Kuala Lumpur Travel Guide P1 ( introduction)

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Complete Travel Guide of Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur Travel Guide P1 ( introduction )

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to a world class city. Kuala Lumpur. A city that is truly one-of-a-kind. You'll find the world in this city but you'll never find anything quite like it anywhere else in the world.

Kuala Lumpur, a city covering 243.6 sq km. with a population of 1.3 million people, is situated on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just about midway between north and south and approximately 35 kilometers from the coast. The days are generally hot and humid but the nights are pleasantly cooler, while the average annual rainfall is about 220mm.

The City of Kuala Lumpur, popularly named K L, has the last decade become one of the most vital cities in Asia. It has booming economy and the vitality of expanding cities. K L is not only a financial centre in the Far East, but also a unique city for tourism that offers first class attractions, entertainment and shopping facilities. A world class capital with all facilities you can expect! 

The capital of Malaysia is a clean, safe, top modern cosmopolitan city, that has not forgotten it´s old heritage. Here you can see some of the world’s most breathtaking modern skyscrapers, inspired by the unique style of Malay architecture, next to some colonial buildings, which means that the city also retains much of its old character and local colour.

For starters, KL (as we fondly call it) has its very own global icon, the Petronas Twin Towers which is 452 metres above street level and 88 stories tall. This mega structure soars superbly over KL presenting a majestic view of it from any corner of the city. And beneath it are Malaysia's best shopping spots featuring haute couture brands to trendy street fashions, making this the ideal spot for fashionista travellers. For those with a penchant for Broadway-like theatres, meet KL's talented thespian community that brings you some of the finest shows and performances to be found anywhere in the world. Partygoer travellers will find KL's vibrant night scenes perfect to satiate their appetite for the biggest and best-known places to party.

But of course, if you yearn to experience the traditional old world appeal that is synonym to Malaysia's culture and values, the olden streets of KL with its captivating day-to-day activities and aromatic smells will charm you. You'll experience this city, dubbed as the City of Lights, with the reverberating glow of its entertainment outlets, the beam of vehicle lights searching for the perfect late-night snack and colourful streetlights - a spectacle that proves KL as a definite place for world travellers.

Kuala Lumpur is an ethnically diverse city with well-educated, multicultural, multilingual inhabitants. Even if the official language is Bahasa Malay, most people speak good English. The English language is a compulsory subject in all schools.

If you will see how East meet West and stay in harmony, go to Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia!

City Facts

Mayor: Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan

Population (metro): 7.2 million

Urban Population: 1,887,674

Total municipal area: 243,65 square kilometres

Where: Latitude:, 3° 08', North. Longitude:, 101° 42', East

2004 GDP: GDP increased by 7.1 percent, fastest growth since 2000.

Phone Area Code: 03 (Country code: 60)

Postal Code: 50000

Airport: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)

Main Train Stations: KL Sentral

Tourist season: March to September

Climate: Tropical, The daily temperature varies from 21-32°C. Periods of rain.

History

1857
87 tin miners, mostly Chinese, came to the area where the  rivers Klang and Gombah converge.  The miners were searching for tin and found here a rich source of the metal. It is said that around 70% of the settlers died of malaria in the first months.


1862
K.L was a growing village. The place was named Kuala Lumpur which in Malay means “muddy estuary”  The village grow rapidly and as all new mining settlements around the world it was a turbulent time. This first period was filled with conflicts and gang wars between local  Chinese gangs and sometimes Malay gangs about mining rights and control of drinking water. Among the Chinese tongs were in these days wars going on to control the brothels, gambling booths and opium trade in the settlement.

1869
The legendary Chinese Yap Ah Loy , also known as Yap Tet Loy or Yap Mao Lan  became Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur and succeeded in just a few years to establish law and order in the town and became a sort of Mayor of  K.L. until his death in 1885.

1880
Kuala Lumpur became a modern town when the British representative Frank Swettenham developed the first city plan and rich miners built colonial houses.  One of the reasons that the town                                 Yap Ah Loy
could expand was that the price of tin raised
dramatically.
                                                    
1887
Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the state of Selangor one year after the railway to the harbour city Klang was openend.

1896
The Federated Malay States (FMS)is formed by uniting the Sultans of four states under one umbrella and KL was chosen as the capital of FMS.  because of its central position. The city became a classic centre of British colonialism.

1946
Kuala Lumpur  was the capital in the “Federation of Malaya”

1957
Malaysia became independence August 31 after 151 years of British rule, Kuala Lumpur was appointed the capital of the independent Federation of Malaya.

1963
Kuala Lumpur became the capital of Malaysia in 1963.

1974
Kuala Lumpur formerly detached from its mother state of Selangor and became an autonomy city (Wilayah Persekutuan or Federal Territory) with its own administration.

1999
The federal administrative capital moved to Putrajaya on June 4.

2007
Kuala Lumpur celebrates its 50th year as the capital of Malaysia and Malaysia its 50th year of independence.

Kuala Lumpur - Major City Distance

Major City	to Kuala Lumpur (km)	Major City	to Kuala Lumpur (km)
Alor Gajah	120	Kuala Kangsar	255
Alor Setar	462	Kuala Lipis	171
Baling	421	Kuala Selangor	67
Batu Pahat	239	Kuala Terengganu	455
Bukit Fraser	99	Kuantan	259
Bukit Ibam	238	Lumut	288
Bukit Kayu Hitam	510	Maran	183
Butterworth	369	Melaka	144
Brichang	214	Mersing	353
Dabong	556	Muar	189
Desaru	436	Padang Besar	544
Dungun	390	Pasir Putih	458
Gemas	168	Port Klang	41
Gerik	359	Pontian Kecil	312
Gua Musang	290	Port Dickson	90
Ipoh	205	Sabak Bernam	130
Jeli	503	Segamat	197
Johor Bahru	368	Seremban	64
Kajang	22	Shah Alam	25
Kangar	507	Sitiawan	276
Klang	33	Sungai Petani	404
Kluang	296	Taiping	291
Kota Bahru	474	Teluk Intan	166
Kota Tinggi	383	Temerloh	133

LANGUAGE

Kuala Lumpur is an ethnically diverse city with well-educated, multicultural, multilingual inhabitants. Even if the official language is Bahasa Malay, most people speak good English. The English language is a compulsory subject in all schools.