2°40′54.05″N101°39′40.57″E / 2.6816806°N 101.6612694°E /2.6816806; 101.6612694
Klang Valley (Malay:Lembah Klang) is anurban agglomeration inMalaysia centred on thefederal territories ofKuala Lumpur andPutrajaya, along with their surrounding cities and towns in the state ofSelangor. It is part of the largerGreater Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area.
The Klang Valley is geographically defined by theTitiwangsa Mountains to the east and theStrait of Malacca to the west. It stretches toRawang in the northwest,Semenyih in the southeast andKlang andPort Klang in the southwest.[1] Theconurbation forms the core of Malaysia's industrial and commercial activity.[2] As of 2022, the Klang Valley is home to around 9 million people, nearly one third of Malaysia's total population of 32 million.[3]
The valley is named after theKlang River, the principal river that flows through it that starts atKlang Gates Quartz Ridge inGombak and flows into theStraits of Malacca inPort Klang, The river is closely linked to the early development of the area as a cluster oftin mining towns in the late 19th century. Development of the region took place largely in the East-West direction (betweenGombak andPort Klang) but the urban areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur have since grown north and south towards the border withPerak andNegeri Sembilan respectively.
There is no official designation of the boundaries that make up the Klang Valley but it is often assumed to comprise the following areas and their corresponding local authorities:
Although the Klang Valley officially consists of separate cities and suburbs, integration between these areas is very high, supported by a developed road network and an expanding integrated rail transit system. Many expressways criss-cross the metropolis, making cars the most convenient way to travel. However, this has resulted in the Klang Valley's notorioustraffic jams and extremelycar-centric infrastructure, making peak hour driving exhausting and time consuming. Since the 1990s, several new rail systems such asRapid KL's light rapid transit (LRT),mass rapid transit (MRT),KTM Komuter,ERL's airport rail links and themonorail have been developed, with most undergoing extensive expansions. TheKlang Valley Integrated Transit System is currently being upgraded to include a newMRT line, theLRT line and a proposedmonorail to servePutrajaya.
Despite these developments, public transport in the Klang Valley still suffers from serious shortcomings. Although bus networks across the region are extensive,last mile connectivity remains poor and many rail stations are located in isolated areas. As a result, ridership on these systems remains low, with many residents still preferring to drive.[4] In 2024,National Defence University of Malaysia associate professor Wu Chai Bin stated that traffic congestion in the Klang Valley might persist for more than a decade unless the public transport network is fundamentally reimagined.[5][6]
