Selamat Datang to Malaysia Page
Malaysia is situated in the heart of South East Asia. It is divided into Peninsular Malaysia which is the land mass between Singapore and Thailand as well as the states of Sabah and Sarawak which are in the North part of the island of Borneo. The following map may help show you where this wonderful country is.
Malaysia is a multi-racial country with a population of about 20 million people. Approximately 55% of the people are Malay (the native people of malaysia), 30% are of Chinese descent, 10% of Indian descent and the rest are made up of the indeginous peoples. The fact that Malaysia is a multi-racial country makes it have a unique Malaysian culture which is not particularly associated with any one of the cultures here but rather a blend of all the major cultures in the country. The native languages of the different races are taught in school as well as Bahasa Malaysia which is the official language of Malaysia.
The different peoples of Malaysia
Malaysia is divided into twelve states and a federal territory. Nine of the States have rulers called Sultans and the other three have Governors. The state governments are headed by Chief Ministers and a state cabinet. The Malaysian government is headed by a prime minister and his cabinet of ministers. Elections are held once every five years to elect members of parliment and state assemblies. Malaysia has a unique monarchy. The king of Malaysia plays a role somewhat similar to that of the Queen of Britain. However, Malaysia's king is chosen from one of the nine Sultans once every five years.
The houses of parliment
Malaysia has a very warm climate with temperatures of around 32 degrees Celcius all year round. It also rains a lot and is very humid - about 75 - 80 %. There are no well defined seasons and the closest we have to having actual seasons is the rainy season which is in late November and December but it does rain a lot the rest of the year as well. The weather doesn't change much from day to day nor from month to month
One of the greatest things about Malaysia is its delicious food. The many cultures in Malaysia have their own delicacies and the blend of the cultures itself has given rise to uniquely Malaysian dishes. Examples of Malaysian delicacies include satay, roti canai and ais kacang. Malaysia has delicious fruits too like the rambutan, mangosteen and of course the durian.
Tourism is big in Malaysia. There are various kinds of attractions for tourists here. The main attraction are the beaches. Malaysia has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Places that are popular among tourists for their beaches include Penang, Tioman, Pangkor and Langkawi which are all islands. Of them, Penang is undoubtedly the most popular amongst tourists. It has many great beachside hotels and great watersports facilities. Although some of the more popular beaches in Penang like Batu Feringghi and Teluk Bahang may get quite crowded, one can still find other more isolated beaches like Muka Head and Pantai Kerachut which are relatively uncrowded. Penang is also famous for its Bhuddist, Hindu and Chinese Temples and mosques like the Kek Lok Si temple and the Temple of The Reclining Buddha, The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple and the Masjid Kapitan Keling. Many other interesting things can be seen in Penang like the Thaipusam festival and the city itself which is full of interesting sights and sounds.
Sunset on a Malaysian beach
The following are some cool links:
Malaysian World Wide Connection
