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| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Main article: History of Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur has its origins in the 1850s, when the Malay Chief of Klang, Raja Abdullah,[15] hired some Chinese labourers to open new and larger tin mines.[16] They landed at the confluence of Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang (Klang River) to open mines at Ampang.[16] Sungai Gombak was previously known as Sungai Lumpur, which means muddy river. The Original name for this city was "Pengkalan Lumpur", which means bundle of mud. As time passed, the name changed to Kuala Lumpur, which literally means “muddy confluence” in Bahasa Melayu. Later, tin mines were opened at Pudu and Batu. Among the early notable pioneers are Hiu Siew and Liu Ngim Kong.
These mines developed into a trading post which became a frontier town. Early Kuala Lumpur had many problems, including the Selangor Civil War; it was also plagued by diseases and constant fires and floods.[16] Around the 1870s, the Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, Yap Ah Loy, emerged as leader, and became responsible for the survival and subsequent systematic growth of this town. He began to develop Kuala Lumpur from a small, obscure settlement into a booming mining town.[17] In 1880, the state capital of Selangor was moved from Klang to the more strategically advantageous Kuala Lumpur.[18]
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.[18] Many of the new brick buildings mirrored those of shop houses in southern China, characterised by "five foot ways" as well as skilled Chinese carpentry work. This resulted in a distinct eclectic shop house architecture typical to this region. A railway line increased accessibility into the growing town. Development intensified in the 1890s, leading to the creation of a Sanitary Board. In 1896, Kuala Lumpur was chosen as the capital of the newly formed Federated Malay States.[19]
A scene during World War II on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. The scene depicts Japanese troops clearing up High Street (now Jalan Tun H S Lee).
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 the 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.[16]
During World War II, Kuala Lumpur was captured by the Japanese army on January 11, 1942. They occupied the city 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.[20] 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.[18] In 1957, the Federation of Malaya gained its independence from British rule.[21] Kuala Lumpur remained the capital through the formation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963.
On May 13, 1969, one of the worst race riots in Malaysia took place in Kuala Lumpur.[22] The May 13 Incident was a riot between the Malays and the Chinese, with the former apparently dissatisfied with their socio-political situation at the time. The riot resulted in the deaths of 196 people,[22] and led to a major reform in the country's economic policy to favour the Malays.
Kuala Lumpur later achieved city status in 1972,[23] becoming the first settlement in Malaysia to be granted the status after independence. Later, on February 1, 1974, Kuala Lumpur became a Federal Territory.[24] Kuala Lumpur ceased to be the capital of Selangor in 1978 after the city of Shah Alam was declared as the new state capital.[25]
On 14 May 1990, Kuala Lumpur celebrated 100 years of local authority. The new federal territory of Kuala Lumpur flag and anthem were introduced.
In 1998, another political movement known as Reformasi took place mainly in this city.[26] The movement was a result of the sacking of former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and resulted in a chain of protests until 1999, where supporters of Anwar Ibrahim took to the streets to demand reforms in the government's administration, among others.[26]
On February 1, 2001, Putrajaya was declared a Federal Territory, as well as the seat of the federal government.[27] The administrative and judicial functions of the government were shifted from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya. Kuala Lumpur however still retained its legislative function,[28] and remained the home of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King).[29]
[ Tags:Gombak,Klang,Malaysia,Country,State,Federal Territory,Malay,Putrajaya,Selangor,Raja Abdullah,Tin,Sungai Gombak,Klang River,Hiu Siew,Liu Ngim Kong,Frontier,Selangor Civil War,Chinese Kapitan,Yap Ah Loy,Thatching,Frank Swettenham,Five Foot Ways,Shop House,Federated Malay States,World War Ii,Merdeka Square,Japanese Army,Japanese Seventh Area Army,Seishirō Itagaki,Atomic Bombings Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki,Rubber,Malayan Emergency,Communist,Formation Of Malaysia,May 13 Incident,Malays,Chinese,City Status,Shah Alam,Reformasi,Anwar Ibrahim,Yang Di-pertuan Agong,Confluence,Un,Bahasa Melayu, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Geography |
Main article: Geography of Kuala Lumpur
A pedestrian mall by KL's central market.
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 is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers.[30]
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.[citation needed]
The municipality of the city covers an area of 243.65 km2 (94.07 sq mi), with an average elevation of 21.95 m (72.0 ft).
[ | Tags:Klang Valley,Peninsular Malaysia,Titiwangsa Mountains,Strait Of Malacca, Climate and weather |
Protected by the Titiwangsa Mountains in the east and Indonesia's Sumatra Island in the west, Kuala Lumpur has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af) which is warm and sunny, along with abundant rainfall, especially during the northeast monsoon season from October to March. Temperatures tend to remain constant. Maximums hover between 31 and 33 °C (88 and 91 °F) and have never exceeded 37 °C (99 °F), while minimums hover between 22 and 23.5 °C (72 and 74 °F) and have never fallen below 19 °C (66 °F). Kuala Lumpur typically receives 2,266 mm (89.2 in) of rain annually; June and July are relatively dry, but even then rainfall typically exceeds 125 mm (5 in) per month.
Flooding is a frequent occurrence in Kuala Lumpur whenever there is a heavy downpour, especially in the city centre and downstream areas.[31] 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.[32]
Climate data for Kuala Lumpur
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Average high °C (°F)
32.1
(89.8)
32.9
(91.2)
33.2
(91.8)
33.1
(91.6)
32.9
(91.2)
32.7
(90.9)
32.3
(90.1)
32.3
(90.1)
32.1
(89.8)
32.1
(89.8)
31.6
(88.9)
31.5
(88.7)
32.4
(90.3)
Average low °C (°F)
22.5
(72.5)
22.8
(73)
23.2
(73.8)
23.7
(74.7)
23.9
(75)
23.6
(74.5)
23.2
(73.8)
23.1
(73.6)
23.2
(73.8)
23.2
(73.8)
23.2
(73.8)
22.9
(73.2)
23.2
(73.8)
Precipitation mm (inches)
169.5
(6.673)
165.4
(6.512)
240.9
(9.484)
259.2
(10.205)
204.4
(8.047)
125.3
(4.933)
127.2
(5.008)
155.7
(6.13)
192.8
(7.591)
253.1
(9.965)
287.8
(11.331)
245.7
(9.673)
2,427
(95.55)
Avg. rainy days
11
12
14
16
13
9
10
11
13
16
18
15
158
Source: World Meteorological Organisation (UN) [33]
[ | Tags:Sumatra,Tropical Rainforest Climate,Köppen Climate Classification,Haze,World Meteorological Organisation, Demographics |
Bahasa Melayu—the national language, is the principal language of Kuala Lumpur. Other major languages spoken in the city are Cantonese, Mandarin, and Tamil. English has a strong presence, especially in business and is a compulsory language taught in schools.[34]
Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park
Kuala Lumpur also has a mix of different cultures which include Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians, as well as Kadazans, Ibans and other indigenous races from East Malaysia and Peninsula Malaysia.[34][35]
Kuala Lumpur's rapid development triggered a huge influx of low-skilled foreign workers from Indonesia, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and Vietnam into Malaysia, many of these low-skilled workers enter the country illegally or without proper permits .[36][37]. However, at the same time there are more than 500,000 Malaysians, of which are mostly professionals and highly-skilled people working or residing abroad.
In the late-18th century, when Europe underwent Industrial Revolution, large groups of Chinese from Fujian and Guangdong in China were brought in to Malaya to work in the booming tin mining industry.[38] The Chinese in Kuala Lumpur speak different dialects but the majority in Kuala Lumpur are of Cantonese descent,[39] and the Hakkas.[40]
Indians, who formed 10% of the population of Kuala Lumpur in 2000, mostly practise Hinduism and speak Tamil and other Indian languages such as Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi and Punjabi. Historically, most of the Indians were brought in during the British colonisation of the Malaysia.[38] Their popular festivals are Thaipusam, Deepavali and Pongal.[34]
Islam is practised primarily by the Malays and the Indian Muslim communities. Other major religions are Hinduism (mainly among Indians), Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism (mainly among Chinese) and Christianity.[41] The city has many places of worship catering to the multi-religious population.
[ | Tags:English,Cantonese,Mandarin,Tamil, Population statistics |
The connecting bridge between Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens, spanning above the central boulevard.
The estimated population of Kuala Lumpur in the city proper for 2006 was 1.58 million.[5] It has a population density of 6,502 inhabitants per square kilometre (16,840 /sq mi), and is the most densely populated administrative district in Malaysia.[5] With an estimated metropolitan population of 6.9 million in 2007, it can be considered a primate city.[2] The continuing decline in the birth rate for Kuala Lumpur has resulted in the decline in the proportion of young people below 15 years old from 33% in 1980 to slightly less than 27% in 2000.[35] On the other hand, the working age group of 15–59 increased from 63% in 1980 to 67% in 2000.[35] The elderly age group, 60 years old and above has increased from 4% in 1980 and 1991 to 6% in 2000.[35]
Based on the census of the Department of Statistics (see http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?lang=en), the percentage of Bumiputera population in Kuala Lumpur alone was around 38% in 2000 (next census is in 2010) while the Chinese population comprised 43% and Indians 10%.[35] A notable phenomenon has been the increase in the presence of foreign residents in Kuala Lumpur, who now constitute about 9% of the city’s population.[35]
[ | Tags:Primate City, Local government |
The local administration is carried out by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, an agency under the Federal Territories Ministry of Malaysia.[42] 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.[43]
Since Kuala Lumpur became a Federal Territory of Malaysia on February 1, 1974, the city has been led by nine mayors.[44] The current mayor of Kuala Lumpur is Dato' Ahmad Fuad Ismail, who is in his first term of office.[45] He was appointed in 2008.
[ | Tags:Mayor, 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),[46] 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, 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.
[ | Tags:Parliament Of Malaysia, Economy |
A street view of the Old Market Square (Medan Pasar)
Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding urban areas form the most industrialized and economically, the fastest growing region in Malaysia.[7] Despite the relocation of federal government administration to Putrajaya, certain government’s important machineries such as Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Bank of Malaysia), Companies Commission of Malaysia and Securities Commission as well as most embassies and diplomatic missions have remained in the city.[47]
The city remains as the economic and business center of the country. In fact, the city is a center for finance, insurance, real estate, media and the arts of 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.[48]
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.[35] The per capita GDP for Kuala Lumpur in year 2000 is RM30,727, an average annual growth rate of 6.1 percent.[35] The total employment in Kuala Lumpur is estimated at around 838,400.[35] 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.[35] The remaining 17 percent comes from manufacturing and construction.
Pre-war shoplots refurbished into restaurants and bars along Tengkat Tong Shin.
The large service sector 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[49] 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[50] 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.[51] 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.[52]
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. S | Tags: |