Putrajaya is a
planned city, 25 km south of
Kuala Lumpur, that serves as the federal administrative centre of
Malaysia. The seat of government was shifted in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya, due to overcrowding and congestion in the Kuala Lumpur area. Nevertheless,
Kuala Lumpur remains Malaysia's national capital, being the seat of the
King and
Parliament, as well as the country's commercial and financial centre. Putrajaya was the brainchild of former Prime Minister
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad. In 2001, Putrajaya became Malaysia's third
Federal Territory after Kuala Lumpur and
Labuan.