Federal Research Division / Library of Congress
Capital: Since 1999 Putrajaya (25 kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur)has been the administrative capital and seat of government. Parliamentstill meets in Kuala Lumpur, but most ministries are located in Putrajaya.Major Cities: Kuala Lumpur is the only city with a population greater than 1 million persons(1,305,792 according to the most recent census in 2000). Other major cities include Johor Bahru(642,944), Ipoh (536,832), and Klang (626,699).Independence: Peninsular Malaysia attained independence as the Federation of Malaya onAugust 31, 1957. Later, two states on the island of Borneo-Sabah and Sarawak-joined thefederation to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963.