Malaysia Vacation

Malaysia Airlines

Kitchen

Etymology

The name “Malaysiao” was adopted in 1963 when the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak formed a 14-state federation. However the name itself had been vaguely used to refer to areas in Southeast Asia prior to that. A map published in 1914 in Chicago has the word Malaysia printed on it referring to certain territories within the Malay Archipelago.The Philippines once contemplated naming their state “Malaysia”, but Malaysia adopted the name first in 1963 before the Philippines could act further on the matter.Other names were contemplated for the 1963 federation. Among them was Langkasuka (Langkasuka was an old kingdom located at the upper section of the Malay Peninsula in the first millennium of the common era).

Even farther back into history, the English ethnologist George Samuel Windsor Earl in volume IV of Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia in 1850 proposed to name the islands of Indonesia as Melayunesia or Indunesia though he favored the former.

Prehistory

Archaeological remains have been found throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. The Semang have a deep ancestry within the Malay Peninsula, dating to the initial settlement from Africa over 50,000 years ago. The Senoi appear to be a composite group, with approximately half of the maternal lineages tracing back to the ancestors of the Semang and about half to Indochina. This is in agreement with the suggestion that they represent the descendants of early Austronesian speaking agriculturalists, who brought both their language and their technology to the southern part of the peninsula approximately 5,000 years ago and coalesced with the indigenous population. The Aboriginal Malays are more diverse, and although they show some connections with island Southeast Asia, some also have an ancestry in Indochina around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, followed by an early-Holocene dispersal through the Malay Peninsula into island Southeast Asia.

When to Go

You’re going to have sunshine and sweat pretty much whenever you visit. It’s best to avoid the November to January rainy season on peninsular Malaysia’s east coast if you want to enjoy the beaches.

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur (pronounced /ˈkwɑːləlʊmˈpʊər/,^[2] Malay /kwɑlɑlʊmpʊ/ and locally /kwɑləlʊmpɔ/ or even /kɔlɔmpɔ/), ^[3] is the capital and the largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of 244 km², has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006.^[4] Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million.^[5] It is the fastest growing metropolitan region in the country, in terms of population as well as economy.^[6]

Kuala Lumpur is the seat of the Parliament of Malaysia, making it the country’s legislative capital.^[7] The city was once home to the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, but they have since moved to Putrajaya starting in 1999.^[8] Some sections of the judiciary remain in the capital. The official residence of the Malaysian King, the Istana Negara, is also situated in Kuala Lumpur. The city is also the cultural and economic center of Malaysia due to its position as the capital as well as being a primate city.^[9] Kuala Lumpur is rated as a gamma world city, and is the only global city in Malaysia.^[10]

Kuala Lumpur is defined within the borders of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and is one of three Malaysian Federal Territories. It is an enclave within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.^[11] Residents of the city are known as KLites.^[12]

Beginning in the 1990s, the city has played host to many international sporting, political and cultural events including the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the Formula One World Championship.^[13] In addition, Kuala Lumpur is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers.

Malaysia

Malaysia (pronounced /məˈleɪʒə/ or /məˈleɪziə/) is a country that consists of thirteen states and three federal territories in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of 329,847 km².^[1][2] The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government.^[2] The country is separated into two regions — Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo — by the South China Sea.^[2] Malaysia borders Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines.^[2] Located near the equator, the weather is characterised by tropical climate.^[2] Malaysia is headed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and politically led by a Prime Minister.^[3][4] The government is closely modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system.^[5]

Malaysia as a unified state did not exist until 1963. Previously, a set of colonies were established by the United Kingdom from the late eighteenth century, and the western half of modern Malaysia was composed of several separate kingdoms. This group of colonies was known as British Malaya until its dissolution in 1946, when it was reorganized as the Federation of Malaya and later recognized as an independent nation in 1957.^[6] Singapore, Sarawak, British North Borneo and the Federation of Malaya joined to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963.^[7] The early years of the new union were marred by an armed conflict with Indonesia and the expulsion of Singapore.^[8][9] The Southeast Asian nation experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development during the late 20th century. With a GDP per capita standing at USD13,000, it has, from time to time, been considered a newly industrialized country.^[10][11] As one of three countries that control the Strait of Malacca, international trade plays a large role in its economy.^[12] At one time, it was the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world.^[13][14] Manufacturing has a large influence in the country’s economy.^[15]

The population of Malaysia is approximately 25 million.^[2] The Malays form the majority of the population. Some Malays are of Arab descent and there are sizable Chinese and Indian communities. Islam is the largest as well as the official religion of the federation.^[2][16] The Malay language is the official language, the original script was Jawi and it was based on Arabic script .^[17]

Malaysia is the founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and participates in many international organizations such as the United Nations.^[18][19] As a former British colony, it is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.^[20] It is also a member of the Developing 8 Countries