Map of Selangor
Selangor is a first-level division of Malaysia. Its largest mapped city is Kuala Lumpur, with about 1.45 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Selangor, and the tables list its 4 mapped cities along with the ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 4
- Largest City
- Kuala Lumpur
- Country
- Malaysia
Interactive Map of Selangor
About Selangor
Selangor ( sə-LANG-ər; Malay: [s(ə)ˈlaŋo(r)]), also known by the Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan (lit. 'Abode of Sincerity'), is a state of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south, and the Strait of Malacca to the west. Selangor surrounds the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, both of which were previously part of it. Selangor has diverse tropical rainforests and an equatorial climate. The state's mountain ranges belong to the Titiwangsa Mountains, which is part of the Tenasserim Hills that covers southern Myanmar, southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, with Mount Semangkok as the highest point in the state.
The state capital of Selangor is Shah Alam, and its royal capital is Klang, Kajang is the largest municipality by total metropolitan population and Petaling Jaya is the largest municipality by total population within the city. Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya received city status in 2006 and 2019, respectively. Selangor is one of four Malaysian states that contain more than one city with official city status; the others are Sarawak, Johor, and Penang.
The state of Selangor has the largest economy in Malaysia in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), with RM 384 billion (roughly $82 billion) in 2022, comprising 25.6% of the country's GDP. It is the most developed state in Malaysia; it has well-developed infrastructure, such as highways and transport, and has the largest population in Malaysia. It also has a high standard of living and the lowest poverty rate in the country.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Selangor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Selangor in Depth
History
The most important settlement of the area in the ancient period may have been Klang. Ancient artefacts including Bronze Age axes and a bronze bell dating from the 2nd century BC, and iron tools called "tulang mawas" ("ape bones") have been found in or near Klang. The Mao Kun map dating to the Ming dynasty and used by the Admiral Zheng He during his expeditions between 1405 and 1433 refers to places in Selangor such as the Klang River estuary (吉令港) and perhaps a hilly area. The Malay Annals indicate 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.
Geography
Selangor, with an area of approximately 8,000 km2, extends to the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The state is bordered north by Bernam River from Perak, south by Sepang River from Negeri Sembilan, east and southeast by the Titiwangsa Mountains from Pahang and Negeri Sembilan and the Strait of Malacca on the west, and surrounds the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Topographically wise, Selangor is relatively level out near the coast and gradually becomes more hilly and mountainous towards the east. The hill and mountain, surrounding the eastern and central portion of the state effectively forming a valley and a drainage basin of the Klang River, known as the Klang Valley, where most of the population are centered.
Economy
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). On 27 August 2005, Selangor was officially declared the first developed state in Malaysia by the state government.
Commerce, industry and services are a major contributor to the economy of Selangor, accounting for over 58% of the state's GDP. Several industrial sites produce electronic goods, chemicals and vehicles including Proton and Perodua cars. Imported vehicles from manufacturers including Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen and BMW Motors are also assembled in the state.
Many international manufacturing companies have set up bases here.
Demographics
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.
Selangor's population has increased considerably in recent decades, due mostly to the development of the Klang Valley.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Selangor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
History of Selangor: Empires and States
The atlas records 9 polities whose mapped territory included part of Selangor, from Srivijaya in 692 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Srivijaya | 692–1293 CE |
| Malaya | 1294–1351 CE |
| Majapahit | 1352–1474 CE |
| The Majapahit Empire | 1352–1474 CE |
| Sultanate of Malacca | 1512–1743 CE |
| Sultanate of Selangor | 1744–1876 CE |
| British Colonial Empire | 1877–1957 CE |
| The British Empire | 1877–1957 CE |
| Malaysia | 1963–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Selangor
Selangor on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Selangor
4 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 1.45 million | Selangor | National capital |
| 2 | Kelang | 956,000 | Selangor | Populated place |
| 3 | Shah Alam | 481,654 | Selangor | Admin-1 capital |
| 4 | Putrajaya | 67,964 | Selangor | Admin-0 capital alt |
Ports in Selangor
3 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Dickson | 34.7 m | Minor | Strait of Malacca & Singapore | large vessels |
| 2 | Port Klang | 23.8 m | Major | Strait of Malacca & Singapore | large vessels |
| 3 | Teluk Anson | — | Very Small | Strait of Malacca & Singapore | medium vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Selangor
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forest Research Institute Malaysia Forest Park Selangor | 2025 | Cultural | (iv) |
Selangor: Quick Answers
- Where is Selangor?
- Selangor is a first-level division of Malaysia, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 3.0429° N, 101.6245° E.
- What is the largest city in Selangor?
- Kuala Lumpur is the largest city mapped in Selangor, with a metropolitan population of about 1.45 million.
- How many cities are in Selangor?
- YearMaps maps 4 cities and towns in Selangor, with a combined metropolitan population of about 2.95 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.