Shah Alam
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Shah Alam (population 120,000) is a city in Malaysia, about 20 km west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. In 1978, it replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor due to Kuala Lumpur's incorporation into a Federal Territory.
Long ago, Shah Alam was known as Sungai Renggam and is known only as a oil palm estate. Later, the same area was identified as Batu Tiga prior to Malaysian independence, and has been a centre of palm oil trade for centuries.
Today, Shah Alam is most famous for its spectacular masjid (mosque). The main plant of the Malaysian car manufacturer Proton is also located in Shah Alam. A racing circuit near the city was used for Grand Prix motorcycle racing and was named the 'Shah Alam Motor Paradise', but was demolished in 2003.
The Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM and formerly known as Institut Teknologi MARA or ITM) which is known as Malaysia's affirmative action symbol is located in the state capital.
Shah Alam flourished as a growing settlement after the Proton car manufacturing plant was set up, which marked the beginning of the city as an industrial city. In fact, many of the city's streets are named after tools such as 'Jalan Gergaji' (Saw Road) and also named after professions such as 'Jalan Usahawan' (Entrepreneur Road) and 'Jalan Nelayan' (Fisherman Road) which hints at the growing stature of the city as an industrial hub of the state. The city was granted city status on 10 October 2000 with Dato' Haji Abu Sujak Haji Mahmud as the first City mayor.
The city also boasts the huge and modern Shah Alam Stadium with a capacity of 81, 000 and 5,500 parking lots where many fairs were held and the stadium is where the Selangor state team plays its football. The stadium however, has fell into disuse as the standard of the country's football league floundered and the turnout at local matches fell to a mere 1,000 spectators at best.
Today, the city has a similar urban layout as Petaling Jaya with housing areas occupying most of the city areas (552 sq. km.) and commercial centres scattered around the different 'Seksyen' (section) areas. At the moment, the city infrastructure development appears to have taken a more relaxed pace with the industrial area at the south of the city being the focal point of development.