Kuala Lumpur

File:Petronas Twin Towers 1.jpg
The Petronas Towers

Kuala Lumpur is the largest city in Malaysia and the capital of the federation. Within Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is almost always fondly abbreviated to KL. The executive branch has shifted to a new administrative capital called Putrajaya.

Kuala Lumpur is one of the three Federal Territories, and is physically located within the state of Selangor, on the west coast roughly halfway up in West Malaysia.

History

Kuala Lumpur was founded in 1857 at the confluence of the Gombak and Kelang rivers. In Malay, the name means "muddy confluence".

It was made capital of Selangor in 1880, and in 1896 it became the capital of the British-protected Federated Malay States.

During World War II Japanese forces captured Kuala Lumpur on January 11, 1942 and briefly occupied the city.

After independence in 1957, Kuala Lumpur was the capital of the Federation of Malaya and continued to be the capital of the renamed Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

In 1974 Kuala Lumpur ceded from Selangor and the city became a Federal Territory (Wilayah Persekutuan).

Kuala Lumpur has advanced by leaps and bounds ever since the Asian Economic Boom of the early 1990s (when Malaysia was averaging 10% economic growth). Skyscrapers have shot up and Kuala Lumpur, formerly a languid colonial outpost, has become one of the most lively, advanced and vibrant cities in South East Asia. Unfortunately the infrastructure has barely been able to keep up with this rapid growth. Traffic jams are a scourge commuters endure daily, despite the numerous 6-lane highways constructed all over the city (including two elevated highways), the public transport system is woefully inadequate (try riding on a KL bus and feel the pain, plus they have no sense of the term, TIMETABLE), taxis are some of the rudest in the world ("Cannot lah, traffic jam.") and the water infrastructure, once the best in South East Asia, is old, leaky and in a sorry state generally, with water which used to be drinkable from the tap now brown and sludgy, the cause of many an irate citizen having to install expensive water filters.

Since the construction of Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur no longer remains the administrative capital. Parliament still sits in Kuala Lumpur, however, and it is very much the commercial capital.

Statistics

The Malaysia Masjid Negara

(As of 2000)

• Area: 243.65 km²
• Population (Metropolitan area only): 1,479,388; (Klang Valley Conurbation): approximately 4 million

Transportation

The city is served by Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Taxis are a reliable and fairly cheap method of transport for the newcomer to the city. However, traffic jams are fairly common with KL. Alternatives are the three light rail systems: Putra LRT, Star LRT and the monorail.

Those wishing to take buses to elsewhere in Malaysia should note that there are several bus stations, depending on which part of peninsular Malaysia you wish to travel to.

Tourist Information

The Batu Caves

Some of the most popular tourist locations in Kuala Lumpur are:

• The Chinese Night market area, Petaling Street, which has recently undergone a makeover, the most notable feature being the new covered walkway.
• Petronas Twin Towers, which also houses a large shopping mall - Suria KLCC.
• Batu Caves, a short distance north of Kuala Lumpur. This is a tall limestone cave, and home of a Hindu temple.
• About 40km west of Kuala Lumpur is the town of Shah Alam, site of a famous masjid (mosque).
• Genting Highlands, a hill top resort near Kuala Lumpur, famous for its casino and golf. Also has plenty of restaurants and hotels.

Kuala Lumpur has a vibrant nightlife, concentrated in three places; the first being the City Centre, the second being the posh district of Bangsar (near the Mid Valley Megamall) and the third being the up and coming swanky district of Seri Hartamas/Mont Kiara.

Hotels

All these hotels are very near to the KLCC (KL City Center)

• Hotel Nikko (rating: ****)
• Mandarin Oriental (******)
• Renaissance Kuala Lumpur (*****)
• Concorde (***, Kuala Lumpur's oldest hotel)
• Mutiara (***, formerly the Hilton)
• Shangri La (****, another old hotel)

Hotels in the Bukit Bintang shopping area include:

• JW Marriot (*****)
• Parkroyal (****)
• Dorsett Regency (***)
• Ritz-Carlton (*****)
• Century KL (***)

Other notable hotels are:

The Palace of the Golden Horses (******, by far Malaysia's most expensive hotel) Sheraton Imperial (*****, near Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, one of Kuala Lumpur's oldest shopping streets) Legend (****, Jalan Syed Putra, near the Putra World Trade Centre and UMNO Headquarters) Putra Pan Pacific (***, Opposite the Legend)

Shopping Malls

• KLCC Suria (situated below the Petronas Twin Towers)
• Sunway Pyramid
• Times Square (biggest shopping mall in Asia)
• Mid Valley Megamall

Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Bukit Bintang are both shopping streets with many shops and malls. Recently, Jalan Bukit Bintang has undergone massive redevelopment, making it more pedestrian friendly and redecorating the sidewalks.