The cities of Malaysia are (in order of grant of city status):

1. George Town (1957) (current status disputed)
2. Kuala Lumpur (1972)
3. Ipoh (1988)
4. Kuching North (1988)
5. Kuching South (1988)
6. Johor Bahru (1994)
7. Kota Kinabalu (2000)
8. Shah Alam (2000)
9. Alor Setar (2003)

George Town

George Town became a city on 1 January Singapore. However, as a result of local government reorganisations in 1976, the City Council of George Town was merged with the Penang Rural District Council to form the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

Although the city status of George Town was never officially revoked, it is now questionable whether George Town exists as a corporate entity, 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 and has been forced to petition the Queen to regrant city status.

This view has been supported by both the state and federal governments, but is disagreed with by some local residents, who hold that as George Town's city status has never been revoked it remains a city to this day. As city status is a matter of law, the actual legal position will depend on an analysis of the Local Government Act 1976 and the subsidiary legislation which created the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

The issue of city status has lain dormant since 1976, but in recent years local resentment has grown as relatively insignificant towns such as Alor Setar have been designated cities. The state government has announced its intention to petition the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia for a regrant of city status once the city's new boundaries are agreed.

Subsequent cities

Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Shah Alam and Alor Setar's royal charters were from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, while Ipoh and Johor Bahru were granted by their respective state sultans. Malacca has been declared a "historic city", but it is unclear whether this involved a royal charter granting city status.

Kuala Lumpur, the largest city, is the federal capital and a federal territory, but most executive bodies are moving to the new administrative capital and federal territory of Putrajaya. The federal territory of Labuan is an island whose principal town is called Victoria.

See also

• States of Malaysia
• Category:Towns of Malaysia

External link

Map (http://www.world-gazetteer.com/s/p_my.htm)