It is the capital city, legislative capital of Malaysia and the largest city in the country. Kuala Lumpur is one of the three Malaysian Federal Territories. It is an enclave within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Within Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is commonly referred to as KL.

The city previously hosted the Malaysian judiciary and executive arms. With the completion of Putrajaya in the late 1990s, both arms have since migrated to Putrajaya though sections of the judicial branch still remain in Kuala Lumpur.