Everything about Kuala Lumpur totally explained
Kuala Lumpur (
Malay /kwɑlɑlʊmpʊ/ and locally /kwɑləlʊmpɔ/ or even /kɔlɔmpɔ/), is the
capital and the largest city of
Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of 244 km
2, has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. It is the fastest growing metropolitan region in the country, in terms of population as well as economy.
Kuala Lumpur is the seat of the
Parliament of Malaysia, making it the country's legislative capital. The city was once home to the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, but they've since moved to
Putrajaya starting in 1999. Some sections of the judiciary remain in the capital. The official residence of the
Malaysian King, the
Istana Negara, is also situated in Kuala Lumpur. The city is also the cultural and economic center of Malaysia due to its position as the capital as well as being a
primate city. Kuala Lumpur is rated as a
gamma world city, and is the only global city in Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur is defined within the borders of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and is one of three
Malaysian Federal Territories. It is an enclave within the state of
Selangor, on the central west coast of
Peninsular Malaysia. Residents of the city are known as KLites.
Beginning in the 1990s, the city has played host to many international sporting, political and cultural events including the
1998 Commonwealth Games and the
Formula One World Championship.
History
Kuala Lumpur has its origins in the 1850s, when the Malay Chief of
Klang,
Raja Abdullah, hired some Chinese labourers to open new and larger
tin mines. In 1880, the state capital of Selangor was moved from Klang to the more strategically advantageous Kuala Lumpur.
In
1881, a flood swept through the town following a fire which engulfed it earlier. These successive problems destroyed the town's structures of wood and
atap (
thatching). As a response,
Frank Swettenham, the British Resident of Selangor, required that buildings be constructed of brick and tile.
A mixture of different communities settled in various sections of Kuala Lumpur. The Chinese mainly settled around the commercial centre of Market Square, east of Klang River, and towards Chinatown. The Malays, Indian Chettiars, and Indian Muslims resided along Java Street (now Jalan Tun Perak). The Padang, now known as
Merdeka Square, was the center of the British administrative offices.
During
World War II, Kuala Lumpur was captured by the
Japanese army on
January 11,
1942. They remained in occupation until
August 15,
1945, when the commander in chief of the
Japanese Seventh Area Army in Singapore and Malaya,
Seishirō Itagaki, surrendered to the British administration following the
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Kuala Lumpur grew through the war, the
rubber and
tin commodity crashes and the
Malayan Emergency, during which Malaya was preoccupied with the
communist insurgency. Kuala Lumpur remained the capital through the
formation of Malaysia on
September 16,
1963.
On
May 13,
1969, one of the worst racial riots in Malaysia took place in Kuala Lumpur. and led to a major reform in the country's economic policy.
Kuala Lumpur later achieved
city status in 1972, becoming the first settlement in Malaysia to be granted the status after independence. Later, on
February 1,
1974, Kuala Lumpur became a
Federal Territory. Kuala Lumpur ceased to be the capital of
Selangor in 1978 after the city of
Shah Alam was declared as the new state capital.
In 1998, another political movement known as
Reformasi took place mainly in this city.
On
February 1,
2001, Putrajaya was declared a Federal Territory, as well as Malaysia's capital. 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 (King).
In November 2007, two of the largest political rallies since 1998 took place in the city—the
Bersih rally on
November 10 and the HINDRAF rally on
November 25. The Bersih rally was organised by a number of non-governmental organisations and opposition political parties to demand electoral reform in the country with about 50,000 people taking to the streets. The HINDRAF rally was organised by
HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Front) and was attended by at least 30,000 mainly ethnic Indian protesters demanding equal social and economic rights from the
Bumiputras.
Geography
The geography of Kuala Lumpur is characterized by a huge valley known as
Klang Valley. The valley is 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 which translates to "muddy confluence" as it's located at the
confluence of the
Klang and
Gombak rivers.
Located in the center of
Selangor state, Kuala Lumpur was previously under the rule of Selangor State Government. In 1974, Kuala Lumpur was separated from Selangor to form the first
Federal Territory governed directly by the Malaysian Federal Government. Its location on the west coast of
Peninsular Malaysia, which has wider flat land than the east coast, has contributed to its faster development relative to other cities in Malaysia.
The municipality of the city covers an area of 243.65 km
2 (94.07 sq mi), with an average elevation of 21.95 m (72 ft).
Weather
Protected by the
Titiwangsa Mountains in the east and Indonesia's
Sumatra Island in the west, Kuala Lumpur has a year-round equatorial climate which is warm and sunny, along with plentiful rainfall, especially during the
southwest monsoon from September to April. Temperatures tend to remain constant. Maximums hover between 31°C and 33°C (88-92°F) and have never exceeded 37°C (99°F), while minimums hover between 22°C and 23.5°C (71-74°F) and have never fallen below 19°C (66°F). Kuala Lumpur typically receives 2,266 mm (93.1") of rain annually; June and July are relatively dry, but even then rainfall typically exceeds 125 mm (5") per month.
Flooding is a frequent occurrence in Kuala Lumpur whenever there's a heavy downpour, especially in the city centre and downstream areas. Dust particles from forest fires from nearby
Sumatra sometimes cast a
haze over the region. It is a major source of pollution in the city together with open burning, emission from motor vehicles and construction work.
Demographics
Kuala Lumpur also has a mix of different cultures. Unlike the whole of Malaysia, where
Malays comprise the ethnic majority, the majority of Kuala Lumpur residents are
Chinese.
Malays speak the national language of
Bahasa Melayu and are also able to converse in
English; some even
Mandarin and
Tamil. Malays form the bulk of the members of
Parliament and dominate the political scene in Malaysia. The Chinese in Kuala Lumpur speak different dialects but the majority in Kuala Lumpur are of
Cantonese descent, followed by the
Hokkiens and the
Hakkas. Similarly, due to the education system provided by the government, Chinese in Kuala Lumpur are able to converse in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and are able to bridge the divide among the local dialects.
Indians formed 10% of the population in Kuala Lumpur in 2000. Historically, most of the Indians were brought in during the
British colonisation of the Malaysia. Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hakka, Hokkien, Hainan) and some Indian and Pakistani languages (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Pashtu) as well as the languages of migrant workers (Indonesian, Nepalese, Vietnamese, etc.) are also spoken in the city.
Due to the rapid development in Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur which requires a large workforce, foreign workers from
Indonesia,
Nepal,
Burma,
Thailand,
Bangladesh,
Vietnam and China were brought into Malaysia.
Population statistics
The estimated population of Kuala Lumpur in 2006 was 1.58 million. With a population density of 6,502 people per km
2, it's the most densely populated administrative district in Malaysia.. These problems have been associated with the rising numbers of immigrants from Indonesia and Myanmar. Some of them are brought in with the promise of low to medium grade salary.
Government
Local government
The local administration is carried out by the
Kuala Lumpur City Hall, an agency under the
Federal Territories Ministry of Malaysia. They are 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 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.
Since Kuala Lumpur became a
Federal Territory of Malaysia on
February 1 1974, the city has been led by eight mayors. The current mayor of Kuala Lumpur is Datuk
Abdul Hakim Borhan, who is in his first term of office. He was appointed in 2006.
Politics
Kuala Lumpur is home to the
Parliament of Malaysia. The parliament is composed of a lower House of Representatives (
Dewan Rakyat) and an upper House of Senate (
Dewan Negara). The city is represented in the lower House of Representatives by eleven Members of Parliament (MPs), who are
elected to five-year terms. Traditionally, political leanings in Kuala Lumpur have been dominated by
Barisan Nasional (BN), with seven representatives from BN and the other four from the
Democratic Action Party (DAP) prior to the
2008 General Elections. After the 2008 elections BN was left with just one representative,
Federal Territories Minister Zulhasnan Rafique, in the
Setiawangsa seat. DAP took control of five seats,
Parti Keadilan Rakyat taking four seats, and
PAS one seat, marking the first time in which the majority of the Federal Territory's constituencies was dominated by
opposition parties.
Economy
Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding urban areas form the most industrialized and economically the fastest growing region in Malaysia.
In short the city remains the economic and business center of the country. In fact the city is a center for finance, insurance, real estate, media and the arts in Malaysia. The infrastructure development in the surrounding areas such as the
Kuala Lumpur International Airport at
Sepang, the creation of the
Multimedia Super Corridor and the expansion of
Port Klang further reinforce the economic significance of the city.
Bursa Malaysia or the Malaysia Exchange is based in the city and forms one of its core economic activities. As of
20 November,
2007, the market capitalisation stood at US$318.65 billion.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Kuala Lumpur is estimated at RM25,968 million in 2000 with an average annual growth rate of 4.2 percent. The per capita GDP for Kuala Lumpur in year 2000 is RM30,727, an average annual growth rate of 6.1 percent. with an increasing number of financial institutions providing Islamic Financing and the strong presence of Gulf's financial institutions such as the world's largest islamic bank,
Al-Rajhi Bank and
Kuwait Finance House. Apart from that, 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 countries’ largest companies have their headquarters based here and as of December 2007 and excluding
Petronas, there are 14 companies that are listed in
Forbes 2000 based in Kuala Lumpur.
Other important economic activities in the city are education and health services. Kuala Lumpur also has advantages stemming from the high concentration of educational institutions located within its boundaries, providing a wide range of courses. Such public institutions include the
University of Malaya, the
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,
International Medical University and the Medical Faculty of the
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. There are also a large number of private colleges, including the
Universiti Tun Abdul Razak and
Tunku Abdul Rahman College, in and around Kuala Lumpur providing a wide range of courses which attract students from all over Malaysia as well as from other countries. There are numerous public and private medical specialist centres and hospitals in the city which offer general health services and a wide range of specialist surgery and treatment catering to locals and tourists.
There has been growing emphasis to expand the economic scope of the city into other service activities such as research and development which supports the rest of the economy of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur has been home for years to important research centers such as the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia, the
Forest Research Institute Malaysia and the Institute of Medical Research and more research centers are expected to be established in the coming years.
Tourism
The tourism sector also plays an important part in the city’s economy, providing income, employment and expanding business opportunities. As an extension of this, many large worldwide hotel chains have presence in the city. Kuala Lumpur has also developed into an international shopping destination with a wide variety of shopping centres and mega malls which carry well-known global and local brands. Conference tourism has also expanded in recent years and is becoming a very important component of the industry.
Major destinations include the
House of Parliament,
Kuala Lumpur Tower,
Putra World Trade Centre,
Dataran Merdeka,
Tugu Negara,
Istana Negara,
Istana Budaya, mosque such as the
Masjid Negara and the
Federal Territory Mosque,
Muzium Negara, and other tourist attractions including
Aquaria KLCC,
Makam Pahlawan,
National Science Centre,
Eye on Malaysia,
Zoo Negara,
Batu Caves, and events such as the Chinese cultural festivals at the
Thean Hou Temple and the
Thaipusam procession at the
Sri Mahamariamman Temple. The Golden Triangle, the commercial hub of the city, contains the
Petronas Twin Towers and has a distinctive nightlife. Trendy nightclubs, bars and lounges, such as
Hard Rock Cafe,
Zouk, Thai Club, Beach Club (voted Best Bar in Asia), Luna Bar, Rum Jungle, Nuovo, Espanda and many others are located within and around Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang.
Hotels, from five-star to budget types, have cropped up everywhere to accommodate the influx of tourists each year. While there are many hotels near Kuala Lumpur's entertainment and business districts, some have chosen to veer away from the hustle and bustle.
Leo Palace Hotel
and
Hotel Orkid are among those that provide basic hotel accommodation in superb locations.
Retail
Kuala Lumpur alone has 66 shopping malls and it's the retail and fashion hub for Malaysia. Shopping in Malaysia contributes RM7.7 billion (USD 2.26 billion) or 20.8 percent of the RM31.9 billion tourism receipts in 2006. and Kuala Lumpur, as Malaysia's retail hub, plays a big role in attracting consumers.
Suria KLCC is one of Malaysia's premier shopping destinations due to its location beneath the Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest twin towers and second and third-tallest singular towers. Apart from Suria KLCC,
Bukit Bintang, which resembles
Tokyo's
Ginza,
New York's
Fifth Avenue and
Singapore's
Orchard Road has the highest concentration of shopping outlets in Kuala Lumpur.
Bukit Bintang which is part of the Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle, spans over 3 roads which are Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Imbi and Jalan Sultan Ismail. It houses various cafes, alfresco dining outlets and shopping complexes namely
Berjaya Times Square,
Bukit Bintang Plaza, Imbi Plaza, Kuala Lumpur Plaza,
Low Yat Plaza, Starhill Gallery,
Sungei Wang Plaza,
Lot 10, and
Pavilion KL. Furthermore, the
Bangsar district also has a few shopping complexes.
Mid Valley Megamall,
The Gardens and Bangsar Village are a few to be named.
Damansara area in the north-west of Kuala Lumpur is the home of
IKEA outlet, locally operated
Ikano Power Centre, The Curve shopping mall,
Cathay Multi Screen Cinemas and
1 Utama, another mega mall is situated less than one kilometre away.
Apart from shopping complexes, Kuala Lumpur has designated numerous zones in the city to market locally manufactured products such as
textiles,
fabrics and
handicrafts. The Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur, or commonly known as
Petaling Street, is one of them. Chinatown features many pre-independence buildings with Straits Chinese and European traditions influence. The
Kuala Lumpur's Central Market, which was once the city's wet market, offers an assortment of arts and craft merchandise, varying from antiques and paintings to souvenirs and clothing. It is also known as
Pasar Seni in Malay.
Since 2000, the Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia has kick-started the mega sale event for all shopping in Malaysia. The mega sale event is held thrice in a year—in March, May and December—where all shopping malls are encouraged to participate to boost Kuala Lumpur as a leading shopping destination.
Cityscape
Architecture
The architecture of Kuala Lumpur is a blend of old
colonial influences, Asian traditions, Malay Islamic inspirations,
modern, and
postmodern architecture mix. Being a relatively young city compared with other Southeast Asian capitals such as
Bangkok,
Jakarta and
Manila, most of Kuala Lumpur's colonial buildings were built toward the end of 19th and early 20th century. These buildings have
Moorish,
Tudor,
Neo-Gothic or Grecian-Spanish style or architecture. Most of the styling has been modified to use local resources and acclimatized to the local climate, which is hot and humid all year around.
Prior to the
Second World War, many
shophouses, usually two storeys with functional shops on the ground floor and separate residential spaces upstairs, were built around the old city center. These shop-houses drew inspiration from
Straits Chinese and European traditions. Examples of these buildings are
Menara Telekom,
Menara Maybank,
Dayabumi Complex, and the Islamic Center. Some buildings such as the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia and
National Planetarium have been built to masquerade as a place of worship, complete with
dome and
minaret, when in fact it's a place of science and knowledge. The 452 metre tall
Petronas Twin Towers were designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art.
Late modern and postmodern architecture began to appear in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Buildings with all glass shell appears around the city, with the most prominent example being the
Petronas Twin Towers and
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Kuala Lumpur’s central business district today has shifted around the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) where many new and tall buildings with modern and postmodern architecture fill the skyline.
Parks
The Perdana Lake Gardens, a 92
hectare manicured garden near the Malaysian Parliament building, was once home to a
British colonial official. The park includes a Butterfly Park, Deer Park, Orchid Garden, Hibiscus Garden and
Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Southeast Asia's largest bird park. Other parks in the city include, the ASEAN Sculpture Garden, Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park (KLCC), Titiwangsa Lake Gardens, Metropolitan Lake Gardens in Kepong,
Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Taman Tasik Permaisuri (Queen’s Lake Gardens),
Bukit Kiara Botanical Gardens, Equestrian Park and West Valley Park near
TTDI, and Bukit Jalil International Park.
There are three forest reserves within the city namely the
Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve in the city center, the oldest gazetted forest reserve in the country (10.52 hectares), Bukit Sungai Putih Forest Reserve (7.41 hectares) and Bukit Sungai Besi Forest Reserve (42.11 hectares).
Bukit Nanas, in the heart of the City Centre, is one of the oldest virgin forests in the world within a city. These residual forest areas are home to a number of fauna species particularly monkeys, tree shrews, squirrels and birds.
Culture
Arts
Kuala Lumpur is a hub for cultural activities and events in Malaysia. Among the centres is the
National Museum which is situated along the Mahameru Highway. Its collection comprises artifacts and paintings collected throughout the country.
Kuala Lumpur also has an
Islamic Arts Museum which houses more than seven thousands Islamic artefacts including rare exhibits from China as well as a library of Islamic art books. This museum features some impressively decorated
domes and large open exhibition spaces. It is located at Jalan Lembah Perdana next to the
National Mosque.
The premier performing arts venue is the
Petronas Philharmonic Hall. The resident orchestra is the
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), consisting of musicians from all over the world and features regular concerts, chamber concerts and traditional cultural performances.
The
National Art Gallery of Malaysia is located on Jalan Temerloh, off Jalan Tun Razak on a 5.67 hectare site neighbouring the National Theater (
Istana Budaya) and National Library. The architecture of the gallery incorporates elements of traditional Malay architecture, as well as contemporary modern architecture. The National Art Gallery serves as a centre of excellence and trustee of the national art heritage.
The Petronas Art Gallery, another centre for fine art, is situated in
Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). The Galeri Tangsi near Dataran Merdeka houses exhibitions of works by local and foreign artists.
The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) in Sentul West is one of the most established centres for the performing arts, notably theatre, music, and film screening, in the country. It has housed many local productions and has been a supporter of local and regional independent performance artists. One of the highlights in 2006 was the KL Sing Song 2006 music fest which featured Malaysian singer-songwriters of various cultural backgrounds, from both West and East Malaysia, through two days of performances and workshops.
Kuala Lumpur holds the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival annually. Another event hosted annually by the city is the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week, which includes international brands as well as local designers.
Sports and recreation
Kuala Lumpur has numerous parks and open spaces for recreational purposes. Total open space for recreational and sport facilities land use in the city has increased significantly by 169.6 percent from 586 hectares in 1984 to 1,580 hectares in 2000.
Kuala Lumpur is one of the host cities for the
Formula One World Championship, the open-wheel auto racing
A1 Grand Prix and the
Motorcycle Grand Prix with races being held at
Sepang International Circuit in the neighbouring state of Selangor, next to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The Formula One event contributes significantly to tourist arrivals and tourism income to Kuala Lumpur. This is evident during the
Asian Financial Crisis in 1998. Despite cities around Asia suffering declining tourist arrivals, Kuala Lumpur tourist arrivals increased from 6,210,900 in 1997 to 10,221,600 in 2000, or 64.6% increase in tourist arrivals.
KL Grand Prix CSI 5*, a five-star international showjumping equestrian event is held annually in the city. This annual event draws the world’s top riders and their prized horses to Malaysia.
Other annual sport events hosted by the city include the KL Tower Run, the KL Tower International BASE Jump Merdeka Circuit and the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon. Kuala Lumpur is also one of the stages of the
Tour de Langkawi cycling race.
The annual
Malaysia Open Super Series badminton tournament is held in Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur has a considerable array of sports facilities of international class after hosting the
1998 Commonwealth Games. Many of these facilities including the main stadium (with running track and a football field), hockey stadium and swimming pools are located in the
National Sports Complex at
Bukit Jalil while a velodrome and more swimming pools are located in Bandar Tun Razak, next to the Taman Tasik Permaisuri Lake Gardens. There are also soccer fields, local sports complexes, swimming pools and tennis courts scattered around the suburbs. Badminton and ‘takraw’ courts are usually included in community halls.
Kuala Lumpur has several golf courses including the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) and the Malaysia Civil Service Golf Club in Kiara and the Berjaya Golf Course at Bukit Jalil.
The city also has numerous large private fitness centers run by California Fitness,
Fitness First, Celebrity Gym, True Fitness and the major five star hotels.
Media
There are several
newspapers, including daily newspapers, business newspapers and also a digital newspaper, based in Kuala Lumpur. Daily newspapers include
Utusan Malaysia,
Berita Harian,
Harian Metro,
The Star,
New Straits Times,
The Sun,
Malay Mail,
Kosmo! as well as other language newspapers. Kuala Lumpur is also the headquarters for Malaysia's state broadcaster
RTM and commercial station
TV3. Programmes are broadcast in
Malay,
English,
Chinese and
Tamil.
The city is also home to the country's main
pay-TV service,
Astro, a
satellite television service, which broadcasts local and global television channels such as
CNN,
BBC World,
Star World and
HBO.
Al-Jazeera, the Doha-based Arab news network has launched a new English-speaking channel called
Al-Jazeera English to boost its international viewership with one of its broadcast centers based in Kuala Lumpur.
Phoenix TV, a
Hong Kong based television broadcaster has also announced plans to expand its regional business by partnership with local satellite TV provider,
Astro. The
Hong Kong office of
Channel V International, an international music channel, relocated its programme production unit in Kuala Lumpur by appointing the local company Double Vision Sdn Bhd.
In March 2008,
Time Out, the international listings and events magazine, launched in Kuala Lumpur as its 24th global city.
Kuala Lumpur has been featured in all aspects of popular culture such as movies, television, music and books. Movies set in Kuala Lumpur includes
Entrapment, starring
Sean Connery and
Catherine Zeta-Jones, and
Children of Men, (starring
Clive Owen) where the Petronas Twin Towers were depicted in flames for a few seconds. Books which were set in Kuala Lumpur include
KL 24/7 by Ida M Rahim, Shireen Zainudin and Rizal Zainudin and
Democracy by Joan Didion. Kuala Lumpur is also mentioned in many songs by local Malaysian artists such as
Keroncong Kuala Lumpur by
P. Ramlee,
Kuala Lumpur, Ibu Kota by
Saloma,
Chow Kit Road by
Sudirman Arshad,
Senyumlah Kuala Lumpur by
Alleycats,
Streets of Kuala Lumpur by Murkyway,
K.L. by Vandal,
Kuala Lumpur by
Poetic Ammo,
Anak Dara by
Azmyl Yunor and
KL by
Too Phat. Kuala Lumpur was also one of the destinations in
The Amazing Race Asia and
The Amazing Race. Games have also been set in Kuala Lumpur. They include three levels of the game and two levels of the playstation 2 game
Burnout Dominator. "Scampi", one of
Weebl's cartoons, features Kuala Lumpur as one of the things the military man mentions in disguise, disguised as
France.
Transportation
Unlike most other Asian cities, driving is the main mode of commuting in Kuala Lumpur. High speed roadways, or
expressways are tolled roadways, and motorist using these
expressways have an option of paying by cash, or by stored value cards such as
Touch 'n Go and
SmartTAG.
In terms of air connectivity, Kuala Lumpur is served by two airports. The main airport,
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), which is also the aviation hub of Malaysia, is located about 50 km south of city. The other airport is
Subang Airport which used to be the main international airport serving the city until KLIA replaced it when it opened in 1998. The airport connects the city with direct flights to destinations in six continents around the world, and is the main hub for the national carrier,
Malaysia Airlines. KLIA can be reached using the
KLIA Ekspres high-speed train service from
KL Sentral which takes only twenty-eight minutes, while travelling by car via highway will take about an hour. As of 2007, Subang Airport is only used for chartered and turboprops flights by airlines such as
Firefly and
Berjaya Air.
Public transport on Kuala Lumpur and the rest of the
Klang Valley covers a variety of
transport modes such as
bus,
rail and
taxi. Despite efforts to promote usage of public transportation, utilisation rates are low as only 16 percent of the population used public transportation in 2006. The
rapid transit system in Kuala Lumpur consists of three separate rail systems which meet in the city and extends towards other parts of
Klang Valley. The rail systems are
RapidKL RAIL,
KL Monorail, and
KTM Komuter. These lines have either underground or elevated stations around the city. The main rapid transit hub is
KL Sentral which facilitates as an interchange station for the rail systems. KL Sentral is also a hub for intercity railway operated by
KTM Intercity. It provides for rail services to as far as
Singapore in the south, and
Hat Yai, Thailand, in the north.
The largest public transportation operator in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley is
RapidKL. Since the take over from Intrakota Komposit Sdn Bhd, RapidKL has redrawn the entire bus network of Kuala Lumpur and
Klang Valley metropolitan area to increase ridership and improve Kuala Lumpur's public transportation system. The management of RapidKL has adopted the
hub and spoke system to provide greater connectivity, and cut down the need of more buses.
RapidKL is also the operator of three rapid transit rail lines in Kuala Lumpur, namely Ampang Line, Sri Petaling Line and Kelana Jaya Line.
Kuala Lumpur is served by
Port Klang, located about 64 km (40 mi) southwest of the city. The port is the largest and busiest in the country handling about of cargo in 2006.
Education
According to government statistics, Kuala Lumpur has a
literacy rate of 97.5% in 2000, the highest rate in any state or territory in Malaysia.
In Malaysia, Malay is the language of instruction for most subjects while English is a compulsory subject and is used as the language of instruction for mathematics and the natural sciences. There are also schools which provide Mandarin and Tamil as languages of instruction for certain subjects.
In Kuala Lumpur alone, there are 13 tertiary education institutions, 79 high schools, 155 elementary schools and 136 kindergartens.
There are several notable institutions located in the city which have existed for more than 100 years, such as,
St. John's Institution (since 1904);
Victoria Institution (1893);
Convent Bukit Nanas (1899); Methodist Girls' School, Kuala Lumpur (1896) and
Methodist Boys' School (1897).
Kuala Lumpur is home to the
University of Malaya. Established in 1962, it's the oldest university in Malaysia, and one of the oldest in the region. It is also the most prestigious tertiary institution in Malaysia, having been ranked first among the universities in Malaysia in the 2004
THES international rankings. In recent years, the number of
international students at University of Malaya has risen, a result of increasing efforts made to attract more international students.
Other universities located in Kuala Lumpur include
International Medical University,
Open University Malaysia,
Universiti Kuala Lumpur,
Wawasan Open University and the branch campus of
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Apart from these, universities located around Kuala Lumpur include
Monash Univerisity Malaysia Campus,
Taylors University College and others.
The
National Defence University of Malaysia is located at
Sungai Besi Army Base, at the southern part of central Kuala Lumpur. It was established to be a major centre for military and defence technology studies. This institution covers studies in the field of
army,
navy, and
air force.
Sister cities
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kuala Lumpur'.
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