Founded in the mid-nineteenth century, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it's popularly known, is the youngest Southeast Asian capital and the most economically successful after Singapore - and it's still growing : building sites abound and the city is awash with stunning examples of modern architecture, not least the famous Petronas Towers and the recently opened Museum of Islamic Arts. It's not one of Malaysia's most charming cities, perhaps : it doesn't have, for example, the narrow alleys, bicycles and mahjong games of Melaka or Kota Bharu or the atmospheric waterfront of Kuching. But it's safe and sociable, and with a population of nearly two million, it's usually exciting in the day and always buzzing with energy at night. From a cultural standpoint, it certainly has enough interesting monuments, galleries, markets and museums to keep visitor busy for at least a week. Kuala Lumpur began life as a swampy staging post for Chinese tin miners in 1857 - Kuala Lumpur means "muddy estuary" in Malay - and blossomed under the competitive rule of pioneering merchants.

But as fights over tin concessions erupted across the country, the British used gunboat diplomacy to settle the Selangor Civil War and the British Resident, Frank Swettenham, took command of Kuala Lumpur, making it the capital of the state and, in 1896, the capital of the Federated Malay States. Swettenham imported British architects from India to design suitably grand buildings, and thousands of Tamil labourers poured in to build them ; development continued steadily trough the first quarter of the twentieth century. The Japanese invaded in December 1941, but although the bombed the city, they missed their main targets. Following the Japanese surrender in September 1945, the British were once more in charge in the capital, but Nationalist demands had replaced the Malay's former acceptance of the colonizers, and Malaysian independence - finally came in 1957.

Langkawi... Gentle breezes ripple the waves as they reflect the rays of the sun; nearby, the majestic red eagle spreads its wings, ready to fly as high and as far as the eye can see. Today, at the beginning of the new millennium, Langkawi, like its namesake - the eagle, is set to soar to greater heights and new-found fame. At the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, where the Straits of Malacca meets the Indian Ocean, there lies a cluster of mostly uninhabited islands just 30 kilometres off the coast of Kedah state. Of the 104 islands, only two are populated. Langkawi is one, and it is by far the largest island of all, at around 478.5 square kilometres. The interior of the island is hilly with dense forestation. Hardly surprising, as its equatorial climate favours plants with thick foliage.

It sees lots of rain from April to October while its dry season is much drier than most areas of Peninsular Malaysia. Almost all the surrounding islands are not habitable as they are merely tiny deserted atolls. Efforts have been made to introduce Langkawi to the international crowd and Langkawi now plays host to a multitude of visitors, both foreign and local, with international events like the Tour de Langkawi, an annual cycling competition which starts in Langkawi and ends in Kuala Lumpur. World class athletes make their way to this tropical island to compete in a prestigious event that is given world-wide coverage by the international media. Langkawi, a predominantly Malay area, has a duty-free status which makes it a popular shopping destination, especially among Malaysians.

When Penang was known only its oysters and Singapore was just a fishing village, Melaka had already achieved worldwide fame. Under the auspices of Melaka Sultanate, founded in the early 15th century, political and cultural life flourished, helping to define what it means to be Malay. The town grew rich by trading spices from the Moluccas in the Indonesian archipelago and textiles from Gujarat in northwest India. A levy on all imported goods made it one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the world and it gradually expanded its territory to include Singapore and most of east-coast Sumatra.

Yet, beginning in 1511, a series of takeovers and botched administrations by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, caused the subjugation of the Malay people; Melaka's modern-day authorities are still working towards reversing the city's decline. Legacies of all phases of Melaka's past remain in the city, constituting the main tourist sights. Of these, the most interesting are the ancestral homes of the Baba-Nonya Community, a new racial mix also known as Peranakan that evolved from the 16th century Chinese merchants who settled here and married Malay women. For a one-stop introduction to the city's history, watch the English-language Sound and Light Show on Padang Pahlawan.

Penang, 370km from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia's northwestern coast, is a confusing amalgam of state and islands. Everything of interest in Penang State is on Penang Island, Pulau Penang, a large island of 285 square kilometres which is connected to the mainland by a bridge and by round-the-clock ferry services from Butterworth. Confusingly, the island's capital and Malaysia's second-largest city, Georgetown, is also often referred to as "Penang". Most visitor make day-trips out from Georgetown to the island's north-coast beaches of Batu Ferringhi and Tanjung Bungah, though you can also stay in both these resorts. Until the late 18th century, Pulau Penang was ruled by the sultans of Kedah. In 1771, Sultan Mohammed J'wa Mu'Azzam Shah II took a shine to Captain Francis Light, who worked for a European trading company, and thought it expedient to accept military protection in exchange offering the British the use of densely forested Penang as a port.

By 1791, the island, then inhabited by less than a hundred indigenous fishermen, had become the first British settlement in the Malay Peninsula and quickly evolved into a major colonial administrative centre. Francis Light was made superintendent and declared the island a free port, with Georgetown the capital of the newly established Straits Settlement (incorporating Melaka and Singapore). But the founding of Singapore in 1819 was the beginning of the end for Georgetown, and Penang's fortunes rapidly began to wane. However, the strategic significance of Singapore proved to be Penang's saving grace, and there was little or no bomb damage to the island during World War II.