ECONOMY
CITY FOCUS | KUALA LUMPUR
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M eaning ‘ muddy confluence ’ in Malay , Kuala Lumpur became an established town circa 1857 when it was founded by Chinese tin miners , although there is no consensus on who named it as such . At that time , the small area that would one day become Malaysia ’ s largest city was little more than a handful of houses and amenities at the junction of Gombak and Klang rivers . Finally achieving the status of a city in 1972 , it is now the recognised capital of Malaysia and covers a total land area of 94 square miles . With a population of approximately 1.8 million people , Kuala Lumpur is one of the most populated cities in the country . The citizens of the city refer to themselves as ‘ KLites ’ in reference to their preferred moniker for it : KL . A symbol of modernity in South-East Asia , Kuala Lumpur houses the Petronas Twin Towers on its skyline . The tallest twin buildings in the world at 1,482ft , the towers eclipse the second-largest building - Dubai ’ s JW Marriott Marquis hotel - by over 300ft .
ECONOMY
Ranked in the top 11 of PwC ’ s Cities of Opportunity Index , Kuala Lumpur exhibits
APRIL 2020