# Wilayah Persekutuan

> Three territories administered directly by the Federal Government — Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan — and how they differ from a state.

- Category: glossary
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/glossary/wilayah-persekutuan

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**Bahasa Malaysia:** Wilayah Persekutuan · **English:** Federal Territory · **中文:** 联邦直辖区

Wilayah Persekutuan is an area administered **directly by the Federal
Government**. This is why Kuala Lumpur, despite being the capital city, is
not a state — and has no Menteri Besar.

## In practice

Malaysia is made up of **13 states and 3 Wilayah Persekutuan**:

| Territory | Role |
| --- | --- |
| **Kuala Lumpur** | Capital city and business hub |
| **Putrajaya** | Administrative centre of the Federal Government |
| **Labuan** | Offshore territory in Borneo, offshore financial centre |

Key differences from a state:

- **No Raja or Yang di-Pertua Negeri.** States have a Sultan, Raja or
  Yang di-Pertua Negeri as head of state; a Wilayah Persekutuan does not.
- **No Menteri Besar or Ketua Menteri.** Territory matters are handled at
  the federal level.
- **No Dewan Undangan Negeri.** Residents vote for Parliamentary seats, but
  there are no state elections because there is no DUN.

## Related terms

- [MyKad](/en/glossary/mykad)

## Sources

- Portal Rasmi Kerajaan Malaysia — https://www.malaysia.gov.my/ (Kerajaan Malaysia)
- Perlembagaan Persekutuan — https://lom.agc.gov.my/ (Jabatan Peguam Negara)

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Source of truth: https://github.com/negaraku-md/NegaraKu.md
License: CC BY-SA 4.0