structural:reformatting
Kuala Terengganu, colloquially referred to as KT, is the administrative, economic and royal capital of the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. Kuala Terengganu is also the capital of Kuala Terengganu District. It is also the only royal capital among the nine royal states of the country to bear its state's name. Kuala Terengganu is located about 440 kilometres northeast of Kuala Lumpur on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The city is situated at the estuary of Terengganu River, facing the South China Sea. As a district, Kuala Terengganu is the smallest in terms of area, but it and Kuala Nerus District that together form the city area has the largest population in Terengganu. The city population was 406,317 in 2010 and grew to 375,424 in 2020. City status was awarded to Kuala Terengganu with the title Bandaraya Warisan Pesisir Air on 1 January 2008. Besides being a major political and economic centre to the state, the city is also the main gateway to many of the state's tourist destinations. The attractions in and around the city include Kampung Cina, Pasar Besar Kedai Payang, Terengganu State Museum, and Batu Buruk Beach. Even though the city is not spared from modernity and development, Kuala Terengganu still retains strong Malay influences that are intermixed with other cultures from its long history as a port.