Information on Malaysia

Selamat Datang ke Malaysia!
Welcome to a diverse land rich in culture, history, beauty and the legendary hospitality of Asia! Malaysia is well known for her varied cultural makeup, which consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians and a host of indigenous peoples. In fact, Malaysia has been considered one of the most culturally diverse places in the world. From the vast array of delicious foods to the assortment of colorful costumes, from the range of worship centers to a plethora of languages spoken on the streets, variety indeed spices up all aspects of life in Malaysia.

The capital city of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur. Made up of 14 states, Malaysia is divided to Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. The Peninsular Malaysia shares a border in the north with Thailand and in the south with Singapore. East Malaysia is located across the South China Sea on the Island of Borneo. East Malaysia is made up of Sabah & Sarawak.

Kuala Lumpur is a metropolis with a first world infrastructure. Skyscapers line the horizon of the city with the Petronas Twin Towers standing tall, being the second tallest buildings in the world. Highways snake through and around the city to ease the traffic from population of 1.5 million people (2002). With the state-of-the-art facilities, Kuala Lumpur is a bustling modern city.

The Malays make up to 60% of the population in Malaysia. A Malay is born a Muslim, and it is an accepted fact here. The Indian, Chinese and other indigenous people are free to practice any religion of choice, from Buddism, Hinduism, Sikh, Christianity, Spiritism, etc. Yet, with such a variety of people here, there is a strong harmony that presents a great variety of culture, traditions, fashion, music, art and, of course, food.

Malaysia was an English colony before her independence on August 31, 1957. An observant eye will see evidence of that in the spoken language, the old colonial houses, names etc. English is taught as a second languange in schools, Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) being the official national language. Most Malaysians speak Malay with a combination of Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, English, Hindi, Tamil or Punjabi. Of course, the list continues as soon as the indigenous of East Malaysia are counted in.

The major towns of Malaysia are linked by 6 lane highways. Buses, trains and planes are efficient transportation available to everyone. They are well scheduled and are most times reliably consistent.

Malaysia does not have four seasons. But one can say it is summer all round here and then it rains for three months. The temperature heats up between 28 degrees and 33 degrees Celsius, although one can expect to almost freeze to death in shopping malls and cinemas.

If one chooses to, there are countless activities to occupy the holidays. From skydiving to scuba diving, snorkeling, mountain biking, hiking, climbing, water skiing, paragliding and so on. The tropical islands of Malaysia are popular tourist destination for most of the year until the monsoon arrives (November to January).

It is a also a great place to be hungry. Food galore that will leave any visitor begging to return for some local delight of Malaysia. Rice is a main supplement over lunch and dinner. The food dishes that accompanies the rice is what many visitors have continually wish to bring home with them. Hungry? This is the place to be.