Selangor is a state in the west coast of Malaysia.

Regions

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Klang Valley

Cities

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Klang - once the capital and still the royal seat, now best known for bak kut teh or pork rib soup

Kajang - a town famous for satay

Kuala Kubu Bahru - the usual connection point for Fraser's Hill, a quiet hill resort on the border of Selangor and Pahang

Kuala Selangor

Petaling Jaya - Malaysia's first planned city as well as the main industrial and commercial hub of the state

Port Klang - port with ferry connections to and from Sumatra

Puchong

Sepang - home of Kuala Lumpur's airport and Formula 1 race circuit

Shah Alam - state capital known for its giant blue mosque

Subang Jaya

Understand

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Selangor is the wealthiest, most urbanized and, with 4.1 million people, the most populous of Malaysia's states. It is centred around the urban sprawl of the Klang Valley, surrounding but not including the capital Kuala Lumpur and the capital-to-be Putrajaya.



Selangor (Jawi script: سلاڠور, population 4.1 million) is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west. It totally surrounds the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

The origin of the name Selangor is lost in history, although some sources claim the name to have come from the Malay word selangau, 'a large fly' (Musca vicina), most probably due to the abundance of flies in the marshes along the Selangor River in the state's north-west. Another more plausible theory claims the state's name is derived from the term Selang Ur meaning "land of the straits" (ur means "land" in Sanskrit, selang means "straits" in the Malay language).

Selangor is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan ("Abode of Sincerity").

The state is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, of which the reigning Sultan (since 2001) is Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. The Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) is currently Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Khir bin Toyo, of the Barisan Nasional coalition, who is a qualified dentist.

The state capital is Shah Alam and the royal capital is Klang. A third major urban centre is Petaling Jaya which was awarded city status on 20 June 2006. Hence, Selangor is one of only two Malaysian states with more than one city; the other being Sarawak.

Selangor is also the richest state in Malaysia in terms of GDP and second richest in terms of GDP per capita (at RM18,157 or US$4,907), behind Penang. On 27 August 2005, Selangor was officially declared the first developed state in Malaysia.

History

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In the 15th century, Selangor was ruled by the Sultanate of Malacca. After the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese in 1511, the area became hotly disputed between the Portuguese, Johor, Aceh and Siam. After the Dutch displaced the Portuguese from Malacca in 1641, they brought in Bugis mercenaries from Sulawesi, who eventually established the present sultanate in 1740. In many districts,...