Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of the Federation of Malaysia, is centrally located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Covering some 243sq km (94 square miles), it lies approximately 35km from the coast. Kuala Lumpur was conferred city status on February 1, 1972 and declared a Federal Territory in 1974.
The city began as a mining settlement in the late 1800s with the discovery of tin at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers. Although KL’s tin trade has since declined, the growth of the city has remained unabated. Today, with a population of 1.5 million, it is the pulse of the nation. Kuala Lumpur leads the country’s fast paced development in trade and commerce, banking and finance, manufacturing, transportation, information technology and tourism.