Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, is the capital of Malaysia. Literally meaning "muddy estuary" in Malay, KL has grown from a small sleepy village to a bustling metropolis (metro population 6.9 million) in just 50 years. With the world's cheapest five-star hotels, great shopping and even better food, increasing numbers of travellers are discovering this little gem of a city.

Founded only in 1857 as a tin mining outpost, Kuala Lumpur is fairly new as far as Malaysian cities go and lacks the rich history of George Town or Malacca. After rough early years marked by gang fighting, Kuala Lumpur started to prosper and was made capital of the Federated Malay States in 1896. Malaysia's independence was declared in 1957 in front of huge crowds at what was later named Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium), and Kuala Lumpur continued as the new nation's capital. The economic boom of the 1990s brought KL the standard trappings of a modern city, bristling with skyscrapers and modern transportation systems. Like most of Malaysia's big cities, about 55% of Kuala Lumpur's population is of Malaysian Chinese descent.

Kuala Lumpur is a fairly sprawling city for its size. For many visitors the center of the city lies in the Golden Triangle, between Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Pudu, Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Ampang: this is where most of the city's shopping malls, five-star hotels and trendiest nightspots are, and the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) development home to the famous Petronas Twin Towers is at the northern edge. But the traditional core of the city lies more to the south, where Merdeka Square has many of KL's best-preserved colonial buildings and Chinatown bustles with activity late into the night. Further south yet, the suburb of Bangsar is a popular restaurant and clubbing district.