Facts about Malaysia

Within Malaysia there is a Malay culture, a Chinese culture, an Indian culture, and a Eurasian culture, along with the cultures of the indigenous groups of the peninsula and north Borneo.

All Malaysians are federal citizens except for those living in East Malaysia where state citizenship is distinguishable from peninsular citizenship.

Peninsular Malaysia is located south of Thailand, north of Singapore and east of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The Malaysian legal system is based on English common law.

Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic downturn and the slump in the information technology sector in 2001-02.

Malaysians are adept at learning languages, and knowing multiple languages is common.

East Malaysia (or Malaysian Borneo) occupies the northern part of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and surrounding the Sultanate of Brunei.

Extensive roads connect all major cities and towns on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, while roads in the East Malaysia and the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia are still relatively undeveloped.

Today, an estimated 59 percent of Malaysia remains forested.

Malaysian traditional music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms.

Malaysian currency, the ringgit, was "unpegged" from the U.S. dollar in 2005; the ringgit appreciated 6 percent against the dollar in 2006.

Service in the Malaysian Armed Forces (army, navy, and air force) is voluntary from age 18.

Malaysia has one of the most exquisite cuisines in the world.

Malaysian students abroad study mostly in the UK, United States, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand.

Europeans and Eurasians include British who colonized and settled in Malaysia and some Portuguese.

The Orang Asli, numbering 140,000, live in a number of different ethnic communities in Peninsular Malaysia.

The Malaysian elite, trained in overseas universities, continues to grow in importance as Malaysia's middle class expands.

The current terminology as per government policy is Bahasa Malaysia (literally Malaysian language) but legislation continues to refer to the official language as Bahasa Melayu (literally Malay language).

Due to the rise in labor-intensive industries, Malaysia has 10 to 20 percent foreign workers; the total number is unclear due to the large percentage of illegal workers, mostly Indonesian.

Malaysia, a middle-income country, transformed itself since 1971 from a raw materials (mostly tin) exporter into an emerging multi-sector economy.

Separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces has prompted measures to close and monitor the border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities.

Most Malaysian children start kindergarten between the ages of three to six.

The national holiday is Malaysia Day, 31 August, which marks independence attained in 1957.

Indian Malaysians represent about eight percent; 90 percent of these are Tamil people from southern India, living in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula.

Malaysia has since maintained a delicate ethno-political balance, attempting to combine economic development with policies that favor Bumiputras.

An off-shoot of Malay-Indonesian history, Malaysia has a rich culture that dates back to the third century B.C.E..

Malay, a lingua franca throughout the region, became Malaysia's sole national language in 1967.

At a total of about 126,850 square miles (328,550 square kilometers), Malaysia is about the same size as the U.S. state of New Mexico.

In 2003, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, retired in favor of his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, commonly known as Pak Lah.

The name "mango" is derived from the Tamil word mangaai, and was popularized by the Portuguese after their Indian exploration, hence the word 'manga' in Portuguese.

Malaysia is in a dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei.

Increased affluence allows Malaysians to eat out more often—small hawker stalls offer prepared food 24-hours-a-day in urban areas.

Traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers and agriculturists, many have been partly absorbed into modern Malaysia.

Malaysia is a federation of 13 states in Southeast Asia.

Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute.

In 1963, the federation was renamed Malaysia with the admission of the then-British crown colonies of Singapore, Sabah (British North Borneo), and Sarawak.

Caning is a standard punishment for more than 40 crimes in Malaysia, ranging from sexual abuse to drug use.

Peninsular Malaysia consists of nine sultanates (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor, and Terengganu), two states headed by governors (Malacca and Penang), and two federal territories (Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur).

East Malaysia is located on the island of Borneo and shares borders with Brunei and Indonesia.

All Malaysians can celebrate Muslim, Chinese, Indian, and Christian religious festivals.

Between the 1980s and the mid-1990s, Malaysia experienced significant economic growth as it shifted from an agriculture-based economy to one based on manufacturing of computers and consumer electronics.

Malaysia's pop music scene developed from traditional asli (pure) music popularized in the 1920s and 1930s by Bangsawan troupes.

Most Indian Malaysians speak Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi.

Malaysia has transformed itself since 1971 from producing raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy driven by exports of electronics.

Caning is a standard punishment for more than 40 crimes in Malaysia, ranging from sexual abuse to drug use.

About 30 percent are Malaysians of Chinese descent, who have played an important role in trade and business.

The Malaysian constitution guarantees religious freedom, but non-Muslims face restrictions in constructing religious buildings and celebrating religious events.

Malaysia is in a dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei.