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Kuala Lumpur City is the national capital of Malaysia. It is located in West-central peninsular Malaysia. It is the largest city in Malaysia, which covers an area of 243 sq km. The estimated population of the city is 1.73 million (as in 2016). Greater Kuala Lumpur is an urban assortment of 7.25 million (as in 2017), which is also called Klang Valley. It has been described as “a horizon featured with minarets, skyscrapers and Mughal fashioned domes, swarming street markets bounded by lively food stalls is the city of Kuala Lumpur.”
The city of Kuala Lumpur is the cultural and economic center of Malaysia. It is one of the rapidly flourishing metropolitan regions of Southeast Asia in population as well as economic development. It is the official residence of the Malaysian King and Parliament of Malaysia is also located there. It is among the famous cities in the world for shopping and tourism. Three of the top ten largest shopping malls in the world are in Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur became the independent capital of the Federation of Malaya in 1957, whereas it became the capital of Malaysia entirely in 1963. Because of population growth, congestion escalated due to which administration hindered the Malaysian government offices, dispersed across the city. Therefore, many federal offices were shifted to the novel city of Putrajaya, about 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur, at the dawn of the 21st century. Thereafter, Putrajaya became an administrative center of the country and Kuala Lumpur persisted as the capital of Malaysia.
The local administration is executed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, under the Federal Territories of the Ministry of Malaysia. Total of 11 districts of the city function as the administration subdivisions under the Kuala Lumpur City Hall authority. The Parliament of Malaysia is also situated in Kuala Lumpur. It comprises of Dewan Negara (Upper house) and Dewan Rakyat (Lower house).
Kuala Lumpur is the economic and business hub of the country. It is at the forefront of the finance, real estate, and insurance industries. Bursa Malaysia or Malaysian Exchange is located in the city and casts one of its key economic activities. The service sectors involve finance, insurance, real estate, business services, government services, wholesale and retail trade, etc. amounting to 83% of total GDP and rest 17% comes from manufacturing and construction.
The GDP accounted to be RM160,388 million, which represents 15.1% of GDP of entire Malaysia. The average monthly household income is RM9073 as in 2016, with a growth rate of approx. 6% yearly.
Exclusive rail networks such as Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (targeted completion by 2026), the high-class international airport (KLIA) and 12th world's bustling seaport- Port Klang provides transportation connectivity amidst Kuala Lumpur and the rest of the world.
Kuala Lumpur has a broad road network. Unified Public transport networks like Light rail transit also provide intercity connectivity. The city is equipped with advanced telecommunications infrastructure including WiFi and high-speed broadband services.