Putrajaya, Malaysia

🇲🇾 Putrajaya, officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, is a planned city and the federal administrative centre of the Malaysian capital. The seat of the federal government of Malaysia was shifted in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya because of overcrowding and congestion in the former, whilst the seat of the judiciary of Malaysia was later shifted to Putrajaya in 2003. Kuala Lumpur remains as Malaysia's national capital city per the constitution and is still the seat of the head of state and the national legislature, as well as being the country's commercial and financial centre. Putrajaya is also a part of MSC Malaysia, a special economic zone that covers Klang Valley.

Etymology Putrajaya was named after the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. The name is derived from the Sanskrit language, which was then adopted into Malay: putra (पुत्र) means "son" and jaya (जया) means "success" or "victory"; hence Putrajaya means "victorious men" or "victorious people". The name was decided upon in late 1994.

History Prang Besar (ڤراڠ بسر), was founded in 1921 on land that was jungle, as a rubber plantation by British veterans of World War I, hence the name. Its land area of 800 acres (3.2 km²) expanded to 8,000 acres (32 km²), and it was merged with surrounding estates, including Estet Raja Alang, Estet Galloway and Estet Bukit Prang.

Until 1975, what is today Putrajaya, along with adjacent Cyberjaya, was under the administration of Hulu Langat (Kajang) district.

The vision of a new Federal Government Administrative Centre to replace Kuala Lumpur as the administrative capital emerged in the late 1980s, during the tenure of Malaysia's fourth prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad. A new city adjacent to Kuala Lumpur was envisioned, where the government would systematically locate its government offices within an efficient administrative hub; as opposed to the past where government offices were previously scattered across the congested Kuala Lumpur. The new city was proposed to be located between Kuala Lumpur and the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Two areas were proposed: Prang Besar and Janda Baik of Pahang. The new name Putrajaya was chosen for the site.

The federal government negotiated with the state of Selangor on the prospect of another federal territory. In the mid-1990s, the federal government paid a substantial amount of money to Selangor for approximately 11,320 acres (45.8 km²) of land in Prang Besar, Selangor. As a result of this land purchase, Selangor now surrounds two federal territories within its borders: Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Planned as a garden city and intelligent city, 38% of the area is green spaces in which the natural landscape is enhanced. The plan incorporated a network of open spaces and wide boulevards. Construction began in August 1995; it was Malaysia's biggest project and one of Southeast Asia's largest, with an estimated final cost of US$8.1 billion. The entire project was designed and constructed by Malaysian companies, with only 10% imported materials.

The Asian Financial Crisis of 1997/1998 somewhat slowed the development of Putrajaya. 300 members of the Prime Minister's office staff moved there in 1999, and the remaining government servants moved in 2005. On 1 February 2001, the city was formally transferred to the federal government and declared Malaysia's third federal territory.

In 2002, a rail line called KLIA Transit was opened, linking Putrajaya to KLIA in Sepang. The construction of the Putrajaya Monorail, which was intended to be the city's metro system, was suspended owing to high costs. One of the monorail suspension bridges in Putrajaya remains unused.

In April 2013, the Putrajaya government signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the government of Sejong City in South Korea to mark co-operation between the two cities.

Population In 2007 the population of Putrajaya was estimated to be over 30,000, which comprised mainly government servants. Government public servants have been encouraged to relocate to the city through various government subsidy and loan programs. The population had increased to 88,300 by 2015. As of Q1 2024, the population of Putrajaya is estimated to be 119,700.

Religion As of 2020, the population of Putrajaya is 97.2% Muslim, 1.1% Hindu, 0.8% Christian, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.4% unknown and 0.1% other religions.

Government complexes • Perdana Putra – Prime Minister's office • Seri Perdana – The official residence of the Prime Minister • Seri Satria – The official residence of the Deputy Prime Minister • Palace of Justice – The seat of the national judiciary (Federal Court and the Court of Appeals) • Ministry of Finance • Wisma Putra – Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Istana Melawati - Palace of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong • Istana Darul Ehsan - Palace of the Sultan of Selangor • Putrajaya International Convention Centre • Perdana Leadership Foundation

Infrastructure and places of worship • Alamanda Putrajaya Shopping Centre - the only shopping mall within Putrajaya • Heritage Square • Putrajaya Corporation Square • Selera Putra • Souq Putrajaya • Pusat Kejiranan Presint 9 • Pusat Kejiranan Presint 16 • Putra Mosque • Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque • PUSPANITAPURI (Persatuan Kesejahteraan Rakyat Malaysia)

Monuments • Putrajaya Landmark • Millennium Monument • National Heroes Square

Open spaces • Putrajaya Lake • Putra Square • Putrajaya Wetlands Park • Taman Selatan • Putrajaya Botanical Gardens – The largest botanical garden in Malaysia, covering an area over 92 hectares • Saujana Hijau Park, Precinct 11

Educational institutions Kindergarten and Pre-School • Brainy Bunch International Montessori (Presint 14)

Primary & Secondary Education in Putrajaya is provided by a few schools such as: • SK Putrajaya Presint 5 (1) • SK Putrajaya Presint 8 (1) • SK Putrajaya Presint 8 (2) • SK Putrajaya Presint 9 (1) • SK Putrajaya Presint 9 (2) • SK Putrajaya Presint 11 (1) • SK Putrajaya Presint 11 (2) • SK Putrajaya Presint 11 (3) • SK Putrajaya Presint 14 (1) • SK Putrajaya Presint 16 (1) • SK Putrajaya Presint 16 (2) • SK Putrajaya Presint 17 (1) • SK Putrajaya Presint 18 (1) • SK Putrajaya Presint 18 (2) • SMK Putrajaya Presint 5 (1) • SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (1) • SMK Putrajaya Presint 9 • SMK Putrajaya Presint 9 (2) • SMK Putrajaya Presint 11 (1) • SMK Putrajaya Presint 11 (2) • SMK Putrajaya Presint 14 (1) • SMK Putrajaya Presint 16 (1) • SMK Putrajaya Presint 18 (1)

There are also two elite fully residential schools in Putrajaya: • Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah • Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Putrajaya (SMAPUTRA)

Other universities: • Heriot-Watt University Malaysia has a campus in Precinct 5.

International Schools • Nexus International School, Presint 15. • The International Modern Arabic School, Presint 14.

Transport: Road Putrajaya is surrounded by federal highways 29 on the western side and 30 on the eastern side. The South Klang Valley Expressway E26, connecting Pulau Indah to Kajang, runs through the northern end of Putrajaya. ELITE E6 exit 607 serves Putrajaya and also nearby Cyberjaya. Highway 29 interchanges with Damansara–Puchong Expressway (LDP) E11 in the north-western corner of Putrajaya, linking the city with Puchong, Subang Jaya, Kelana Jaya and to Kepong.

Within Putrajaya, the following roads serve as the main thoroughfares of the city. • Persiaran Persekutuan • Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (The world's largest roundabout with a diameter of 3.5 km (2.2 miles)) • Persiaran Utara • Lebuh Sentosa • Persiaran Barat • Persiaran Selatan • Persiaran Timur • Persiaran Perdana (Boulevard)

List of road bridges • Seri Perdana Bridge • Putra Bridge • Seri Wawasan Bridge • Seri Bakti Bridge • Seri Saujana Bridge • Seri Bestari Bridge • Seri Setia Bridge • Seri Gemilang Bridge.

Transport: Rail Putrajaya is served by two urban rail lines: the KLIA Transit line and the Putrajaya line through the Putrajaya Sentral transportation hub on the western border of Putrajaya. The MRT Putrajaya Line is Malaysia's fifth metro line, and the longest in the Rapid Rail network, with Putrajaya Sentral being the southern most station in the network. The KLIA Transit is one of Malaysia's two operational airport rail links, connecting KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur to its international airport, calling at 3 stations in between including Putrajaya.

The national rail network Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) does not serve Putrajaya. The cancelled Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail was meant to serve Putrajaya with a station at Kampung Dato Abu Bakar Baginda, about halfway between Precinct 14 and Bandar Baru Bangi.

Around 2003, plans for a monorail in Putrajaya were underway but were halted due to low population. Plans to revive the construction of the Putrajaya Monorail, with proposed connections to Kajang, Bandar Baru Bangi and Cyberjaya, have not yet materialised.

Transport: Bus Putrajaya Corporation provides its own stage bus services through its subsidiary Nadi Putra using natural gas-powered buses and a few electric buses. The bus service serves the entirety of Putrajaya as well as Cyberjaya and provides express bus routes to Kuala Lumpur through Puduraya and a few other nearby cities from its hubs at Putrajaya Sentral, and P&R Presint 14. Bus stops in Putrajaya are very common too and serves Nadi Putra. Rapid KL, Causeway Link and Cityliner also provides bus services to other areas from Putrajaya Sentral such as Banting, Puchong, Bandar Utama and Petaling Jaya.

Intercity buses also serve bus routes from Putrajaya Sentral to the northern states.