“Malaysia, Truly Asia.” This sums up what Malaysia is all about. A country which offers a unique look into the rest of Asia as a melting pot of races, cultures and religions. A fascinating fusion of colourful festivals, gastronomic adventures, shopping splendours, natural wonders and many more thrills and spills.

Malaysia is made up of 13 states from the Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak and 3 federal territories. It is a land of striking contrasts and diversity. On one hand, Malaysia has the world’s tallest twin towers, the Petronas Twin Towers and many skyscrapers. On the other hand, it has some of the world’s finest treasure troves of nature, from the 300 million years old rainforests, the biggest cave chamber, the largest flower to the smallest elephant.

While Malaysia is on the way to become a fully developed nation, it somehow still maintains its Asian nuances and rich cultural heritage, from century-old places of worships, pre-colonial shophouses to Moorish architectural wonders of heritage buildings.

So a holiday or a business trip during this Visit Malaysia Year 2014 is an experience of endless wonders. One which you will cherish for a lifetime.

Fast Facts

Geography

Malaysia covers a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres separated by the South China Sea into two regions, the Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). Malaysia consists of a total of thirteen states and three federal territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan).

Government

Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy and the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong commonly known as the King, is the Head of the nation. The Government of the day is Barisan Nasional (National Front Coalition) consisting of 13 component parties and led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia while Putrajaya is the heart of the administration of the Federal Government.

Population

The demographics of Malaysia are represented by the multi-ethnic communities that exist in this country. The Department of Statistics Malaysia reported Malaysia's population, as of April 2013, is estimated to be 29,620,200. Out of this number, the Bumiputeras including Malays were 62.3%, the Chinese 22%, the Indians 6.7%, other races (citizens) 0.9% and non-citizens at 8.1%.

Religion

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia. Other religions are also widely practised by its multi-racial society.

Climate & Weather

Malaysia has a tropical climate and the weather is warm and sunny all year round. Average daily temperature is around 32ºC (90ºF) during the day. It falls to around 24ºC (75ºF) at night. Annual rainfall varies from 2,000 mm to 2,500 mm.

Economy

Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy, which is relatively open and state-oriented. In 2012, the economy of Malaysia was the third largest economy in Southeast Asia and the GDP growth was 5.1 percent. Malaysia is one of the leading exporters of electrical appliances, electronic parts and components, palm oil, petroleum and natural gas. Malaysia is also externally competitive, ranking 12th out of 135 economies in the World Bank in 2013. (Doing Business 2013 report).

Malaysia’s tourism sector contributed over RM47 billion to the Gross National Income (GNI) in 2012 and became a key pillar to the country’s aspiration to be a high-income nation by 2020. The industry experienced a remarkable growth and evolved to become one of the country’s fastest growing economic sectors, contributing RM60.6 billion in tourist receipts, with tourist arrivals registering at 25.03 million in 2012.

Time

Eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and 16 hours ahead of United States Pacific Standard Time.

History

History of Malaysia

Malaysia grew to prominence in Southeast Asia due to its strategic position for trade and commerce during the end of the 16th century. The political and socio-economic landscape since its independence has helped propel the nation to achieve a dynamic economy. Malaysia has a rich legacy of history, from the early days of Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic civilisations to colonial imperialism and independence.

The Early Civilisations

Malaysia’s warm climate and wealth of natural resources have attracted the indigenous tribes or better known as Orang Asli around 3,000 BC. They probably set foot from Tibet and China to the south. However, it was the Malay Sultanate Kingdom in Melaka during the 15th Century that made the nation a trading and commercial hub that attracted people from the world over. This was also the time when Islamic influence became stronger and the Sultans and the Malays started to embrace Islam as their religion.

Colonial Imperialism

The popularity of Melaka has attracted the Europeans, particularly the Portuguese. They captured Melaka in 1511 but soon, in 1641, the Dutch took over the reign. The disposed Malay rulers fled to the south and they established a new Sultanate. The British which established its own footing in Singapore, Penang, Kuching, Jesselton, became the next colonial imperialist when they signed the 1825 Anglo-Dutch Treaty that defined Netherland East Indies (Indonesia) and British Malaya. It was the British who then brought in the Indian and Chinese immigrants to work in rubber plantations and tin mines. The British continued to rule Malaya until World War 2.

World War 2 and Independence

The British was defeated by the Japanese during the World War 2 but then their rule was short-lived when the Japanese was defeated by the Allied Forces. The British returned but the political landscape had changed. The Malays were united and protested against the Malayan Union formed by the British as they felt it was taking away their Sultan’s political rights. The protest was led by the United Malays National Organisation or UMNO formed by Dato’ Onn bin Jaafar. The Federation of Malaya was formed to replace Malayan Union and gave back the political rights to the Sultans. On August 31, 1957, Malaya gained independence and Tunku Abdul Rahman became the first Prime Minister.

Malaysia After Independence

In September 16, 1963, Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore formed Malaysia. The first few years after independence, the country's history were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippines claims on Sabah, and Singapore's departure from the Federation in 1965 and the racial riot in 1969. However, no matter what turbulence the country was facing, Malaysia grew stronger under the National Front Coalition government led by UMNO. During the 22-year leadership of Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on agriculture to expansion in manufacturing, oil and gas, services and tourism industry.

People, Culture, Language

Diversity in Unity

"Malaysia Truly Asia" is more than just a slogan. It reflects precisely who Malaysians are. Yes, Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual nation where people of diverse races and religions live in harmony. One moment you may come across a mosque next to a temple and church. The next moment, you will meet a Malay, Chinese, Indian and a Eurasian dining on the same table in a restaurant. Malaysians are humble, tolerant, friendly and most importantly, respect one another regardless of one’s race, religion and background. It is this true Malaysian value that binds them together.

Malaysians comprise the Malays who are the majority followed by the Chinese, Indians and aborigines such as Iban, Kadazan and other minorities like the Peranakan and Eurasian. The culture of Malaysia is an amalgamation of many traditions handed down from many generations centuries ago. Each ethnic still continues practicing their own culture and traditions, and at the same time, some rituals and traditions have become more colourful and enriching through intermarriage as well as assimilation of other cultures. For an instance, tourists may find it surprising to see a Chinese wearing a Malay dress (baju kurung) or a Malay eating with chopsticks, or an Indian speaking Chinese Hokkien dialect. it is also very interesting to experience the like of an Eurasian of Portuguese and Chinese descent singing a Bollywood song. Or a Baba and Nyonya speaking Malay and praying to Chinese deities.

Religious traditions often exist in harmony alongside modern technological advances. In cities, the bustling streets, skyscrapers, sophisticated office buildings reflect Malaysia’s unhesitating leap into the future with massive developments while ancient monuments and landmarks including century-old temples, mosques and churches are still preserved.

Colourful festivals and a warm welcome to tourists

Malaysians are generally kind, humble and generous when it comes to festivals. Everyone including tourists are invited to attend Open Houses during Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid Ul-Fitr), Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas, Festival of San Pedro, Gawai Festival, Ka’amatan Festival and more. There are also Open Houses held at a larger scale (national and state levels), where tourists can feast on the varieties of cuisines as well as the colourful cultural performances.

Multi-language, multi-fascination

The official language of Malaysia is the Malay language or known as Bahasa Malaysia. Although Malay is the official language, English is widely spoken with other vernacular languages such as Mandarin, Tamil, Iban and Dusunic languages are also spoken by the respective communities. The influence of one language to another has even created a unique creole language - "Manglish" or Malaysian English. So, don’t be surprised to hear words like "gostan" to mean "go astern" or "reverse slowly" when Malaysians park their cars.

In other words, Malaysia is a nation of striking contrasts and diversities, a uniqueness that makes the country colourful and attractive to tourists.