Kuala Lumpur

Garden City of Lights

Named after the muddy estuary on which it was founded, Kuala Lumpur has left that image a long, long way behind. Today Kuala Lumpur has many complimentary names, the best of which has to be "The Garden City of Lights". This exactly describes this great cosmopolitan city. During the day, visitors can enjoy the sights of a city within a garden, but at night, there is a whole new feel to the place as the glorious lights come on.But do not mistake this for softness on the part of Kuala Lumpur. ( Picture shows the Sultan Abdul Samad Building )

It is a progressive city, founded and then built by very dynamic and hardworking men from its origins as a virgin jungle to a strong, friendly and bustling city easily comparable in strength and character to most major cities of the world. The result is that today, Malaysia is well on its´ way to achieving international recognition. Kuala Lumpur can now relax, its´ tenure as the capital city is over, and once again, it can become the soft "Garden City of Lights".

History

In 1857 a group of Chinese miners fought their way up the Klang River in search of tin, and arrived at the confluence of the Klang River and the Gombak River. They named the spot at which they had arrived "Muddy Estuary", and proceeded to build a ramshackle, thatch-roofed village there. There were huge reserves of tin in Ampang, and the spot that they had chosen, was the nearest point to the deposits that the prospectors could get to with their supplies.

Within a month, seventeen Chinese from that group had died of malaria. The continuing demand for tin in the second half of the 19th century made Kuala Lumpur the busiest and most populated centre in Selangor, while its´ strategic and economic importance made it the scene of some of the fiercest fighting during the Selangor Civil War (1867 to 1873), fought between Tengku Kudin and Raja Mahadi. The two protagonists were supported by two Chinese Secret Societies, the "Ghee Hin" and the "Hai San". The former was headed by Chong-Chong, who supported Raja Mahadi and the latter was headed by Yap Ah Loy, who supported Tengku Kudin. The war was effectively ended by the British takeover of the State in 1874. In August of that year, Sir Andrew Clarke, a new territorial Governor was sent by the British and he forced Sultan Abdul Samad the Ruler of Selangor to accept Frank Swettenham as an Advisor.

In December 1874, J.G. Davidson was appointed as the Resident, with Frank Swettenham as his Assistant Resident. Realising that Kuala Lumpur, would make an ideal centre for the new Administration, the British moved there from Klang in 1880. This caused the influence and authority of Yap Ah Loy, the Chinese "Kapitan" who had hitherto enjoyed complete power in the settlement, to be overshadowed. The move also led to the rapid modernisation of the town.

While the rulers of Selangor still continued to reside downstream of the Klang River at Kuala Langat (or Klang), Kuala Lumpur continued to grow as the State's administrative centre. It was finally chosen as the capital of the newly formed Federated Malay States in 1886. In the meantime, Frank Swettenham pushed through a far reaching modernisation plan for the town. Miners and other businessmen began to build fine residences along Jalan Ampang and the rail link to Port Klang was completed, also in 1886.

The town now became a classic example of British colonialism. Uniformed officers and bureaucrats administered the Federated Malay States from beneath the copper domes of Sultan Abdul Samad Building. The story of Kuala Lumpur from then on is one of untrammelled growth from its´ humble beginnings, to the great city which it is today. Kuala Lumpur was ceded to the Federal Government by the then Sultan of Selangor in 1974, and became a Federal Territory at that point.

Geography

Bukit Nanas and Bukit Tunku are the only two hills of note within the Kuala Lumpur area.

The two rivers which run through the city are the Sungei Kelang and the Sungei Gombak, which has as its´ tributary, Sungei Batu. Kuala Lumpur was founded at the confluence of these two rivers. There is another river which flows within the area encompassed by Kuala Lumpur. It is called Sungei Bunus.(Picture shows the Jamek Mosque)

There is hardly any agricultural activity within Kuala Lumpur itself, although there is plenty of horticultural and landscaping works leading to the city sometimes being called the "Garden City".

Its' climate in terms of temperature, rainfall and humidity, is the same as the rest of Peninsular Malaysia, except that it feels hotter in the city due primarily to the great number of buildings contained within it.

States of Malaysia