BRIEF HISTORY
Malaysia's history starts generally around the establishment of the Malacca sultanate. During the 13th century, it was renowned as a major port for traders from both east and west.

Following this time, events developing in China and the Roman Empire motivated Indian traders to seek a new port for their rich trade. Malacca was chosen, based mainly on its advantageous location -- it was sheltered from strong monsoon winds, thus the port was able to operate year-round. Spices and other precious goods were the main commodities traded at this new port, which flourished as the world's new major maritime trade point, especially for Indian, Arab and Chinese traders.
Malacca's profitable position was envied by many and resulted in the Portuguese invasion in 1511. Later, in 1641, the Dutch defeated the Portuguese and reigned until 1815 when the British Empire took over. In 1826, the British ruled and consolidated Penang, Singapore and Malacca under one administration unit called the Colony of the Straits Settlement. After World War II, there was a resurgence of Malayan nationalism leading to the Declaration of Independence for the Federation of Malaya from the British Empire on August 31, 1957.

This movement was led by Tunku Abdul Rahman, who later became Malaysia's first Prime Minister. Malaysia, at the time, comprised 13 states (including Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak) and two federal territories were formed in 1963. This formation was opposed by neighboring Indonesia, which resulted in a confrontation with the large Asian nation. The conflict ended with the fall of Indonesia's President Sukarno a year later. Singapore later withdrew from the Federation in 1965.

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION
Malaysia has 13 states: 11 on the Malayan Peninsula (West Malaysia) and two, Sabah and Sarawak, on the island of Borneo (East Malaysia).

Malaysia's capital city is Kuala Lumpur. The new administrative center is in Putrajaya, which is approximately a 30-minutes drive from the capital.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Malaysia lies at 7° North of the Equator and consists of West and East Malaysia. West Malaysia is bordered by Thailand to the north, Singapore to the south, South China Sea to the east, and Straits of Malacca to the west. East Malaysia shares its southern border with Indonesia, and is cradled by the South China Sea to the west and north, and the Sulu Sea to the northeast. Although Malaysia is not an large country in terms of actual land area (roughly 127,316 sq miles), but it has an enormously great deal to offer.

CLIMATE
Malaysia is pampered with a warm tropical climate, with general temperatures ranging from 70° F to 90° F. The weather is very strongly influenced by the Northeast and the Southwest Monsoon. The period of May to September is usually a drier period. The East Coast of West Malaysia and the states in East Malaysia normally have their rainy seasons between November and February.

POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC
Malaysia is a land of ready smiles and incredible variety. The rich diversity of experiences and contrasts beckons the worldly traveler, from city-lovers to adventure-seekers and much, much more. Here, in this land of friendly and fascinating people, you can get a taste of all of Asia in a single destination.

Come mingle with the country's population of more than 25 million people, which consists of Malays (the nation's biggest ethnicity) and other indigenous groups including the Orang Asli, Dayaks, Kadazan Dusun, Melanau, Murut and more. Joining them are the large Chinese and Indian populations, and groups of mixed descent, such as the Baba-Nyonyas and Eurasians of Portuguese and other European ancestry, as well as other immigrant Asian ethnicities.

The Malays and the native tribal groups make up approximately 60% of the total population. Chinese 30%, Indians 8% and the balance a melting pot of other races and cultures. Four-fifths of the population resides in West Malaysia .

LANGUAGE
Although Bahasa Malaysia is the official language, English is widely spoken. Other prominent languages spoken - Mandarin, other Chinese dialects, Tamil, Punjabi.

RELIGION
Although the official religion of Malaysia is Islam, each person is free to practice his or her own faith. The abundance of temples, mosques, churches and other places of worship bears testament to this. Islam in Malaysia is rather tolerant and does not comply with the fundamental belief of extremists.

ECONOMY
Malaysia remains one of the world's largest producers of rubber, palm oil, timber and tin. In recent years, the manufacturing and service (notably the tourism sector) industries have become main contributors to the economy. Exports of electronic products are one of the main contributors of the nation's economic growth. In fact, Malaysia is one of the few Asian countries that has its own car manufacturing industry. The stability of the economy and its political scenario has managed to attract tremendous foreign investment into the country.

The country's major trading partners are Japan, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Germany.

CURRENCY

The Malaysian unit of currency is the Ringgit Malaysia (RM), which is divided into 100 sen. Currency comes in notes of RM1, RM5, RM10, RM50 and RM100. Coins are issued in 1 sen, 5 sen, 10 sen, 20 sen, 50 sen and RM1 denominations. MYR3.7.

All currencies brought into and out of the country must be declared by a Travelers Declaration Form, which can be obtained at Malaysia's entry and exit points. Due to government regulations, non-residents are not allowed to bring in and out of the country more than RM1000.00 at any given time, but foreign currencies are not regulated.

All commercial banks are authorized foreign exchange dealers. Major hotels, however, are only licensed to buy or accept foreign currencies in the form of notes and travelers' checks.

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TIME ZONE
Malaysia is eight hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Meridian Time), 16 hours ahead of US Pacific Standard Time and 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Daylight Saving Time is not applicable to the country.

ELECTRICITY AND VOLTAGE
Malaysia's electric supply is on a 240-volt 50-cycle system. Visitors from countries using different electricity voltage systems are advised to bring their converters and adapters.

WATER
Water is generally safe to be consumed from the tap, though boiling prior to consumption is advisable.