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In Malaysia, cities (Malay: bandaraya) are officially designated under the governance of city councils (Malay: Majlis bandaraya), although there are several exceptions. As of 2024, 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 City of Penang Island Bandaraya Pulau Pinang		Penang Northeast District (since 1957) Southwest District (since 2015)	Penang Island City Council Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang		1 January 1957 by Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, as the City of George Town 31 March 2015 by Abdul Halim of Kedah, Yang di-Pertuan Agong XIV, as the City of Penang Island	794,313
Kuala Lumpur Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur		Selangor Kuala Lumpur District (1972–1974)  Federal Territories Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (since 1974)	Kuala Lumpur City Hall Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur		1 February 1972 by Abdul Halim of Kedah, Yang di-Pertuan Agong V, as the City of Kuala Lumpur	1,982,112
Ipoh City of Ipoh Bandaraya Ipoh		Perak Kinta District	Ipoh City Council Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh		27 May 1988 by Azlan Shah of Perak, 34th Sultan of Perak, as the City of Ipoh	759,952
Kuching City of Kuching Bandaraya Kuching		Sarawak Kuching Division	Commission of Kuching North City Hall Suruhanjaya Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara		1 August 1988 by Iskandar of Johor, Yang di-Pertuan Agong VIII, as the City of Kuching	349,147
			–
			Council of the City of Kuching South Majlis Bandaraya Kuching Selatan
			–
Johor Bahru City of Johor Bahru Bandaraya Johor Bahru		Johor Johor Bahru District	Johor Bahru City Council Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru		1 January 1994 by Iskandar of Johor, 24th Sultan of Johor, as the City of Johor Bahru	858,118
Putrajaya Federal Territory of Putrajaya Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya		Federal Territories Federal Territory of Putrajaya	Putrajaya Corporation Perbadanan Putrajaya		1 October 1995 by Ja'afar of Negeri Sembilan, Yang di-Pertuan Agong X, as the Federal Territory of Putrajaya	109,202
Kota Kinabalu City of Kota Kinabalu Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu		Sabah West Coast Division	Kota Kinabalu City Hall Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu		2 February 2000 by Salahuddin of Selangor, Yang di-Pertuan Agong XI, as the City of Kota Kinabalu	500,425
Shah Alam City of Shah Alam Bandaraya Shah Alam		Selangor Petaling District	Shah Alam City Council Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam		10 October 2000 by Salahuddin of Selangor, Yang di-Pertuan Agong XI, as the City of Shah Alam	812,327
Malacca City City of Malacca Bandaraya Melaka		Malacca Melaka Tengah District	Malacca City Council Majlis Bandaraya Melaka		15 April 2003 by Sirajuddin of Perlis, Yang di-Pertuan Agong XII, as the City of Malacca	453,904
			–
Alor Setar City of Alor Setar Bandaraya Alor Setar		Kedah Kota Setar District	Alor Setar City Council Majlis Bandaraya Alor Setar		21 December 2003 by Sirajuddin of Perlis, Yang di-Pertuan Agong XII, as the City of Alor Setar	423,868
Miri City of Miri Bandaraya Miri		Sarawak Miri Division	Miri City Council Majlis Bandaraya Miri		20 May 2005 by Abang Muhammad Salahuddin, 6th Governor of Sarawak, as the City of Miri	248,877
			–
Petaling Jaya City of Petaling Jaya Bandaraya Petaling Jaya		Selangor Petaling District	Petaling Jaya City Council Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya		20 June 2006 by Sharafuddin of Selangor, 9th Sultan of Selangor, as the City of Petaling Jaya	771,687
			–
Kuala Terengganu City of Kuala Terengganu Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu		Terengganu Kuala Terengganu District Kuala Nerus District (since 2014)	Kuala Terengganu City Council Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu		1 January 2008 by Tengku Muhammad Ismail, Crown Prince of Terengganu, as the City of Kuala Terengganu	375,424
Iskandar Puteri City of Iskandar Puteri Bandaraya Iskandar Puteri		Johor Johor Bahru District	Iskandar Puteri City Council Majlis Bandaraya Iskandar Puteri		22 November 2017 by Ibrahim Ismail of Johor, 25th Sultan of Johor, as the City of Iskandar Puteri	575,977
			–
Seberang Perai City of Seberang Perai Bandaraya Seberang Perai		Penang North Seberang Perai District Central Seberang Perai District South Seberang Perai District	Seberang Perai City Council Majlis Bandaraya Seberang Perai		16 September 2019 by Abdul Rahman Abbas, 7th Governor of Penang, as the City of Seberang Perai	946,092
Seremban City of Seremban Bandaraya Seremban		Negeri Sembilan Seremban District	Seremban City Council Majlis Bandaraya Seremban		1 January 2020 by Muhriz of Negeri Sembilan, 11th Yamtuan Besar, as the City of Seremban	681,541
Subang Jaya City of Subang Jaya Bandaraya Subang Jaya		Selangor Petaling District	Subang Jaya City Council Majlis Bandaraya Subang Jaya		20 October 2020 by Sharafuddin of Selangor, 9th Sultan of Selangor, as the City of Subang Jaya	902,086
Pasir Gudang City of Pasir Gudang Bandaraya Pasir Gudang		Johor Johor Bahru District	Pasir Gudang City Council Majlis Bandaraya Pasir Gudang		22 November 2020 by Ibrahim Ismail of Johor, 25th Sultan of Johor, as the City of Pasir Gudang	312,437
Kuantan City of Kuantan Bandaraya Kuantan		Pahang Kuantan District	Kuantan City Council Majlis Bandaraya Kuantan		21 February 2021 by Abdullah of Pahang, Yang di-Pertuan Agong XVI, as the City of Kuantan	548,014
			–
Klang Royal City of Klang Bandaraya Diraja Klang		Selangor Klang District	Klang Royal City Council Majlis Bandaraya Diraja Klang		5 February 2024 by Sharafuddin of Selangor, 9th Sultan of Selangor, as the Royal City of Klang	902,025
			–

Former cities

General information			Administrative				Notes
Name	Image	State	Local governments		Date of declaration	Date of abolishment
			Flag	Seal
Singapore City of Singapore Bandaraya Singapura		State of Singapore Central Area (1951–1965)	City Council of Singapore Majlis Bandaraya Singapura		22 September 1951 by George VI, King of the United Kingdom, as the City of Singapore	9 August 1965 (expelled from Malaysia)
			–	–

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". 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.

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. Malacca City was declared a "historical city" prior to being granted city status in 2003.

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

Local 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). 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). 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.

KPKT formally classifies local governments in three different categories: city councils, municipal councils, and district councils, with exceptions equivalent to the three respective categories. 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:

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.

Locations of cities

Population

Kuala Lumpur is by far the largest urban area as well as the largest metropolitan area in Malaysia. George Town, the capital city of Penang, forms the core of the country's second largest conurbation. To the south, Johor Bahru is the heart of Johor Bahru Conurbation, the nation's third largest urban area. Other metropolitan areas with a population of more than 500,000 include Ipoh, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.

The following table shows the largest cities by population in Malaysia.

v t e Largest cities and municipalities in Malaysia Department of Statistics, Malaysia (2020)
	Rank	Name	State	Pop.	Rank	Name	State	Pop.
Kuala Lumpur Kajang	1	Kuala Lumpur	Federal Territory	1,982,112	11	Ipoh	Perak	759,952	Seberang Perai Subang Jaya
	2	Kajang	Selangor	1,047,356	12	Seremban	Negeri Sembilan	681,541
	3	Seberang Perai	Penang	946,092	13	Iskandar Puteri	Johor	575,977
	4	Subang Jaya	Selangor	902,086	14	Kuantan	Pahang	548,014
	5	Klang	Selangor	902,025	15	Sungai Petani	Kedah	545,053
	6	Johor Bahru	Johor	858,118	16	Ampang Jaya	Selangor	531,904
	7	Shah Alam	Selangor	812,327	17	Kota Kinabalu	Sabah	500,425
	8	George Town	Penang	794,313	18	Malacca City	Malacca	453,904
	9	Petaling Jaya	Selangor	771,687	19	Sandakan	Sabah	439,050
	10	Selayang	Selangor	764,327	20	Alor Setar	Kedah	423,868

See also

• List of cities and towns in Malaysia by population
• List of local governments in Malaysia
• List of capitals in Malaysia

References

Citations

1. Tan 2014.
2. ^ Bulletin Mutiara 2015, p. 24.
3. ^ Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022h, p. 96.
4. Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022, p. 75.
5. Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022g, p. 97.
6. ^ Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022j, p. 123.
7. ^ Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022c, p. 95.
8. Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022i, p. 98.
9. ^ Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022k, p. 97.
10. Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022d, p. 93.
11. Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022b, p. 97.
12. Then 2005.
13. The Star 2006.
14. Murali 2008.
15. Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022l, p. 94.
16. State Government of Johor 2017, p. 117.
17. Hilmy 2019.
18. Singh 2020.
19. Seremban City Council 2019.
20. Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022e, p. 95.
21. Ch'ng 2020.
22. Rizalman 2020.
23. The Star & Bernama 2021.
24. Malaysian Department of Statistics 2022f, p. 94.
25. "Selangor Sultan proclaims Klang as royal city". Malay Mail. 5 Feb 2024. Retrieved 12 Feb 2024.
26. National Library Board 2004.
27. National Library Board 2014.
28. The Straits Times 1951.
29. The Straits Times 1951a.
30. Lim 2015.
31. Said 2017.
32. Sepang Municipal Council 2022.
33. Participatory Local Democracy 2014.
34. Local Government Department of the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government 2022.
35. Commonwealth Local Government Forum 2018.
36. ^ Local Government Department of the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government 2008a.
37. Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government 2011.

Bibliography

Government documents and announcements

• "Law of the State of Johor, Enactment 12: Iskandar Puteri City Council Enactment 2017". Written at Johor. Government of Johor Gazette (PDF) (in Malay and English). Malaysia: State Government of Johor. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
• "Criteria Status for Local Authority". Local Government Department of the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
• "The Ceremony of the Seremban City Council Declaration". Official Portal of the Seremban City Council. Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia: Seremban City Council. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
• "Frequently Asked Questions". mpsepang.gov.my. Laman Portal Rasmi Majlis Perbandaran Sepang (Official Web Portal of the Municipal Council of Sepang). Retrieved 18 September 2022.
• "List of MNKT". jkt.kpkt.gov.my (in Malay). Local Government Department of the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
• "Malaysia - Country Profiles 2017-2018" (PDF). Commonwealth Local Government Handbook. London: Commonwealth Local Government Forum. April 2018. pp. 124–128. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
• "Category of Local Authority". jkt.kpkt.gov.my. Local Government Department of the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
• "Kategori PBT". jkt.kpkt.gov.my (in Malay). Kuala Lumpur: Local Government Department of the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2022.

Government-published statistics

• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535232.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Federal Territories of Putrajaya (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Kedah (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Johor (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Melaka (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Negeri Sembilan (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Pahang (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Perak (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Pulau Pinang (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535164.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Sabah (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535218.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Sarawak (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535225.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Selangor (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.
• "Population and Housing Statistics". Key Findings Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020: Terengganu (PDF) (in Malay and English). Putrajaya: Department of Statistics (Malaysia). 29 May 2022. ISBN 9789672535126.

Articles from magazines, newspapers and websites

• Tan, Royce (18 December 2014). "Penang island gets city status". The Star. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
• "George Town meliputi 'pulau', jelas Datuk Bandar" [George Town includes the 'island', Mayor clarifies] (PDF). Bulletin Mutiara (in Malay). George Town: Government of Penang. 1–15 May 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
• Then, Stephen (20 May 2005). "Revelry as Miri turns city". The Star. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
• "Termizi is first Petaling Jaya mayor". The Star. 20 June 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
• Hilmy, Imran (16 September 2019). "Seberang Prai achieves city status". The Star. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
• "Seberang Prai officially declared a city from Monday (Sept 16)". The Star. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
• Singh, Sarban (2 January 2020). "Seremban now officially a city". The Star. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
• Ch'ng, Brenda (21 October 2020). "Subang Jaya now a city". The Star. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
• Rizalman, Hammim (22 November 2020). "Sultan of Johor proclaims Pasir Gudang a city". New Straits Times. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
• "Kuantan is now a city". The Star. Bernama. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
• Said, Halim (10 September 2017). "Sultan of Johor launches Mersing Harbour Centre". New Straits Times. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
• Murali, R.S.N. (1 January 2008). "Kuala Terengganu declared a city". The Star. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
• Lim, Cavina (25 March 2015). "Penang's First Mayor A Woman". The Star. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
• "Malaysia". localdemocracy.net. Participatory Local Democracy. 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
• "City day". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board. 28 December 2004. Archived from the original on 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
• "The King Sends Congratulations". The Straits Times. British Singapore. 22 September 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
• "This is Singapore's Charter". The Straits Times. British Singapore. 22 September 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
• "Singapore is conferred city status". HistorySG. Singapore: National Library Board. 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2022.

External links

• Map at archive.today (archived 2013-01-05)
• Population of cities in Malaysia from World Gazetteer at archive.today (archived 2012-12-09)

• Lists of cities by country
• Lists of places in Malaysia