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More than any other spot in the country, Kuala Lumpur, or "KL" as it is commonly known, is the focal point of new Malaysia. While the city's past is still present in the evocative British colonial buildings of the Dataran Merdek and the midnight lamps of the Petaling Street nightmarket, that past is everywhere met with insistent reminders of KL's present and future. The city's bustling streets, its shining, modern office towers, and its cosmopolitan air project an unbounded spirit of progress and symbolize Malaysia's unhesitating leap into the future. To some, this spirit seems to have been gained at the loss of ancient cultural traditions, but in many ways KL marks the continuation rather than the loss of Malaysia's rich past. Like Malacca five hundred years before, KL's commercial centre is a grand meeting place for merchants and travelers from all over the world.

In the same way, the city brings together Malaysia's past and present, its many constituent cultures, and even its remarkable natural treasures, allowing first-time visitors an invaluable opportunity to see Malaysia as a whole before setting off to explore its parts. In the botanical and bird parks of the Lake Gardens one is treated to a first glimpse of the unsurpassed beauty and variety of Malaysia's plants and animals. In the vibrant Central Market, music, crafts, and cultural practices from Kelantan to Sarawak can be explored and experienced. And in the

Kuala Lumpur is situated midway along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, at the confluence of the Klang and Gombek rivers. It is approximately 35 km from the coast and sits at the centre of the Peninsula's extensive and modern transportation network. Kuala Lumpur is easily the largest city in the nation, possessing a population of over one and a half million people drawn from all of Malaysia's many ethnic groups.

In 1857, a group of eighty-seven Chinese miners led by the Malay chief of Klang, Raja Abdullah, set off from that port city on an expedition up the Klang River in search of tin. After several days of poling upriver, they reached the junction of the Klang and Gombak rivers and the navigable limit for their supply-laden boats. Prospects in the area were successful, and a large-scale mine was rapidly developed. At the spot where they had disembarked a small trading post was established, marking the beginning of the present-day city of Kuala Lumpur.

Less than two decades later, Kuala Lumpur was chosen as the administrative capital of Selangor's British Resident Frank Swettenham, and the small trading town flourished as a governmental and commercial centre. In 1896, the young city became the capital of the Federated Malay States. As the seat of British administration in the Malay States, Kuala Lumpur inherited from this period of its history an extensive system of roads as well as many fine examples of gracious colonial architecture, both of which are still evident today.

When the Federation of Malaya gained its independence in 1957, Kuala Lumpur was declared the Federal capital. In 1972, it achieved city status. At the same time, it also remained the capital of the state of Selangor, a status it had attained in 1887. On the 1st of February 1974, Kuala Lumpur was officially declared a Federal Territory. Although the two administrative entities retain their close social and commercial ties, Kuala Lumpur is no longer under the jurisdiction of Selangor.

Kuala Lumpur is served by a comprehensive modern network of transportation systems. More than 30 foreign airlines fly in from various parts of the globe through the Subang Kuala Lumpur International Airport. To meet an anticipated increase in air passenger traffic in the next few years, a second airport, the KL International Airport at Sepang, is being built. The new airport is scheduled to be opened for operation in early 1998. Railway lines and roads radiate from the city to many other parts of the country. Within Kuala Lumpur, buses, mini-buses and taxis ply regularly. The city's public transportation system will soon be further augmented by the Light Rail Transit (LRT). Kuala Lumpur is also served by the country's largest seaport, Port Klang.