Selangor

The origin of the name Selangor is uncertain. A common suggestion is that the name refers to the Malay word langau, a large fly or blowfly that is found in the marshes along the Selangor River in the state's north-west. According to local lore, a warrior who escaped from Malacca after the Portuguese conquest, took a break from his journey north and rested under a tree here. However, he was disturbed by a persistent fly, whereupon he decided to explore the area. When he found the place to his liking and chose to settle there, he named the place "satu (se) langau" meaning "a large blowfly".[10][11]

In the absence of a firm etymological explanation, alternative theories abound. One suggestion is that the name may have originate from a kind of tree found in Kuala Selangor and along Selangor River named mentangau.[12] Another theory claims the state's name is derived from the term Salang Ur where ur means "town" or "village" in Tamil, meaning village of the Salang people.[10] It has also been proposed that the name is derived from a combination of salang (stabbing) and jemur (dry in the sun), indicating that it was once a place where traitors were stabbed (salang) then left to roast in the sun (jemur).[10]

Historical affiliations	Period
Malacca Sultanate	15th century-1510
Johor Sultanate	1511-1765
Selangor Sultanate	1766–present
Federated Malay States	1895-1941
Empire of Japan	1941–1945
Malayan Union	1946–1948
Federation of Malaya	1948–1963
Malaysia	1963–Present

Tho most important settlement of the area in the ancient period may have been Klang. Ancient artefacts including Bronze Age axes and bronze bell dating from the 2nd century BC,[13][14][15] and iron tools called "tulang mawas" ("ape bones") have been found in or near Klang.[16] The Mao Kun map dating to the Ming dynasty and used by the Admiral Zheng He during his voyages of expedition between 1405 and 1433 refers to places in Selangor such as the Klang River estuary (吉令港) and perhaps a hilly area.[17] The Malay Annals indicates that the Selangor area was under the control of the Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th century; however, Selangor at that time was not a unified domain—separate river states such as Klang and Jeram existed in the region.[16] According to the Malay Annals, Tun Perak was appointed the chief of Klang during the reign of Muzaffar Shah. Later, the son of Mansur Shah and Hang Li Po named Paduka Sri Cina was made raja of Jeram near Langat, which may be due to the presence of Chinese miners there.[16]

The Klang Bell, dated 200 BC–200 AD

After the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese in 1511, the area came under the control of Johor Sultanate and was later governed by Sri Agar Diraja, son of the Bendahara family of Johor.[18] In the 17th century, Johor was involved in a war against Jambi, and the Sultan of Johor engaged the help of Bugis mercenaries from Sulawesi to fight against Jambi.[19] After Johor won in 1679, the Bugis decided to stay and started to gain power in the region.[20] Many Bugis began to migrate and settled along the coast of Selangor such as the estuaries of Selangor and Klang rivers. Some Minangkabaus may have also settled in Selangor by the 17th century, perhaps earlier.[21] The Bugis and the Minangkabaus from Sumatra struggled for control of Johor; Raja Kecil, backed by the Minangkabaus, invaded Selangor but were driven off by the Bugis in 1742. In order to establish a power base, the Bugis led by Raja Salehuddin founded the present hereditary Selangor Sultanate with its capital at Kuala Selangor in 1766.[22] Selangor is unique as the only state on the Malay Peninsula that was founded by the Bugis.[23]

In the 19th century, the economy of Selangor boomed due to the exploitation of its tin reserves; mining occurred in various parts of Selangor, for example in Ampang, that led to the growth of Kuala Lumpur. In 1854, the Sultan of Selangor granted Raja Abdullah control of Klang, passing over Raja Mahdi, the son of the chief who previously ruled Klang, which led to the Selangor Civil War fought between 1867 and 1874. The war between the Malay factions was also partly a struggle for control of the revenues from tin.[24] Tin mining had attracted a large influx of Chinese migrant labourers, and Chinese clans allied with Selangor chiefs also joined the civil war. The conflicts between Malay and Chinese factions in Perak and Selangor, as well as concerns over piracy that affected coastal trade, led to increasing British involvement in the affairs of the Malay states.[25]

The Kota Darul Ehsan arch over the Federal Highway, which was built to commemorate the cession of Kuala Lumpur by Selangor to the federal government to form a Federal Territory.

In 1874, Sultan Abdul Samad of Selangor accepted a British Resident in a system that allowed the British to govern while the Sultan remained the apparent ruler. Klang was the capital of the British colonial administration for Selangor from 1875 until 1880 when it was moved to Kuala Lumpur. Under the stability imposed by the British, Selangor again prospered. In 1896, largely through the coordination of the Resident Frank Swettenham, Selangor united with Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Pahang to form the Federated Malay States, with Kuala Lumpur its capital.[26]

The Federated Malay States evolved into the Federation of Malaya in 1948, which became independent in 1957. The federation became known as Malaysia in 1963, when its existing states federated with the other British colonies of Sarawak, North Borneo and Singapore. The city of Kuala Lumpur functioned as the national capital of Malaysia and as the state capital of Selangor. In 1974, Selangor relinquished Kuala Lumpur to the federal government.[27] The Sultan of Selangor commemorated the city's transfer by building an archway on the borders of the new Federal Territory and Selangor; this archway is the Kota Darul Ehsan that straddles a section of the Federal Highway between Bangsar and Petaling Jaya. The state capital was moved to Shah Alam after the cession.

Putrajaya, a new city designed to be the new administrative capital of Malaysia, was built by the federal government in Selangor; Sultan Salahuddin was asked again to cede land to the federal government.[28] Putrajaya became a federal territory in 2001.[29]

Selangor is located on the west of Peninsular Malaysia, overlooking the Straits of Malacca. The state is level on the west and hilly to the east. Selangor, with an area of approximately 8,000 km, extends to the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia on the north coast of Melaka. It is located at the heart of the Peninsular Malaysia on the west coast and surrounds the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Selangor is bordered north by Bernam River from Perak, south by Sepang River from Negeri Sembilan, east by the Titiwangsa Mountains and Strait of Malacca on the west. Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur is located in the heart of Selangor. It was once part of Selangor territory before it was ceded to the federal government to form a Federal Territory.

Selangor is divided into 9 districts namely Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat and Sepang.

Flora and Fauna

Silver Leaf Monkey in Bukit Melawati

Commonwealth Forest Park

Malaysian forest can be classified as tropical rainforest. Selangor has 250,129 ha of permanent reserve forest, of which 82,890 ha are peat swamp forest and 18,998 ha formed mangrove forest along the coast. The permanent reserve forest makes up about 32 percent of the state land.[30][31] Ecoforests that are situated in Selangor are Gabai Waterfall, Taman Rimba Templer, Taman Rimba Ampang, Taman Rimba Komanwel, Sungai Chongkak, Sungai Tua, Sungai Sendat, Sungai Tekala, Kanching, Gunung Nuang and Bukit Tabur.[32][33] Reserve forest in Selangor is managed and conserved by the state's forestry department, as the National Forestry Act 1984 of the federal constitution provides that forestry comes under the jurisdiction of the respective state.[34] The Selangor's forestry department office is located at Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building in Shah Alam.[35]

Selangor is also home to a statutory agency of the Government of Malaysia, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Located in Kepong, FRIM promotes sustainable management and optimal use of forest resources in Malaysia by generating knowledge and technology through research, development and application in tropical forestry.[36][37]

A Nile hippo at Paya Indah Wetlands

Selangor has a few declared protected areas (PAs) in order to safeguard biodiversity and wildlife. They are Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve which is first to be reserved to protect the Sumatran Rhinos,[38] Kutu Hill Wildlife Reserve,[39] and Bukit Sungai Puteh Hill Wildlife Reserve which is located at Kuala Lumpur and Selangor's border.[40] The state also has an ecotourism centre, Paya Indah Wetlands, which is located in the district Kuala Langat near Dengkil. It is a sanctuary to migratory and residential birds, Nile hippos and crocodiles.[41][42]

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque or Blue Mosque in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.

Selangor is Malaysia's most populous state; it has the nation's biggest conurbation, the Klang Valley. Selangor's geographical position in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia contributed to the state's rapid development as Malaysia's transportation and industrial hub, creating jobs and attracting migrants from other states and from other Asian countries, especially Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and China. In recent decades, an influx of illegal immigrants, particularly from Indonesia, has also contributed to Selangor's population.

Selangor's population has increased considerably in recent decades, due mostly to the development of the Klang Valley. The population was 1,426,250 in 1980, and by 2000 it had grown to 3,941,316,[44] and further increased to 5,482,141 in 2010.[45] As of 2015, its population was 5,874,100.[46]

See also: Government of Selangor

The state is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, of which the reigning Sultan since 2001 is Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. Since 19 June 2018, the Menteri Besar (chief executive of the state government) is Amirudin Shari, of the People's Justice Party (PKR) a component party of Pakatan Harapan (before, Pakatan Rakyat).[50]

Selangor Sultanate

The palace of the Sultan of Selangor in Klang.

Main article: Sultan of Selangor

See also: Monarchies of Malaysia

The Sultan of Selangor is the constitutional Ruler of Selangor. The role, powers, and duties of the Sultan are set forth in the 1959 constitution, which proclaims that the office of Sultan is vested with the executive power of the state, are the head of the religion of Islam in the state and the "fountain of honours and dignities" in the state.[51][52] This position is hereditary and can only be held by a member of Selangor's royal family. The current ruler is His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who has held this position since 2001.[53]

State Assembly

See also: State legislative assemblies of Malaysia

The state also has a legislative branch, called the Selangor State Assembly. It is similar to the Parliament but is limited to making laws relating to the state. Its members are elected, usually simultaneously with federal elections. The term of each state assembly member is limited to five years. The state assembly must be dissolved before or once it expires its term for a fresh election of its members.

Affiliation		Coalition/Party Leader	Status	Seats
				2018 election	Current
	Pakatan Harapan	Amirudin Shari	Government	51	42
	Perikatan Nasional	Rizam Ismail	Opposition	4	11
Government majority				47	38

Northport Malaysia Wharf in Port Klang.

The economy of Selangor is a progressive market economy whose core sectors are commerce and agriculture. Selangor is the richest state in Malaysia in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (PPP).[90] On 27 August 2005, Selangor was officially declared the first developed state in Malaysia by the state government.[91][92][93] Selangor has the highest Human Development Index among the states in Malaysia.

Sepang International Circuit in Sepang

Kanching Forest Waterfall in Rawang

Tourist attractions in Selangor include the I-City in Shah Alam, a retail and commercial hub with millions of LED lights and an indoor park;[111] the National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara) in Ampang Jaya, the largest zoo in Malaysia with more than 4,000 animals;[112] Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, the venue for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, the A1 Grand Prix and the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix;[113] the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque;[114] Wat Chetawan and Sunway Lagoon in Bandar Sunway, Malaysia's top theme park.[115]

Other attractions in Selangor include Batu Caves in Selayang, Shah Alam Gallery and Selangor State Library in Shah Alam, the Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery, Alam Shah Palace, GM Klang Wholesale City, and Crab Island (Pulau Ketam) off Port Klang. The most popular beaches in Selangor are located at Bagan Lalang, Sepang Gold Coast, Batu Laut Beach and Morib Beach. There are also a number of pristine nature sites such as the Firefly Sanctuary,[69] Kuala Selangor Nature Park in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia Agriculture Park Bukit Cerakah in Shah Alam, Commonwealth Forest Park and Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in Selayang, and Ampang Recreational Forest and Kanching Recreational Forest in Ampang Jaya.

Selangor is also well known as a haven for massage and spa lovers.[116] Since 2009 there has been an increase in businesses operating as traditional massage and reflexology parlors. While most of the businesses are genuine, some brothels masquerade as massage parlours and spas; the Royal Malaysian Police frequently raid such establishments when they receive tip-offs from the public.[117]

Selangor is linked to the rest of Malaysia by comprehensive air, road and rail connections. Public transport in the state is present but underused. Most of the major highways that run through the west coast of the peninsula, including the North–South Expressway, serve Selangor as well.[118] The high-speed roads and expressways are tolled; motorists using these roads pay the tolls using stored value cards such as Touch 'n Go and SmartTAG. Cash transactions at all tolls in Malaysia were phased out between 2015 and 2017.[119]

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the country's main airport, is located in Sepang District in the south of the state; it consists of the Main Terminal Building, Satellite terminal A and klia2.[120][121] Selangor also has the domestic Subang Airport, which is a major hub for corporate and private aviation in south-east Asia.[122][123]

Port Klang, the busiest seaport in Malaysia by sea, is located at the western tip of Selangor.[104]

Paid public buses in Selangor connect Klang Sentral in Klang,[124] Kompleks Perhentian Kajang in Kajang,[125] One Utama Bus Transportation Hub in Petaling Jaya,[126] and Terminal Seksyen 13 in Shah Alam to other states in Malaysia.[127] Public bus services that connects towns in Selangor are also available such as Rapid Bus. Rapid Bus, operated by Rapid KL, offered services in Klang Valley area, namely Subang Jaya, USJ, Puchong, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, and Klang south of the Federal Highway and Area Six, which covers Damansara, Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara and areas of Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, and Klang north of the Federal Highway.[128] The services was introduced on 23 September 2006 when Rapid KL decided to revamp the Klang Valley bus network. Other bus operators in Selangor includes Kenderaan Klang Banting Berhad, Wawasan Sutera Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, Wawasan Sutera Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, De' Alfa City Bus Sdn Bhd and The Selangor Omnibus Company Berhad.[129]

Starting from 15 July 2015, free public bus services named Bas Smart Selangor are also available all over Selangor. It was initiate to encourage the citizens to use public transport.[130][131] On 7 November 2017, a phone application called Selangor Intelligent Transport System to check Smart Selangor buses routes and schedules was launched.[132]

The KTM Komuter railway network serves many outlying districts and nearby towns and cities, including Kajang, Port Klang, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, and Rawang.[133] It is linked to other rail transit services at KL Sentral Station, a modern transportation hub in the city centre. Selangor is accessible by the Rapid KL Light Rail Transit network, which is composed of the Ampang Line, the Kelana Jaya Line and the newly completed Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit Network.[134][135]

Panoramic view of Main Terminal Building and Contact Pier in KLIA Sepang

The cable-stayed bridge of Damansara–Puchong Expressway

KTM Komuter network map

Selangor has several tertiary education institutions, most of which are concentrated in major towns and cities. There are also many institutions of higher learning in the state, making Selangor's the largest higher education sector in Malaysia. Selangor also has the most universities—more than 20 public and private universities—in the country.

An aerial view of Multimedia University's Cyberjaya campus. Multimedia University is Malaysia's first private university.

The main building of the University of Nottingham's Malaysian Campus in Semenyih.

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Cyberjaya

The traditional Malay cuisine in Selangor has influences from Johor, Bugis, Jawa and Minangkabau.

Rojak Klang and Lontong Klang are famous cuisines in Klang and Shah Alam.[145][146] Other famous dishes include Mee Rebus,[147] Satay Kajang,[148] Nasi Ambeng,[149] Laksa Selangor, Soto (Soto Nasi Himpit and Mee Soto),[150] Sambal Tahun,[151][152] Bakso, Ketam Darul Ehsan, Ikan Masak Asam Pedas, Ayam Masak Kicap and Sayur Masak Rebung.[153]

• 
  Royal Selangor Pewter
• 
  Bangladeshi workers in Pasar Borong Selayang
• 
  Pulau Ketam
• 
  Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM)
• 
  Gold Coast Morib

• Selangor Sign Language

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Selangor.

• Official website
• Rail map of Klang Valley
• Geographical maps of Selangor
• History of Selangor
• Official Website of Online Shopping & Great Deals in Selangor, Malaysia - Everydayonsales
• Malaysia No 1 Warehouse Sale, Promotions & Bargain Deals Website - ShoppingNSales
• Tourism Selangor Official Website
• Invest Selangor Berhad Official Website
• Visit Selangor