Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur
/kwah"leuh loom poor"/
a city in and the capital of Malaysia, in the SW Malay Peninsula. 937,875.

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City (pop., 2000 prelim.: 1,297,526), capital of Malaysia.

Founded as a tin-mining camp in 1857, it was made capital of the Federated Malay States in 1895, of the independent Federation of Malaya in 1957, and of Malaysia in 1963. It was designated a municipality in 1972. The most important Malay city on the Malay Peninsula, it is a commercial centre. It is the site of the Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest buildings when they were completed in 1998. Its educational institutions include the University of Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan.

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Introduction
 capital of Malaysia. The city is located in west-central West (Peninsular) Malaysia, midway along the west coast tin and rubber belt and about 25 miles (40 km) east of its ocean port, Port Kelang, on the Strait of Malacca. It is the federation's largest urban area and its cultural, commercial, and transportation centre. In 1972 Kuala Lumpur was designated a municipality, and in 1974 this entity and adjacent portions of surrounding Selangor state became a federal territory.

 Kuala Lumpur lies in hilly country astride the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak rivers; its name in Malay means “Muddy Confluence.” Malaysia's Main Range rises nearby to the north, east, and southeast. The climate is equatorial, with high temperatures and humidity that vary little throughout the year. The area receives about 95 inches (2,400 mm) of rain annually; June and July are the driest months. Area federal territory, 94 square miles (243 square km). Pop. (2000 prelim.) city, 1,297,526; (2000) federal territory, 1,379,310; (2005 est.) federal territory, 1,556,200.

History
      The origin of Kuala Lumpur dates to 1857, when a group of 87 Chinese tin miners founded a settlement at what is now the suburb of Ampang. Strategically commanding both river valleys, the community flourished as a tin-collecting centre despite its malaria-infested jungle location. In 1880 Kuala Lumpur superseded Klang (now Kelang (Klang)) as the state capital, and its rapid growth thereafter has been attributed to Sir Frank Swettenham (Swettenham, Sir Frank), British resident after 1882. He initiated construction on the Klang–Kuala Lumpur Railway and encouraged the use of brick and tile in buildings as a precaution against fire and as an aid to better health. The city's central position led to its choice as capital of the Federated Malay States (1895).

      The city was occupied by the Japanese (1942–45) in World War II. Its population greatly increased in the postwar years during a long (1948–60) communist-led guerrilla insurgency, and under a resettlement program new villages were established on the city's outskirts. Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the independent Federation of Malaya in 1957 and of Malaysia in 1963. Growth continued, spurred by industrial development, the population reaching a half million in the mid-1960s and passing one million in the early 1980s.

The contemporary city
 The city comprises a mixture of modern and Moorish-style architecture, traditional Chinese shop houses, squatters' huts, and Malay stilt kampongs (“villages”). While its centre along the embanked Kelang is heavily congested, its municipal area and suburbs are well planned. The commercial quarter, called the Golden Triangle, is concentrated on the river's east side. Among its sleek high-rise buildings are two of the world's tallest buildings: the 1,483-foot (452-metre) Petronas Twin Towers, designed by Argentine-American architect Cesar Pelli, and one of the tallest broadcasting and telecommunications masts, the 1,381-foot (421-metre) Kuala Lumpur Tower. Government buildings and the notable railway station (all influenced by Moorish design) are on the river's hilly west bank. This nucleus is surrounded by a zone of Chinese two-story wooden shop houses and mixed residential areas of Malay kampongs, modern bungalows, and middle-income brick flats. The exclusive Kenney Hill sector is a showcase for domestic architecture.

      Malays (Malay), who are overwhelmingly Muslim, are the city's largest ethnic group. Despite the prevalence of Islamic domes and minarets, however, the non-Muslim Chinese dominate the city and its economy. The Indian minority, connected with nearby rubber estates, is substantial. Malays are usually in government service, and Kampong Baharu is one of the city's few concentrated Malay residential sections.

      The industrial suburb of Sungai Besi (“Iron River”) has iron foundries and engineering works and factories that process food and soap. The Sentul and Ipoh Road area is the site of railway (assembly and construction) and engineering workshops and sawmills, and cement is manufactured at Rawang to the north. While Kuala Lumpur has diversified manufacturing, the focus of industrial planning is in the adjacent suburbs of Petaling Jaya and Batu Tiga, notably in the high-technology sector. Kuala Lumpur is the country's centre of banking and finance; activities related to these and other services, including tourism, have become increasingly important. The local Batu Arang coalfield and the Connaught Bridge thermal-electric power station near Kelang are the main sources, respectively, of the city's fuel supply and power.

      Kuala Lumpur, with its central position in West Malaysia, is the hub of the peninsula's transportation system, and rail lines and major roads radiate from it. Air service is largely through Kuala Lumpur International Airport, located about 30 miles (50 km) south at Sepang. The city itself has an extensive network of multilane roads and express highways, although these are inadequate for the growing number of cars and trucks. A light-rail public transit system—inaugurated in 1996 and now consisting of three interconnected lines—has eased traffic congestion somewhat.

      There are several hospitals and state clinics, including a modern tuberculosis centre and the well-equipped Institute of Medical Research (1900). The Rubber Research Institute (1925) and Radio and Television Malaysia are headquartered there. The University of Malaya was founded at Kuala Lumpur in 1962, and the International Islamic University Malaysia was established there in 1983. In addition, the Malay-language National University of Malaysia opened in Kuala Lumpur in 1970; the main campus is now in nearby Bangi, but there is still a branch in the city. Other educational institutions include the Language Institute (1958) and Tunku Abdul Rahman College (1969).

      Lake Gardens, extending westward from the Kelang River opposite the central city, is an extensive greenbelt containing orchid and other gardens, wildlife areas, the government's Parliament House, and the National Museum of Malaysia (1963), the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (1999), and the National Planetarium (1993). A smaller natural area, Bukit Nanas (“Pineapple Hill”) Forest Reserve, is just northwest of the Golden Triangle. Nearby are the National Art Gallery (1958), the National Library of Malaysia (1966), and the National Theatre. Notable civic buildings include the Moorish-style Sultan Abdul Samad Building (formerly the Secretariat Building), the more contemporary National Mosque (Masjid Negara), and the old Sultan's Mosque (Masjid Jame), which is on a peninsula at the junction of the Kelang and Gombak rivers in the city centre. Just south of the city is the National Sports Complex, constructed for the 1998 Commonwealth Games; among its several sports venues is the 100,000-seat National Stadium. A short distance to the east is the National Zoo and Aquarium. At the northern edge of the federal territory is Batu (“Rock”) Caves, a complex of limestone grottoes including a 400-foot- (122-metre-) high outcropping reached by hundreds of steps that contains a Hindu temple and is the scene of elaborate Dipavali (Thaipusam in Malay) New Year celebrations for local Hindus. A short distance north of the caves is Templer Park, a jungle preserve.

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Universalium. 2010.

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