Historic Background Of Kuala Lumpur

A tin mining settlement till about a century ago, Kuala Lumpur (Malay for ‘Muddy Estuary’) was basically a pioneer town, with a mainly Chinese population. During the late 1800s, it was a rough-and-ready town with an unsavoury reputation, governed by a Chinese ‘Kapitan’ who reduced it to a huddle of mud huts. However, with the coming of the British in the guise of Frank Swettenham, the Resident of Selangor), Kuala Lumpur saw a new beginning. It was made the capital of the state of Selangor, and a railway line connecting it to the sea was laid.

By the start of the 20th century, Kuala Lumpur was on its way- growing in importance as an administrative and business centre, and the capital of the Federated Malay States. By 1946, it was the capital of Malaya, and after independence in 1957 became the capital of the country. In 1974, it was separated from the rest of Selangor and made into a separate unit- Federal Territory. Since then, it has become a modern, busy city, of considerable importance as far as administration, government, economy and culture are concerned.