Malaysia: Rickshaws and bicycles cross the railway bridge with the old FMS Railway Building in the background, Kuala Lumpur, 1906

Kuala Lumpur, founded in 1857, sits at the confluence of the Gombak and Kelang Rivers. The name means 'muddy river mouth' in Malay.

The settlement started when Raja Abdullah, a member of the royal family of Selangor, opened the Klang valley to Chinese prospectors. A tin mine was established, encouraging traders to move in. As the settlement grew in importance, the British rulers of Malaya appointed a headman, called ‘Kapitan Cina’, to administer the settlement and ensure law and order; at this time Kuala Lumpur was very much a rough frontier town and gang warfare was common.

The growing town was made capital of Selangor in 1880, and when the Federated Malay States were established in 1896, Kuala Lumpur became capital.

During the Second World War Japanese forces occupied the city between 1942 and 1945.

After independence in 1957, Kuala Lumpur was made the capital of the Federation of Malaya, then of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. In 1974 Kuala Lumpur was detached from Selangor and made a Federal Territory.

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