PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Covering an area of 127,316 square miles (336,700 sq.km), Malaysia consists of two regions: Peninsular Malaysia (States of Federation of Malaya) extending south/south-east from the border to Thailand and the States of Sabah and Sarawak located on the north-western coastal region of the island of Borneo. The Malay peninsular consists essentially of an east and west coastal plain with the central mountain ranges running roughly north to south. These ranges attain 7,000 feet (2,134 m). In places, the highest peak Gunung Tahan, being 7,186 feet (2,190 m). The States of Sabah and Sarawak consist in general of an alluvial coastal plain, of more hilly rolling country further inland and of mountain ranges in the interior. In Sabah, the central mountain ranges rise more abruptly from the west coast with Malaysia’s highest peak, Mount Kinabalu 13,455 feet (4,100 m). The natural vegetation of Malaysia is tropical rain forest which, on the plains, has been replaced by 4 million acres of rubber plantations, palm oil, paddy fields and, of course, modern cities. In the highlands there is considerable variation in flora.

INTRODUCING MALAYSIA
Malaysia is a country of incomparable & exciting beauty with a balmy, tropical climate. The warm tropical temperatures are varies only by the fresh cool air hanging over the occasional hills and highlands. Rainfall can be expected at any time. Heavy downpours lasting just a few minutes accumulate over a year to total an average of between 200 and 260 centimetres. The relative humidity is high, generally between 85% and 95%.

It is also true that the people of Malaysia are as varied as the world’s cultures. 45% are Malays and even they have mixed origins. Some Malays have a royal heritage, others come from tribal backgrounds. And the other 55% are mostly Chinese, Indians and Sri Lankans.

Among the first Malaysians were aboriginal tribes of hunters and good gatherers. Call Orang Asli or original people, their history can be traced back 7,000 years from evidence of their existence in caves and rock shelters.

But well before that, the tribal people of Sabah and Sarwak had established their culture on the island of Borneo. These tribes included the Ibans, the Land Dayaks and the Muruts. In many respects, these people live as they have always lived for 40,000 years.

It is also true that thoughout Malaysia the bulk of the country’s people are Muslim in their faith. According to some sources, Muslim missionaries had a strong influence on the Malays who were believed to have been descended from Indonesia and were part of a migration to the South Seas. By the fifteenth century, they were mostly staunch supporters of Islam. Today, the Islamic faith the Malaysians practice is much less dogmatic than that of the Middle Eastern people. And the influence of so many cultures from other parts of the world has resulted in a rather delightful mixture of colorful religious practices. Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism and Christianity all celebrate different times of the year with vibrant festivals. There seems to be something exciting going on all the time.

Malaysia is the world’s leading exporter of rubber, tin, tropical hardwood, palm oil and pepper.

And while all these points are simply true facts about Malaysia, nothing can really describe what it’s like. The infinite variety of experiences it is possible to have in this country will be etched into your mind like a multi-coloured montage of thousands of pictures, every one different from the next.

IN THE BEGINNING
Malaysia’s history goes back a long way into the origins of mankind. Some traces have been found as far back as 35,000 years ago. Fortune seekers from India, Rome and China found their way here during the early gold rush days, about 200 A.D. In 500 A.D a series of river states sprang up on estuaries not far from the coast. Based on a feudal system, each state was ruled by a king and his court. In 2403a Sumatran prince, Parameswara, founded the city of Malacca, which soon became the centre of spice trade in the east. The spice stalls would have been laden with aromatic cloves from the Moluccas, sandalwood from Timor, camphor from Borneo and perfumes from Persia, Arabia and Siam.

Two years later, a Chinese admiral, Cheng Ho, sailed into town and managed to have himself proclaimed as King of Malacca.

In 1511, Malacca’s importance as a source of wealth attracted the world’s ruling powers. The Portuguese invaded and drove the Sultan out. Within little more than a century, Portuguese Malacca was taken by the Dutch who later traded it to Britain.

In 1839, James Brooke, helped the Borneo rulers to subdue a rebellion and as a result was proclaimed the ‘White Rajah’ of Sarawak. In 1864 a prospecting party of Chinese tin miners founded Kuala Lumpur. At this point modern Malaysia begins. Many diverse cultures moved in, and modern technology made its contribution.

In 1957, on August 31st, independence was granted to Malaysia by the British. A flag featuring an eleven point star was raised to represent each state. Six years later Sabah and Sarawak were included in what was the federation of Malaya. From then on, the country has been known as Malaysia.

PEOPLE AND PLACES
Malaysia is a federation of thirteen states. It is also a parliamentary democracy. The supreme head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or constitutional monarch. His position is determined by election from amongst the nine sultans who each rule a peninsular state. The length of his reign is five years. Parliament consists of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and two houses. The House of Representatives is fully elected and the Senate is partly elected and partly appointed. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the Cabinet Ministers. Each Malaysia state has its own ruler or governor and an elected assembly.

Sabah and Sarawak are somewhat different since they were independent colonies anyway before independence. They both still retain a greater degree of local administration than the local states.

THE WILDLIFE
Malaysia’s sophisticated form of government belies its vast areas of undisturbed jungle. Almost three-quarter of the country is thick jungle, much of it undisturbed for one hundred million years. The only changes have been slow evolutionary changes amongst the vast numbers of animal species that live here. Changes made to better adapt the jungle’s determined growth patterns. Frogs and lizards with thick elastic membranes stretched across from their legs to their bodies like wings, fly through the air above the ground to get from one source of food to another by the most efficient means.

There are snakes designed to spend their entire lives amongst the tangled vegetation ten metres off the ground. Leopards, tapirs, deer, wild pigs, monkeys and porcupines are all old time inhabitants of Malaysia’s protecting green garden.

The Malaysian government has reserved vast areas of jungle for national parkland. Many of Malaysia’s animals are either extinct of on the very of extinction and this is the most effective way to try to rebuild the numbers of rhinos and elephants still roaming these parts.

Malaysia’s jungle is extremely important to the welfare of the country. It controls the flow of water feeding its rice fields and other agricultural crops. It prevents the erosion of the land and stops rivers from flooding. It provides timber, one of the country’s main exports, under carefully controlled regulations imposed by the government. And it lives on, a timeless carpet of growth begun hundreds of thousands of years ago.