List of cities in Malaysia

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Template:Short description

In Malaysia, cities (Malay: bandaraya) are officially designated under the governance of city councils (Malay: Majlis bandaraya), although there are several exceptions. Template:As of, 20 areas in the country are officially termed cities by law. Among them, 16 are from Peninsular Malaysia, while 3 are from East Malaysia. George Town, the capital city of Penang, was declared a city on 1 January 1957 by Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, making it the first city in the country, and the only city declared before Malayan independence. George Town remained the sole city of Malaya until 1963, when Singapore was formally incorporated into Malaysia. However, Singapore's expulsion in 1965 meant that George Town would remain Malaysia's only city until Kuala Lumpur's declaration as a city in 1972, by Abdul Halim of Kedah, the fifth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. In 1988, Kuching was chartered as the first city in East Malaysia. Klang is the most recent municipality in the country declared a city, doing so on 5 February 2024.

There are also highly urbanised and populated areas across the country that did not attain city status, but are sometimes referred as cities. Officially, these areas are classified as municipalities or townships.

Cities in Malaysia

Current cities

General information Administrative Notes
Name Image State Local governments Date of declaration Pop.
Flag Seal
George Town
Template:Small 		Template:Flag Penang Island City Council
Template:Small 		1 January 1957
Template:Small

31 March 2015
Template:Small 		794,313 Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:Official flag of the Penang Island City Council.svg File:Seal of George Town.svg
Kuala Lumpur
Template:Small 		File:Kuala Lumpur (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag

Template:Nowrap

Kuala Lumpur City Hall
Template:Small 		1 February 1972
Template:Small 		1,982,112 Template:Sfn
File:Flag of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.svg File:Coat of Arms of Kuala Lumpur.svg
Ipoh
Template:Small 		File:Ipoh (2022).jpg Template:Flag Ipoh City Council
Template:Nowrap 		27 May 1988
Template:Small 		759,952 Template:Sfn
File:Flag of Ipoh, Perak.svg File:Ipoh Emblem.svg
Kuching
Template:Small 		File:Sarawak River.jpg Template:Flag Template:Nowrap
Template:Small 		1 August 1988
Template:Small 		349,147 Template:Sfn
Template:Ndash File:Seal of North Kuching.svg
Template:Nowrap
Template:Small
Template:Ndash File:Seal of South Kuching.svg
Johor Bahru
Template:Small 		File:Empty Singapore-Malaysia Causeway (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Johor Bahru City Council
Template:Small 		1 January 1994
Template:Small 		858,118 Template:Sfn
File:Flag of Johor Bahru.svg File:Crest of Johor Bahru.svg
Putrajaya
Template:Small 		File:Putrajaya Malaysia Seri-Gemilang-Bridge-01 (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Putrajaya Corporation
Template:Nowrap 		1 October 1995
Template:Small 		109,202
File:Flag of Putrajaya.svg File:Coat of arms of Putrajaya.svg
Kota Kinabalu
Template:Small 		File:KKCity4 (cropped. 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Kota Kinabalu City Hall
Template:Small 		2 February 2000
Template:Small 		500,425 Template:Sfn
File:Flag of Kota Kinabalu.svg File:Seal of Kota Kinabalu.svg
Shah Alam
Template:Small 		File:Shah Alam Stadium aerial view (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Shah Alam City Council
Template:Nowrap 		10 October 2000
Template:Small 		812,327 Template:Sfn
File:Shah Alam Emblem.svg
Malacca City
Template:Small 		File:Melaka View (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Malacca City Council
Template:Nowrap 		15 April 2003
Template:Small 		453,904 Template:Sfn
Template:Ndash File:Malacca City Emblem.svg
Alor Setar
Template:Small 		File:Panorama of Alor Setar (cropped, adjusted and rotated to 4to3landscape format).jpg Template:Flag Alor Setar City Council
Template:Nowrap 		21 December 2003
Template:Small 		423,868 Template:Sfn
File:Flag of Alor Setar, Kedah.svg File:Alor Setar Emblem.svg
Miri
Template:Small 		File:Miri City lookout from Canada Hill (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Miri City Council
Template:Nowrap 		20 May 2005
Template:Small 		248,877 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Template:Ndash File:Seal of Miri.svg
Petaling Jaya
Template:Small 		File:RapidKL Kelana Jaya line Petaling Jaya (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Petaling Jaya City Council
Template:Nowrap 		20 June 2006
Template:Small 		771,687 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Template:Ndash File:Petaling Jaya Emblem.svg
Kuala Terengganu
Template:Small 		File:View on part of Kuala Terengganu.jpg Template:Flag Kuala Terengganu City Council
Template:Small 		1 January 2008
Template:Small 		375,424 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:Flag of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.svg File:Seal of Kuala Terengganu.svg
Iskandar Puteri
Template:Small 		File:Kota Iskandar Mosque.JPG Template:Flag Iskandar Puteri City Council
Template:Small 		22 November 2017
Template:Small 		575,977 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Template:Ndash File:The new emblem of Iskandar Puteri.png
Seberang Perai
Template:Small 		File:Butterworth, Seberang Perai, Penang 2024.jpg Template:Flag Seberang Perai City Council
Template:Small 		16 September 2019
Template:Small 		946,092 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:Flag of Seberang Perai Municipal Council.png File:Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP - Majlis Bandaraya Seberang Perai) Logo.png
Seremban
Template:Small 		File:Jalan Tuanku Munawir facing south (220709).jpg Template:Flag Seremban City Council
Template:Nowrap 		1 January 2020
Template:Small 		681,541 Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:Flag of Seremban.png File:Majlis Bandaraya Seremban.svg
Subang Jaya
Template:Small 		File:Sunway City, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Subang Jaya City Council
Template:Small 		20 October 2020
Template:Small 		902,086 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Pasir Gudang
Template:Small 		File:Lamp post in Pasir Gudang.jpg Template:Flag Pasir Gudang City Council
Template:Small 		22 November 2020
Template:Small 		312,437 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
File:Flag of Pasir Gudang.png File:Seal of Pasir Gudang.png
Kuantan
Template:Small 		File:Sky Kuantan (cropped, 4to3landscape).jpg Template:Flag Kuantan City Council
Template:Nowrap 		21 February 2021
Template:Small 		548,014 Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Template:Ndash
Klang
Template:Small 		File:Mosque - panoramio - Tony Ng.jpg Template:Flag Klang Royal City Council
Template:Nowrap 		5 February 2024
Template:Small 		902,025 <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Ndash File:The Official Seal of Klang Royal City Council.png

Former cities

General information Administrative Notes
Name Image State Local governments Date of declaration Date of abolishment
Flag Seal
Singapore
Template:Small 		File:SingaporeRiver-196009.jpg Template:Nowrap City Council of Singapore
Template:Small 		22 September 1951
Template:Small 		9 August 1965
Template:Small 		Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Template:Ndash Template:Ndash

History

Penang

George Town became a city on 1 January 1957 by a royal charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first town in the Federation of Malaya to become a city (Singapore became a city in 1951). The royal charter stated that:

... the said Municipality of George Town shall on the First Day of January in the year of Our Lord One thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven and forever after that be a city and shall be called and styled the CITY OF GEORGE TOWN instead of the Municipality of George Town and shall thenceforth have all such rank, liberties, privileges and immunities as are incident to a City.

However, local government elections were abolished by the federal government in 1965, and the functions of the City Council were transferred to the Chief Minister of Penang in 1966. A Municipal Council for the whole of Penang Island, the Penang Island Municipal Council, was set up between 1974 and 1976.

Although the city status of George Town was never officially revoked, George Town's existence as a corporate entity was in doubt, let alone as a city. This is similar to the position of the former city of Rochester in England, the site of England's second-oldest cathedral, which had been a city from 1211 until 1998 when it was merged with a neighbouring borough. As the new council was not granted city status, and the city, through oversight, failed to appoint charter trustees to inherit the city charter, the city ceased to exist.

Most residents disagreed with this view and held that as George Town's city status has never been revoked, it remains a city to this day. According to lawyer Datuk Anwar Fazal, George Town "legally has been and is still a city because the City of George Town Ordinance 1957 had not been repealed".[3] As city status is a matter of law, the actual legal position will depend on an analysis of the City Council of Penang (Transfer of Functions) Order 1966 and the Local Government Act 1976.

On 1 January 2015, the Malaysian federal government upgraded the Penang Island Municipal Council into the present-day Penang Island City Council, thereby expanding the city limit of George Town to encompass the entirety of Penang Island, as well as a handful of surrounding islets.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Subsequent cities

The royal charters for Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Shah Alam, Malacca City, Alor Setar and Miri were from the Malaysian head of state, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, while Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri and Subang Jaya were granted by their respective state sultans.Template:Sfn

Kuala Lumpur, the largest city, is the national capital and a federal territory, but as of 2012, most government ministries have relocated to the new administrative capital of Putrajaya.

Criteria

Template:See alsoLocal governments or local authorities in Malaysia (Malay: pihak berkuasa tempatan, abbreviated PBT) are placed under the jurisdiction of their respective state governments. On the other hand, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (Malay: Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, abbreviated as KPKT) handles the classification and standardisation of local governments while providing them with consultation services (i.e. technical consultancy and federal funding).Template:Sfn For the Federal Territories, their respective local governments are monitored by the Ministry of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing (Malay: Kementerian Wilayah Persekutuan, abbreviated KWP).Template:Sfn The National Council of Local Governments (Malay: Majlis Negara Kerajaan Tempatan, abbreviated as MNKT), formed in 1960 by the federal government, is tasked on handling policies and laws related to local governments.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

KPKT formally classifies local governments in three different categories: city councils, municipal councils, and district councils, with exceptions equivalent to the three respective categories.Template:Sfn These categories are separated by certain requirements related to urban population, finances, and infrastructural developments. The 60th meeting of the MNKT, held on 3 June 2008, approved updated criterion on the selection process for the granting of city status on a local government:Template:Sfn

  1. The local government must administer a region that is an administrative centre of a state;
  2. The region must have a population of more than 500-thousand people;
  3. The local government must be financially sustainable, with an annual income of not less than 100-million ringgit, and has the ability to afford stable administrative expenditures;
  4. The local government must have an efficient bureaucratic structure, while maintaining public services at the highest-level, e.g. tax collection, development approvals, legal enforcement, and other necessary functions;
  5. Urban developments planned by the local government should be sustainable;
  6. The local government should give further emphasis on resolving social issues, i.e. squatting, pollution, safety, affordable housing, and environmental conservation. Studies conducted by the Malaysian Urban Indicators Network (MURNInet) would also be taken account of.
  7. The local government must promote an urban image that is applicable towards the national identity as a representation of the country's heritage, and preserve any local objects or places of historical, cultural, or artistic significance;
  8. The region must contain adequate resources and institutions of finance and industry to easily facilitate trade and foreign investments;
  9. The region must be a local hub of education, complete with universities, colleges, museums and public libraries;
  10. The region must be a centre of culture, sports, and recreation;
  11. The local government should have the ability to host conventions of national and international level;
  12. The infrastructure of the region should be complete, with sufficient public utilities (e.g. disabled-persons friendly-public parks, public transportation, traffic management systems, road networks, computer services), and;
  13. The region must achieve nationwide or international recognition equivalent to those of other cities worldwide.Template:Sfn

Locations of cities

Template:Cities in Malaysia Map

Population

Template:Main article Template:See also Kuala Lumpur –the capital city of Malaysia– is by far the largest municipality in the country. This is followed by Kajang, which is the second largest municipality in Malaysia. Other prominent municipality include Seberang Perai, Subang Jaya, Klang, and Johor Bahru, which is the largest state capital city in Malaysia.

The following table shows the largest municipalities by population in Malaysia. Template:Largest cities of Malaysia

See also

References

Citations

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Bibliography

Government documents and announcements

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Government-published statistics

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Articles from magazines, newspapers and websites

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Template:Cities in Malaysia Template:Asia in topic

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