Panda Boolat

Profile of Malaysia

INTRODUCTION

Malaysia is a fascinating nation of different races, cultures and religions, co-existing in harmony as well as being situated in a tropical paradise in the heart of Southeast Asia.

Malaysia comprises two distinct land areas, West Malaysia and East Malaysia. West Malaysia is a peninsula, flanked by the South China Sea on the east and the Straits of Malacca on the west, with Thailand as its northern neighbour and Singapore in the south. West and East Malaysia cover a total land area of about 329,758 sq km separated by approximately 40 miles of sea.

East Malaysia consists of a federal territory and two large states, namely Sabah and Sarawak, which occupy the north part of Borneo Island. West Malaysia on the hand consists of 11 states and 2 federal territories, all of which have their own distinctive attractions.

The country is 8 hours ahead of the GMT and 16 hours ahead of the US Pacific Standard Time. The climate is warm and humid throughout the year. Malaysia is blessed physically as it does not experience drastic weather changes or natural calamities. Temperatures are around 300C during the day and 220C at night. Light cotton clothing which are cooling and casual is recommended all year round.

Multi Cultural Society

Dubbed as ‘Mini Asia’, Malaysia is a multiracial country with a population of more than 26 million comprising of Malays, Chinese and Indians as well as many other indigenous races, all coexisting in harmony. People of other nationalities are also found here, whether for study, work and business purposes. Bahasa Malaysia is the national language, but English, Mandarin and Tamil are also widely used. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, but the Constitution guarantees freedom of worship, whereby Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions are freely practised. This politically stable nation emphasises the sharing of power among the races, which ensures a peaceful and harmonious environment. As a result of this, Malaysia has gained recognition and is known as a model multicultural society.

Food & Culture

Malaysia is also renown as a paradise for culinary and cultural activities. The multi racial makeup of the Malaysian population naturally allows for the availability of a wide range of excellent and diverse cuisines. Malay, Chinese and Indian food are easily and cheaply found at most restaurants and hawker stalls, whilst fast-food restaurants and western food can be found in almost every part of the country. In addition, delectable cuisines from other countries such as the Middle East and Thailand are also easily available. Malaysia is popularly known as Asia’s Food Paradise.

Culturally, Malaysia presents a kaleidoscope of colours and diversities as different races exhibit their individual traits and traditions through festivals, songs, dances and traditional attire. Bahasa Malaysia is the official language, but the ethn ic groups also speak their own ethnic dialects. English, being taught as a second language in schools, is widely used in the institutions of higher learning, for daily communication and business transactions.

Economy & Education

Malaysia takes pride in being one of the world’s largest exporters of palm oil, natural rubber, natural gas, timber, cocoa beans and pepper. It is also one of the leading exporters of manufactured products such as semiconductors, audio-visual products, electrical goods, rubber-dipped products and oleo chemicals in the world

Education is another growing industry where Malaysia is gaining recognition as a reputable study destination in the region. The education sector offers a variety of higher educational programmes as well as professional and specialised skill courses that are competitively priced and of excellent quality.

Underlying this is the current trend of setting up branch campuses in Malaysia by reputable universities from the UK and Australia. Furthermore, various universities from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and New Zealand are offering twinning, franchised and external degree programmes in partnership with Malaysian educational institutions.

Infrastructure

Whether it is land, sea or air, Malaysia has one of the most developed infrastructures in Southeast Asia, comparable to that of developed nations. There is an impressive network of roads and rail links, while the international airport, KLIA, provides world-class facilities and services, as well as hosting airlines from every corner of the world.

Malaysia is also currently enhancing its sea related activities as it has the advantage of having some of the best ports in the world. Port Klang, a trans-shipment hub, is positioning itself as Malaysia’s sea gateway to the world together with Northport and Southport.  The Malaysian ports offer an impressive multipurpose port facilities which have successfully attracted  many big shipping lines to increase their calls at these ports.

Places of Interest

The capital city, Kuala Lumpur, offers a large variety of activities, from gastronomic delights to shopping and museums to parks and local theatres. In addition, the federal government’s administrative centre in Putrajaya, located to the south of Kuala Lumpur, is a lure for tourists because of its excellent Islamic-inspired architecture and its expansive areas of parkland and lakes.

Other must-do activities are visiting the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin-building in the world, trekking through the tropical jungles and nature parks in Taman Negara, basking on the pristine beaches of Pangkor and Langkawi and getting up close with the wild flora and fauna in the rainforests of Sabah. For those who prefer shopping and good buys, Malaysia offers a variety of shops that sell handicrafts as well as international branded goods. Services In terms of transportation and communications, Malaysia has excellent communications systems, both within the country and with the rest of the world. It also provides easily available health, banking, telecommunication (telephone, Internet cafes) and postal services, which can all be conveniently accessed in rural as well as urban areas. In addition, police stations are often found in busy areas and there is also a tourist police force ready to assist visitors. Furthermore, as serious crime rates in Malaysia are low, it is a relatively safe place to visit. The local currency is the Ringgit, which is made up of 100 sen. Credit cards are accepted in most commercial businesses, while Travellers’ Cheques can be changed at any of the numerous commercial banks, hotels and authorized moneychangers. Information Communication Technology (ICT) has been widely embraced in many service sectors in both urban and rural areas. With the increase of online services being made available, all Malaysians are able to benefit from this new technology.