Travel Alert Status
Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Time Difference
UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Travel Climate
The weather in Kuala Lumpur varies little throughout the year. Daily minimum and maximum temperatures remain fairly constant averaging 27°C (80°F) and 38°C (100°F). With the heat, there is high humidity as the average annual rainfall is 250 centimeters.
Although Kuala Lumpur is not subject to typhoons or cyclones, brief rainy seasons occur each year and bring scattered flooding. About 1-2 months of relatively dry weather usually precede the rainy seasons, although afternoon and evening thundershowers occur regularly throughout the year. The east coast and East Malaysia experience longer rainy seasons, and more widespread flooding as a result.
Travel Currency
ringgit (MYR)
Languages
Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
Ethnic Groups
Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 24%, Indian 8%, others 10%
National Holiday
Independence Day (or Merdeka Day), 31 August (1957) (independence of Malaya); Malaysia Day, 16 September (1963) (formation of Malaysia)
Geographic Coordinates
2 30 N, 112 30 E
Location
Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam
Airports
39