Putrajaya (Malay pronunciation: [putraˈdʒaja, putrəˈdʒajə]), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya (Malay: Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya; Jawi: ولايه ڤرسکوتوان ڤوتراجاي), is the administrative centre of Malaysia. The seat of the federal government of Malaysia was moved in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya because of overcrowding and congestion in Kuala Lumpur, whilst the seat of the judiciary of Malaysia was later moved 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 (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) and the national legislature (Parliament of Malaysia), as well as being the country's commercial and financial centre.
The establishment of Putrajaya was the idea of the then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. First thought of in the 1990s, Putrajaya was envisioned to be “a laboratory for a new form of electronic government" that would emphasize new adoption of, investment in internet, media, and digital communications. The development of Putrajaya began in August 1995 and it was completed at an estimated cost of US$8.1 billion. On February 1, 2001, Putrajaya became Malaysia's third federal territory, after Kuala Lumpur in 1974 and Labuan in 1984. Putrajaya is also a part of MSC Malaysia, a special economic zone that covers Klang Valley.
Putrajaya's main sights are the colossal showcase buildings put up in this future capital, all in the central Core District.
Note that a dress code applies to Perdana Putra, Seri Perdana and Putra Mosque, meaning no T-shirts, shorts, singlets, sandals, or "indecent" wear for ladies. The mosque lends out shocking pink robes for free, but the rest do not.
Aside from some rather comatose hotel bars, nightlife in Putrajaya is basically non-existent.
There are no budget or midrange options in town, but suffering from acute overcapacity, Putrajaya's luxury hotels offer some of the best deals on the planet. All the hotels are brand new and near empty, unless there happens to be a big convention in town.
Putrajaya and Cyberjaya are not walkable cities. Public transportation is woefully inadequate, as the city was designed expressly for car-owners. Occasional Nadiputra buses putter about from the train station at random times in random directions. These buses charge a flat fare of 50 sen.
Tours from Putrajaya Central run every day at 11AM and 3PM at a cost of 20 RM (the 11AM trip is not available on Fridays). This takes 2½ hours and covers most of the main sights within Putrajaya. Alternatively, tours are run from KLIA for about RM 30 all-in.
Putrajaya covers a vast sprawl of 4,931 hectares, which were mostly palm plantations before the federal government purchased the land from the surrounding state of Selangor. The city's masterplan is designed along an axial tangent which runs from the northeast to southeast, with gently undulating terrain. About 40% of Putrajaya's area is open space, but the landscape has been extensively reworked by man: lush greenery and botanical gardens are spread across the landscape, crisscrossed by large bodies of water and wetlands. Five confluences meet at the north forming a main waterway, the Putrajaya Lake, which flows across the city area.
