After years as a Southeast Asian runner-up, Kuala Lumpur (KL) is on a winning streak. More fun and easier to negotiate than Bangkok, grittier than Singapore and more eclectic than Hanoi, the buzz about KL is as palpable as its intoxicating aromas of sizzling satay, stinky durian, sweet incense and petrol fumes.
It’s curious that a city where you still have to watch your step for pavement cracks and pot-holes can also feel cutting edge, but cast your eyes to the skyline and around the streets and you’ll see what we mean. In just 150 years, KL has gone from a tin prospector’s hovel in the jungle to a thoroughly modern metropolis, home of the shiny Petronas Towers, a design classic and until recently the world’s tallest building. In the rush for the new, much of the old has been (and is being) demolished. Still, some impressive colonial-era buildings remain and the city’s most atmospheric and colourful quarters are Chinatown, Little India and Kampung Baru, the heartlands of KL’s Chinese, Indian and Malay communities.
It’s this multicultural character that makes KL such a fascinating place – one moment you could be burning joss sticks at a Chinese temple, the next shedding shoes to enter a mosque or Hindu shrine. Hedonists will also be happy: you can eat and shop like a king in KL and the nightlife is cranking. For all its activity and urban landscapes KL also has its tranquil moments. This is a city where you can chill out in lush parks or escape to the countryside in the surrounding state of Selangor.
It’s curious that a city where you still have to watch your step for pavement cracks and pot-holes can also feel cutting edge, but cast your eyes to the skyline and around the streets and you’ll see what we mean. In just 150 years, KL has gone from a tin prospector’s hovel in the jungle to a thoroughly modern metropolis, home of the shiny Petronas Towers, a design classic and until recently the world’s tallest building. In the rush for the new, much of the old has been (and is being) demolished. Still, some impressive colonial-era buildings remain and the city’s most atmospheric and colourful quarters are Chinatown, Little India and Kampung Baru, the heartlands of KL’s Chinese, Indian and Malay communities.
It’s this multicultural character that makes KL such a fascinating place – one moment you could be burning joss sticks at a Chinese temple, the next shedding shoes to enter a mosque or Hindu shrine. Hedonists will also be happy: you can eat and shop like a king in KL and the nightlife is cranking. For all its activity and urban landscapes KL also has its tranquil moments. This is a city where you can chill out in lush parks or escape to the countryside in the surrounding state of Selangor.
(taken off: lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/malaysia/kuala-lumpur )
Kuala Lumpur (pronounced /ˈkwɑːləlʊmˈpʊər/,[2] Malay /kwɑlɑlʊmpʊ/ and locally /kwɑləlʊmpɔ/ or even /kɔlɔmpɔ/,[3] and often abbreviated as K.L.), is the largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of 244 km2 (94 sq mi), has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006.[4] Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million.[5] It is the fastest growing metropolitan region in the country, in terms of population as well as economy.[6]
Kuala Lumpur is the seat of the Parliament of Malaysia. The city was once home to the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, but they have since moved to Putrajaya starting in 1999.[7] 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 centre of Malaysia due to its position as the capital as well as being a primate city.[8] Kuala Lumpur is rated as a gamma world city, and is the only global city in Malaysia, according to the GaWC.[9]
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.[10] Residents of the city are known as KLites.[11]
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.[12] In addition, Kuala Lumpur is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers (taken from :http://www.answers.com/topic/kuala-lumpur )
Kuala Lumpur is the seat of the Parliament of Malaysia. The city was once home to the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, but they have since moved to Putrajaya starting in 1999.[7] 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 centre of Malaysia due to its position as the capital as well as being a primate city.[8] Kuala Lumpur is rated as a gamma world city, and is the only global city in Malaysia, according to the GaWC.[9]
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.[10] Residents of the city are known as KLites.[11]
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.[12] In addition, Kuala Lumpur is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers (taken from :http://www.answers.com/topic/kuala-lumpur )
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