The following is a list of capitals in Malaysia. It describes the national, state, and district capitals of Malaysia.
The national capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur. It remains the primary cultural, business and financial centre in Malaysia. The Parliament of Malaysia and the official residence of the King are also located in Kuala Lumpur. In 2001, the seat of government was moved from Kuala Lumpur to the planned city of Putrajaya which from then on served as the federal administrative centre, sometimes referred to as the administrative capital. Both these cities, together with Labuan, have special status as Federal Territories of Malaysia.
Article 154(1) of the Federal Constitution states that unless been declared otherwise by the Parliament, Kuala Lumpur shall remain as the federal capital.
Each state in Malaysia has its own state capital, where the state administration is carried out by each respective state government that is formed after winning the elections. The three Federal Territories of Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya – are headed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and administered by the Department of the Federal Territories under the Prime Minister's Department.[1]
All the states in Peninsular Malaysia except for Malacca, Penang, are constitutional monarchies. The two and Sabah and Sarawak are non-monarchical states, which are headed by a Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governors). Thus, those states with constitutional monarchies have royal capitals or seats where the palace or official residences of the monarchs are situated. These capitals are sometimes different from the state's administrative capitals. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong resides in Kuala Lumpur.
| States of Malaya | Administrative capital | Royal capital | Historical capital | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johor Bahru | Johor Lama (Kota Tinggi) | |||
| Alor Setar | Lembah Bujang | |||
| Kota Bharu | Kota Lama | |||
| Malacca City | - | |||
| Seremban | ||||
| Kuantan | Pekan (1889 - 1898), Kuala Lipis (1898 - 1955) | |||
| George Town | - | |||
| Ipoh | Teluk Intan (1528 - 1877), Taiping (1877 - 1937) | |||
| Kangar | ||||
| Shah Alam | Kuala Selangor (1743 - 1827), Jugra (1827 - 1875), Klang (1875 - 1880) & (1974 - 1978), Kuala Lumpur (1880 - 1974) | |||
| Kuala Terengganu |
| Borneo States | Administrative capital | Historical capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kota Kinabalu | Kudat (1881 - 1884), Sandakan (1884 - 1945) | ||
| Kuching |
| Federal Territories | Administrative capital |
|---|---|
| Victoria | |