Kuala Lumpur, or simply KL, is the capital of Malaysia. Literally meaning muddy estuary in Malay, KL has grown from a small sleepy village to a bustling metropolis (metro population 6.9 million) in just 150 years. With the world's cheapest five-star hotels, great shopping and even better food, increasing numbers of travellers are discovering this little gem of a city. Founded only in 1857 as a tin mining outpost, Kuala Lumpur is fairly new as far as Malaysian cities go and lacks the rich history of George Town or Malacca. After rough early years marked by gang fighting, Kuala Lumpur started to prosper and was made capital of the Federated Malay States in 1896. Malaysia's independence was declared in 1957 in front of huge crowds at what was later named Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium), and Kuala Lumpur continued as the new nation's capital. http://wikitravel.org/en/Kuala_Lumpur