Kuala Lumpur

Why it's the capital

It began around 1857 as a tin-mining settlement, opened with Chinese miners hired by Raja Abdullah. It became the capital of Selangor in 1880 and of the Federated Malay States in 1896. A 1960 law made it the capital of independent Malaya, and it stayed the capital when Malaysia was formed in 1963.

Fun facts

1. Kuala Lumpur means 'muddy confluence' in Malay, because it grew where the Gombak River joins the Klang River; the Jamek Mosque stands at that meeting point.
2. The Petronas Towers, with 88 floors, were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004, and a two-level skybridge links them on the 41st and 42nd floors.
3. On 1 February 1974 Kuala Lumpur became a federal territory.