About Malaysia

Background

Malaysia was formed in 1963 joining Peninsular Malaysia together with Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. Singapore later left the federation to become an independant country. Since then Malaysia has grown to be a succesful and modern nation with a multi-ethnic population living in tolerance of each others beliefs and culture.

Geography

Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia near the equator and is bordered by several countries, namely; Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia and The Phillipines. Malaysia is roughly 329, 750 sq Km in size and is rich in natural resources particularly timber, tin, rubber and is also an oil producing country. The population size of this country is roughly 24 million people most of whom live in Peninsular Malaysia. We have 13 states and three federal territories: Perak, Perlis, Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Pulau Pinang, Selangor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur(capital), Putrajaya(administrative capital) and Labuan which is an island off Sabah. Sabah and Sarawak are located on the island of Borneo to the east of Peninsular Malaysia.

Economy

Malaysia's economy is robust and growing though it suffered during the economic crisis at the turn of the millenium. With a low inflation and unemployment rate, Malaysia is an attractive place for foreign investment. Malaysia's major export partners include Japan, US, China, Taiwan and Europe.

Communications and Transportation

Malaysia has an excellent communications and transportation network. Malaysians may travel by air, rail or road to most parts of the country. Most tourists coming in to Malaysia arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport situated near the capital of Kuala Lumpur. Mobile telephone services are excellent throughout the country with near continuous coverage in most parts of Peninsular Malaysia. Internet services are also beggining to take off in the country. Broadband via DSL is available in most major cities in the country.

The People

Malaysians are a mix of many different peoples and cultures. Some 55% of the population consists of Malays, 26% are Chinese, about 10% are Indian and the rest is divided among various races such as Orang asli, Iban, Kadazan and other indigenous races. Malaysia also has its fair share of immigrants from different parts of the world such as the Middle East, Europe, U.S. and regional countries like Indonesia, Thailand and the Philipines.

Places of Interest

There are many places to visit in Malaysia. Malaysia has many national parks with some of the oldest forests in the world, chief among which is the Taman Negara, located in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia with an area of 4343 sq Km. There are plenty of resort islands as well with white sandy beaches and great diving spots such as Tioman Island or Pangkor Island. Located in the Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Twin Towers, currently the tallest twin towers in the world, standing tall at 452m. There are plenty of shopping centres for the shopaholic in Kuala Lumpur offering a wide range of goods from designer labels to interesting and cheap trinkets. These are just some of the many places that you can visit in Malaysia. For more information you may visit the Tourism Board of Malaysia.