305-405: The confluence and therefore the point where it joined the Klang River would be Kuala Lumpur, although this Sungai Lumpur is said to be another river joining the Klang River 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) upstream from the Gombak confluence, or perhaps located to the north of the Batu Caves area. It has also been proposed that Kuala Lumpur was originally named Pengkalan Lumpur ("muddy landing place") in
6402-459: The core of old Kuala Lumpur, as well as major thoroughfares in the city. Further renaming of old street names persists to date, with the rounds of revision conducted by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall as late as 2007 on streets in Pudu and in the fringe towns of Sungai Besi and Jinjang , where English and British-named street names were still in use. Minor roads , however, are typically spared from this form of renaming. The accelerated development of
6499-489: The deaths of 196 people, according to official figures, and led to major changes in the country's economic policy to promote and prioritise Malay economic development over that of other ethnicities. Kuala Lumpur achieved city status on 1 February 1972, becoming the first settlement in Malaysia to be granted the status after independence. Later, on 1 February 1974, Kuala Lumpur became a federal territory . The territory of Kuala Lumpur expanded to 96 square miles by absorbing
6596-405: The development of a new Kuala Lumpur City Centre around Jalan Ampang and the Petronas Towers , once the world's tallest buildings. The Petronas Towers has since been superseded as the tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur by The Exchange 106 and Merdeka 118 , which is the second tallest building in the world after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai . The geography of Kuala Lumpur is characterised by
6693-422: The economic scope of the city in other service activities, such as research and development, which support the rest of the economy of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur has been home for years to important research centres such as the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia , the Forest Research Institute Malaysia and the Institute of Medical Research. A new financial district for Kuala Lumpur is currently under construction:
6790-425: The edge of the Lake Gardens in 1963. The population of Kuala Lumpur expanded considerably from 1960 to 2018, doubling in size every 13 years. Kuala Lumpur had seen a number of civil disturbances over the years. A riot in 1897 was a relatively minor affair that began with the confiscation of faulty dacing (a scale used by traders), and in 1912, a more serious disturbance called the tauchang riot began during
6887-484: The eighteenth century. In Canada , there is a federal capital , while the ten provinces and three territories each have capital cities. The states of such countries as Mexico , Brazil (including the famous cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo , capitals of their respective states), and Australia also each have capital cities. For example, the six state capitals of Australia are Adelaide , Brisbane , Hobart , Melbourne , Perth , and Sydney . In Australia,
6984-787: The first mine. Kuala Lumpur was the furthest point up the Klang River to which supplies could conveniently be brought by boat, and therefore became a collection and dispersal point serving the tin mines. Despite a high death toll from the malarial conditions of the jungle, the Ampang mines succeeded, and exported the first tin in 1859. At that time, Sutan Puasa was already trading near Ampang. Two traders from Lukut, Hiu Siew and Yap Ah Sze, arrived in Kuala Lumpur and set up shops to sell provisions to miners in exchange for tin. The town, spurred on by tin-mining, started to develop around Old Market Square ( Medan Pasar ), with roads radiating out towards Ampang as well as Pudu and Batu (the destinations became
7081-534: The great crisis of Japanese invasion . National capitals were arguably less important as military objectives in other parts of the world, including the West, because of socioeconomic trends toward localized authority, a strategic modus operandi especially popular after the development of feudalism and reaffirmed by the development of democratic and capitalistic philosophies. In 1204, after the Latin Crusaders captured
7178-554: The huge Klang Valley , bordered by the Titiwangsa Mountains in the east, several minor ranges in the north and the south, and the Strait of Malacca in the west. Kuala Lumpur is a Malay term that translates to "muddy confluence" and is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers which flow into the Selangor River. Located in the centre of Selangor state, Kuala Lumpur was
7275-524: The market capitalisation stood at US$ 505.67 billion. The gross domestic product (GDP) for Kuala Lumpur is estimated at RM73,536 million in 2008 with an average annual growth rate of 5.9 percent. By 2015, the GDP had reached RM160,388 million, representing 15.1% of the total GDP of Malaysia. The per capita GDP for Kuala Lumpur in 2013 was RM79,752 with an average annual growth rate of 5.6 percent, and RM94,722 in 2015. Average monthly household income
7372-527: The name of one of the seven districts of Selangor (six before 1960). The Kuala Lumpur district comprises seven mukims – Sungai Buloh, Batu, Petaling, Ampang, Ulu Klang, Kuala Lumpur and Setapak. The development of a rubber industry in Selangor fueled by the demand for car tyres in the early 20th century led to a boom, and the population of Kuala Lumpur increased from 30,000 in 1900 to 80,000 in 1920. The commercial activities of Kuala Lumpur had been run to
7469-462: The names of these roads: Ampang Road , Pudu Road , and Batu Road ), where miners had also begun to settle in, and Petaling and Damansara . The miners formed gangs and the gangs frequently fought in this period, particularly factions of Kuala Lumpur and Kanching, mainly over control of the best tin mines. Leaders of the Chinese community were conferred the title of Kapitan Cina (Chinese headman) by
7566-626: The outskirts of the city. The first municipal election in Kuala Lumpur was held on 16 February 1952. An ad hoc alliance between the Malay UMNO and Chinese MCA party candidates won a majority of the seats, and this led to the formation of the Alliance Party (later the Barisan Nasional ). On 31 August 1957, the Federation of Malaya gained its independence from British rule. The British flag
7663-436: The persistent renaming campaign of existing roads and growing public awareness of the history of Kuala Lumpur's streets has increasingly drawn ire from local communities, particularly road users, postal users, and historians, due to inconvenience borne from memorising longer, more convoluted names of roads which were formerly shorter and easier to memorise, the increased cost of replacing and maintaining documents and signages, and
7760-459: The provincial level, a dynasty could easily be toppled with the fall of its capital. In the Three Kingdoms period, both Shu and Wu fell when their respective capitals of Chengdu and Jianye fell. The Ming dynasty relocated its capital from Nanjing to Beijing , where they could more effectively control the generals and troops guarding the borders from Mongols and Manchus . The Ming
7857-404: The revisionist undertones of the renaming policy. One renaming campaign of eight major roads in honour of former Yang di-Pertuan Agongs on 2 November 2014 had notably drawn backlash from the public as well as Member of Parliament Lim Lip Eng , leading to a rebuttal by UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin ; the name change proceeded in spite of the controversy. A guideline was formulated for
7954-738: The same way that Klang was once called Pengkalan Batu ("stone landing place"), but became corrupted into Kuala Lumpur. Another theory says that it was initially a Cantonese word lam-pa , meaning 'flooded jungle' or 'decayed jungle'. There is no firm contemporary evidence for these suggestions other than anecdotes. The name may also be a corrupted form of an earlier forgotten name. [REDACTED] Sultanate of Selangor 1857–1974 [REDACTED] Federated Malay States 1895–1942; 1945–1946 [REDACTED] Empire of Japan 1942–1945 [REDACTED] Malayan Union 1946–1948 [REDACTED] Federation of Malaya 1948–1963 [REDACTED] Malaysia 1963–present Kuala Lumpur
8051-424: The seat of government of a polity or of a subdivision. Deliberately planned and designed capitals include: These cities satisfy one or both of the following criteria: Some examples of the second situation (compromise locations) are: Changes in a nation's political regime sometimes result in the designation of a new capital. Akmola (renamed Astana in 1998) became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997, following
8148-400: The seat of the executive and judicial branches of the Malaysian federal government until these were relocated to Putrajaya in early 1999. However, some sections of the political bodies still remain in Kuala Lumpur. The city is one of the three Federal Territories of Malaysia , enclaved within the state of Selangor , on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia . Since the 1990s,
8245-473: The sole local government in Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding urban areas form the most industrialised and economically, the fastest-growing region in Malaysia. Despite the relocation of federal government administration to Putrajaya , certain government institutions such as Bank Negara Malaysia ( National Bank of Malaysia ), Companies Commission of Malaysia and Securities Commission as well as most embassies and diplomatic missions have remained in
8342-408: The surrounding areas. Kuala Lumpur was ceded by Selangor to be directly controlled by the central government , and it ceased to be capital of Selangor in 1978 after the city of Shah Alam was declared the new state capital. On 14 May 1990, Kuala Lumpur celebrated the centennial of the local council. The new federal territory Kuala Lumpur flag and anthem were introduced. Putrajaya was declared
8439-655: The term "capital cities" is regularly used to refer to those six state capitals plus the federal capital Canberra , and Darwin , the capital of the Northern Territory . Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and also of the United Arab Emirates overall. In unitary states which consist of multiple constituent nations, such as the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Denmark , each will usually have its own capital city. Unlike in federations , there
8536-527: The town be rebuilt with wider streets to reduce fire risk. Kapitan Yap Ah Loy bought a sprawling piece of real estate to set up a brick factory for the rebuilding of Kuala Lumpur, the eponymous Brickfields . Demolished atap buildings were replaced with brick and tile buildings, and many of the new brick buildings had " five-foot ways " and Chinese carpentry work. This resulted in a distinct eclectic shop house architecture typical to this region. Kapitan Yap Ah Loy expanded road access, linking tin mines with
8633-558: The translation of English signage on roads. The Kuala Lumpur City Hall is pursuing a process of standardisation for road signage. (e.g. Tengkat Tong Shin has been renamed as Jalan Tong Shin ) Chow Kit is also a sub-district in central Kuala Lumpur and features the Chow Kit monorail station , Bazaar Baru Chow Kit (a wet market)and Pasar Malam Chow Kit (a night market). Batu Road (formerly) Gombak Road (formerly) (circa 1880s and 1890s) Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur , officially
8730-576: The world's ten largest shopping malls. Kuala Lumpur ranks 70th in the world and the second in Southeast Asia after Singapore for the Economist Intelligence Unit 's Global Liveability Ranking and ninth in ASPAC and second in Southeast Asia after Singapore for KPMG 's Leading Technology Innovation Hub 2021. Kuala Lumpur was named World Book Capital 2020 by UNESCO . In 2024, Kuala Lumpur
8827-791: Was common. The capital city attracts politically motivated people and those whose skills are needed for efficient administration of national or imperial governments, such as lawyers , political scientists , bankers , journalists , and public policy makers . Some of these cities are or were also religious centres , e.g. Constantinople (more than one religion), Rome / Vatican City (the Roman Catholic Church ), Jerusalem (more than one religion), Babylon, Moscow (the Russian Orthodox Church ), Belgrade (the Serbian Orthodox Church ), Paris, and Beijing. In some countries,
8924-564: Was destroyed when Li Zicheng took their seat of power, and this pattern repeats itself in Chinese history, until the fall of the traditional Confucian monarchy in the 20th century. After the Qing dynasty 's collapse, decentralization of authority and improved transportation and communication technologies allowed both the Chinese Nationalists and Chinese Communists to rapidly relocate capitals and keep their leadership structures intact during
9021-459: Was first developed around 1857 as a town serving the tin mines of the region, and important figures such as Yap Ah Loy and Frank Swettenham were instrumental in the early development of the city during the late 19th century. It served as the capital of Selangor from 1880 until 1978. Kuala Lumpur was the founding capital of the Federation of Malaya and its successor, Malaysia. The city remained
9118-588: Was lowered and the Malayan flag raised for the first time at the Padang at midnight on 30 August 1957, and on the morning of 31 August, the ceremony for the Declaration of Independence was held at the Merdeka Stadium by the first Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman . Kuala Lumpur remained the capital after the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. The Malaysian Houses of Parliament were completed at
9215-548: Was officially adopted as the official language of Malaysia in 1967. The vast majority of the street names was further renamed en masse in 1981, as part of post-independence decolonisation pushed by the then newly elected Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad . Street names which previously featured semblances of English origins were replaced by those commemorating local Malay figures, Malay culture and key politicians in Malaya/Malaysia. The renaming included roads in
9312-478: Was ranked second for the best outstanding city in Southeast Asia after Singapore and 135th in the world by the Oxford Economic Papers ' Global Cities Index. Kuala Lumpur means "muddy confluence" in Malay ; Kuala is the point where two rivers join or an estuary , and lumpur means "mud". One suggestion is that it was named after Sungai Lumpur ("muddy river"); in the 1820s a place named Sungei Lumpoor
9409-453: Was said to be the most important tin-producing settlement up the Klang River . However this derivation does not account for this: Kuala Lumpur lies at the confluence of Gombak River and Klang River, and therefore should be named Kuala Gombak, since the kuala is typically named after the river that joins a larger river or the sea. Some have argued that Sungai Lumpur in fact extended down to
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