GENERAL COUNTRY INFORMATION ABOUT MALAYSIA

About malaysia: Malaysia is a beautiful and diverse country with many highlights. The many different regions, each with their own characteristic features, make this country the perfect destination for tourists. However, Malaysia does not entirely depend on tourism. This country's economy has been going strong for years. On the contrary to what some people (still) believe, Malaysia is not a third world country. The country has developed itself enormously in the past 50 years and this is clearly noticeable when visiting it. Especially in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, you will see many modern buildings, a modern light rail transit system, many luxurious shopping malls and countless expensive cars on the roads. Life outside of the capital is often less developed; but even there the times of people only being able to afford a motorcycle are long gone.

CLIMATE IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia is a tropical holiday destination, where temperatures fluctuate between 25 and 35 degrees during the year. It is usually very hot and humid, especially in the major cities. Often due to haze warm air is trapped inside the cities, which results in very warm temperatures. It is less hot on the many islands surrounding Malaysia, mainly due to the cool breezes. It is also less hot in the 'highlands' of Malaysia; here you can enjoy cooler temperatures that never exceed 25 degrees.

FACTS AND DETAILS ABOUT MALAYSIA

The Federation of Malaysia comprises the Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabahand Sarawak on Borneo.

Malaysia is located between 2º and 7º north of the Equator; Peninsular Malaysia is separated from the states of Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. To the north of Peninsular Malaysia is Thailand while its southern neighbor is Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak are north of Indonesia in Borneo while Sarawak also shares a border with Brunei.

Malaysia is 329,758 sq km in size. The current population (2012) of Malaysia is roughly 28 million. Kuala Lumpur  is the capital city of Malaysia. Malays who make up about 50.4% of the population are the predominant group

with Chinese (23.7%), Indians (7.1%) and other ethnic groups making up the rest. Bahasa Melayu (Malay) is the national language but English is widely spoken,

especially by the youth. The ethnic groups also speak various languages and dialects.

Islam is the official religion but all other religions are freely practiced.Eating out is very common in Malaysia. The biggest part of the population seldom cooks at home. The main reason is that eating out is generally cheaper than buying

ingredients at the supermarket and cooking your own dishes. Another reason is that eating outside is part of the Malaysian (and other Asian) culture, there is no better place to get in touch with friends and relatives than during a delicious meal. Most dishes in Malaysia are either based on rice or mee. Malay dishes often contains beef, chicken, mutton or fish; but never pork as Malay food needs to be halal. Chinese dishes often contains pork. Indian dishes are often vegetarian; and they never contain beef (though Indians do eat chicken, mutton and fish). Most dishes will be served with some vegetables; either mixed through the dish or served as a side dish. Malaysia is governed by a parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislative

system. The Head of State is the King (Yang Di-Pertuan Agong), a position that is awarded to a different State Monarch every five years and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister.

Malaysia has a tropical climate with warm and humid weather all year round. Temperatures in the lowlands range from 21ºC (70ºF) to 32ºC (90ºF). The highlands are cooler, where temperatures range between 15°C (59° F) to 25°C (77°F).

Major public holidays in Malaysia are: New Year's Day, Federal Territory Day, Chinese New Year, Labour Day, King's Birthday, National Day, Deepavali, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, and Christmas.

Manufacturing constitutes the largest single component of Malaysia's economy. Tourism and primary commodities such as petroleum, palm oil, natural rubber and timber are other major contributors to the economy.

The unit of currency is Malaysian Ringgit indicated as RM. Foreign currency can be converted at banks and money changers. ATM's can be found throughout the whole country. You can check the currency (real-time) at xe.com  .

Time difference: +8 GMT (+16 Pacific Standard Time). Voltage is 220 - 240 volts AC at 50 cycles per second. Standard 3-pin square

plugs and sockets (UK plugs, US and other Europeans should bring along an adaptor).

Malaysia has a worldwide supported GSM network, which means you can use your phone without any problems. US citizens should bring along a tri-band phone in order for it to work in Malaysia. When calling within Malaysia, you'd best buy a prepaid card. When calling outside of Malaysia, use a prepaid SIM or Scratch card.

HISTORY

About 10.000 years ago, the Orang Asli (comparable to Malay Aboriginals) left from southwest China to the peninsula we now call West-Malaysia. Until 1405 the following superpowers reigned over the peninsula; the Funan (Cambodia), the Srivijaya (Sumatra) and the Majapahit (Java). From 1405 onwards the Chinese influence in this area grew. In this period the Islamic way of thinking also set in when Arabic traders arrived. In a short period of time many people converted to this religion. From 1500 on the trade in Southeast Asia increased enormously. The European superpowers of that time acquired interest in the local resources, the era of trade over sea had started andMalaysia would play a big part in it.

MALAYSIA POPULATION AND COUNTRY DEMOGRAPHICS

The population of Malaysia stands at over 28 million in 2012 (details  ). Malaysia's population comprises many ethnic groups, with the Malays at around 50.4% making up the majority and other indigenous groups in Sabah and Sarawak at 11% around of the population. By constitutional definition, Malays are Muslims who practice Malay customs and culture. Around 23.7% of the population is of Chinese descent, while Malaysians of Indian descent comprises approximately 7.1% of the population. Indians began migrating to Malaysia in the early 19th century. Other Malaysians also include those whose origin, can be traced to the Middle East, Thailand and Indonesia. Europeans and Eurasians mainly include British who settled in Malaysia since colonial times. The population distribution is highly uneven, with some 20 million residents concentrated on the Malay Peninsula, while East Malaysia is relatively less populated.

GENERAL COUNTRY INFORMATION ABOUT MALAYSIA

About malaysia: Malaysia is a beautiful and diverse country with many highlights. The many different regions, each with their own characteristic features, make this country the perfect destination for tourists. However, Malaysia does not entirely depend on tourism. This country's economy has been going strong for years. On the contrary to what some people (still) believe, Malaysia is not a third world country. The country has developed itself enormously in the past 50 years and this is clearly noticeable when visiting it. Especially in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, you will see many modern buildings, a modern light rail transit system, many luxurious shopping malls and countless expensive cars on the roads. Life outside of the capital is often less developed; but even there the times of people only being able to afford a motorcycle are long gone.

Where is Malaysia located

Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia, between Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. The huge island of Borneo is shared with Brunei and Indonesia, and borders in the north to the Philippines. Check out the map of Malaysia to get a good idea on the location of Malaysia.

Tourism is an important source of income in Malaysia

The last few years Malaysia has become ever more popular for tourists. This is partly due to positive PR (by the government and by websites like this one), but also because flying to the other side of the world is becoming more and more affordable.

Malaysia is a perfect country to visit for all types of tourists. It is a great destination for backpackers, for groups, couples and families with children. Every now and then new attractions are discovered in Malaysia; existing attractions are upgraded or renovated regularly. Accommodation in Malaysia is often very affordable compared to neighboring countries; though prices have risen the last few years it is still reasonably cheap.

 

50 years of independence

In 2007 Malaysia celebrated '50 years of independence'. A huge PR campaign called 'Visit Malaysia 2007' was launched in order to attract more tourists than ever before to the country. During 2007 Malaysia organized many festivities and events, mainly in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. During Visit Malaysia 2007 a total of 20.9 million tourists visited the country, an increase of 3.4 million visitors compared to the total amount in 2006. These 20.9 million tourists spent roughly 50 million ringgit total during their stay in Malaysia in 2007. Numbers have risen ever since; almost 25 million tourists visited Malaysia in 2010. Below a screenshot of visitor arrivals over the years and the corresponding billions of ringgits that were spend by those tourists.

FLORA AND FAUNA IN MALAYSIA

The tropical circumstances and the extensive rainforests have led to a huge diversity of plant and animal species. Surveys identified that there are 8,000 species of flowering plants which inclusive of 2,000 tree species, 800 types of orchid and 200 types of palm besides being home to more than 200 species of mammals, 600 different bird varieties, 140 species of snakes, 80 types of lizard, 300 species of fresh water fishes and thousands of insects making their home in the rainforest. A well-known plant only found in Southeast Asia is the Rafflesia. To be specific; it occurs only in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. This is the plant with the largest flower in the world, and can reach a weight of 10 kg. This plant is the symbol of the province Sabah on the island Borneo, although it has a strong odor of decaying flesh.

GEOGRAPHY OF MALAYSIA

Malaysia is located in the southeast of the Asian continent; therefore this region is often referred to as Southeast Asia. There are over 28 million inhabitants in the country (January 2012). Malaysia consists out two parts: Peninsular Malaysia, located between Thailand in the north and Singapore in the south, and the two provinces Sabah and Sarawak, located on Borneo. We also talk about Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Peninsular Malaysia is located just above the equator and Borneo just beneath it. The large island Borneo is shared with Indonesia (they call this island Kalimantan) and Brunei. To the north it borders the Philippines (that still

has claims on parts of Borneo) via sea. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, a metropolis with over 1.6 million inhabitants in the city center (suburbs like Subang, Petaling Jaya, Ampang Jaya, Alor Setar and Klang are not included).

MALAYSIA POLITICS AND MALAYSIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

The politics of Malaysia is based on a federal constitutional monarchy, in which the King is head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the federal government and the 13 state governments. Federal legislative power is vested in the federal parliament and the 13 state assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, though the executive maintains a certain level of influence in the appointment of judges to the courts.

King of Malaysia (Yang di-Pertuan Agong)

The Federation of Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy. Officially the head of state is the Highest Governor or Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the king). The Malaysian kings are chosen for a 5 year term from the 9 sultans of the states of the Malaysian peninsula. The present King is Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, successor of Mizan Zainal Abidin. On the 14th of October 2011 it was decided during a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers that the 83 year old Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah would become the next and 14th King of Malaysia. It will be the first time a Sultan is crowned King two times, as Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah was already King of Malaysia between 1970 and 1975.

The former King of Malaysia; Mizan Zainal Abidin was the 17th sultan of the Terengganu province, and with just 36 years of age he was the youngest sultan ever. Mizan Zainal Abidin is the 13th Malaysian king, and the second youngest king in the country's history. He was chosen as king at the age of 44. As almost all sultans in Malaysia, Mizan Zainal Abidin received his education abroad, and before becoming sultan he occupied several high positions at home and abroad.

 

All Kings of Malaysia

2011 - 2016: Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah from Kedah

Government & Prime Minister

The government has the Executive power. It is conducted by the premier (from 2009 and on: Najib Tun Razak, and before that, for 6 years Abdullah Ahmad Badawi). The Congress exists of two Houses: the senate (Dewan Negara) and the House of

Commons (dewan Rakyat). The Malaysian constitution states that the premier has to be elected from the House of Commons, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (king) eventually picks the new prime minister.

 

All Prime Ministers of Malaysia

1957-1970: Tunku Abdul Rahman

1970-1976: Tun Abdul Razak

1976-1981: Tun Hussein Onn

1981-2003: Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

2003-2009: Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

2009-201x: Najib Tun Razak

The Government is composed of members from both Houses of the Congress, and

accounts to them. Early 2004, the government moved to the newly build Putrajaya. All 69

members of the senate have a 6 year term of office; 36 are elected by the 13 state

meetings, and 42 are appointed by the king. The representatives of the House are

chosen from districts with a member by ways of general voting. The 193 members of the

House of Representatives are elected for a maximum term of office of 5 years. The

legislature is divided between the federal law departments and those of the state.

MULTI CULTURAL MALAYSIA

Three main populations live in Malaysia; Malays, Chinese and Indians. All populations live together in harmony, though of course there are tensions every now and then but tourists will usually not notice that much of this. Over half of the population is of Malay descent; the Chinese form almost a quarter of the total population. Malaysians of Indian descent form approximately 7% of the population; while all indigenous people combined form about 11% of the total population in Malaysia.