Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia  is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. In 2010 the population was 28.33 million, with 22.6 million living on the Peninsula.

Malaysia has its origins in the Malay Kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946. Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963, with si being added to give the new country the name Malaysia. Less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. Since independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6.5% for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its natural resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.

The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, which plays a large role in politics. The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system and the legal system is based on English Common Law. The constitution declares Islam the state religion while protecting freedom of religion. The head of state is the King, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He is an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states every five years. The head of government is the Prime Minister.

Malaysia contains the southernmost point of continental Eurasia, Tanjung Piai. Located in the tropics, it is a megadiverse country, with large numbers of endemic animals, fungi and plants. It is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the East Asia Summit and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement.

History of  Malaysia

Evidence of modern human habitation in Malaysia dates back 40,000 years. The first inhabitants are thought to be Negritos. Traders and settlers from India and China arrived as early as the 1st century AD, establishing trading ports and coastal towns in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Their presence resulted in strong Indian and Chinese influence on the local cultures, and the people of the Malay Peninsula adopted the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Sanskrit inscriptions appear as early as the 4th or 5th century. The Kingdom of Langkasuka arose around the 2nd century in the northern area of the Malay Peninsula, lasting until about the 15th century. Between the 7th and 13th centuries, much of the southern Malay Peninsula was part of the maritime Srivijaya empire. After the fall of Srivijaya, the Majapahit empire had influence over most of Peninsular Malaysia and the Malay Archipelago. Islam began to spread among Malays in the 14th century. In the early 15th century, Parameswara, a prince of the former Srivijayan empire, founded the Malacca Sultanate, commonly considered the first independent state in the peninsula. Malacca was an important commercial centre during this time, attracting trade from around the region. Parameswara became a Muslim, accelerating the spread of Islam.

Tourism in Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in South-East Asia, located partly on a peninsula of the Asian mainland and partly on the northern third of the island of Borneo. West Malaysia shares a border with Thailand, is connected by a causeway and a bridge (Malaysia-Singapore Second Link) to the island state of Singapore, and has coastlines on the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca. East Malaysia (Borneo) shares borders with Brunei and Indonesia.

In an effort to diversify the economy and make Malaysia’s economy less dependent on exports the government has pushed to increase tourism in Malaysia. As a result tourism has become Malaysia’s third largest source of income from foreign exchange, and accounted for 7% of Malaysia's economy as of 2005. As of 2011, Malaysia ranks 9th among the top most visited countries in the world, after Germany.

The government agency in charge of promoting tourism in Malaysia is Tourism Malaysia or the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB). On 20 May 1987, the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism (MOCAT) was established and TDC moved to this new ministry. TDC existed from 1972 to 1992, when it became the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB), through the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Act, 1992. Its vision is to make the tourism industry a prime contributor to the socio-economic development of the nation, and aims to market Malaysia as a premier destination of excellence in the region. Tourism Malaysia now has 34 overseas and 11 marketing representative offices.

In 1999, Malaysia launched a worldwide marketing campaign called “Malaysia, Truly Asia” which was largely successful in bringing in over 7.4 million tourists. The extra revenue recently generated by tourism helped the country’s economy during the economic crisis of 2008. However, it is mainly Malaysia’s heavy government regulation of the economy which enabled it to be barely affected by the recent 2008 global economic crisis. In recent years tourism has been threatened by the negative effects of the growing industrial economy. Due to the large amounts of air and water pollution along with deforestation, tourism has decreased in affected areas.

Islands and Beaches

Malaysia has several tropical islands, some of which have been voted the most beautiful in the world. Some of the islands in Malaysia are:

·       Labuan
·       Langkawi
·       Pangkor
·       Penang Island, the western half of Penang
·       Redang Island
·       Tenggol Island
·       Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park
·       Perhentian Islands
·       Kapas Island
·       Lang Tengah Island
·       Rantau Abang Beach
·       Mabul
·       Tioman Island
·       Sipadan
·       National parks and nature reserves.
·       Bako National Park, Sarawak 
·       Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak
·       Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak
·       Gunung Gading National Park, Sarawak
·       Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak
·       Niah Caves National Park, Sarawak
·       Loagan Bunut National Park, Sarawak
·       Kinabalu National Park, Sabah
·       Taman Negara National Park
·       Endau Rompin National Park, Johor
·       Other places of interest
·       A' Famosa Resort, Malacca
·       Aquaria KLCC, at KLCC tower, KL
·       Batu Caves, KL
·       Berjaya Hills Resort. French-themed village
·       Berjaya Times Square KL, KL
·       Bukit Bintangwalk, KL
·       Cruise Tasik Putrajaya (CTP) Lake cruises, boat rides, Putrajaya
·       Cameron Highlands
·       Crystal Mosque, Kuala Terengganu
·       Dong Zen Temple
·       Eye on Malaysia, Malacca
·       Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), KL
·       Fraser's Hill
·       Genting Highlands
·       Iskandar waterfall Kota Tinggiwaterfalls
·       Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary[10][11]
·       Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, KL
·       Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park, KL
·       Kuala Lumpur Hop-On Hop-Off, Double-decker city tour bus, KL
·       Kuala Lumpur Look out point, KL
·       Kuala Lumpur Tower, Menara Kuala Lumpur, KL
·       Malaysian Handicraft Craft Complex, KL
·       Masjid Negara
·       Merdeka Square
·       Mines Resort City, KL
·       Monorail train at KL
·       Muzium Negara, KL
·       The National Monument Tugu Negara, KL
·       Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC), KL
·       Sri Mahamariamman Temple
·       Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, KL
·       Sunway Lagoon, KL
·       Thean Hou Temple, KL
·       Underwater world, Langkawi
·       National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara), KL