Kuala Lumpur: Overview

High-rise ambitions in a colourful whirl of cultural diversity.

Kuala Lumpur is an Asian tiger that roars: in almost 150 years, it has grown from nothing to a modern, bustling city. Take in its high-flying triumphs from the viewing deck of one of the world's tallest buildings, then dive down to explore its more traditional culture in the back lanes of Chinatown.

It's a modern Asian city of gleaming skyscrapers, but it retains much of the local colour that has been wiped out in other Asian boom-cities such as Singapore. It has plenty of colonial buildings in its centre, a vibrant Chinatown with street vendors and night markets, and a bustling Little India.

Fast Facts

Population

1,800,000

Currency

Name: Malaysian Ringgit
Code: MYR
Symbol: RM

Electrical Plugs

British-style plug with two flat blades and one flat grounding blade
240V 50Hz

Languages Spoken

Official: Malay

Time Zones

GMT/UTC +8 (Greenwich Meantime)

Country Dialing Code

+60

Weights & Measures

Metric

Kuala Lumpur Melaka & Penang - Free Guidebook Chapter

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