“Malaysia – all of Asia in one country” is the temptation to describe this country: people of Malay, Chinese or Indian descent live peacefully side by side here. Also included are the Kazan Dusuns, the Ibans and other indigenous ethnic peoples of Sabah and Sarawak. Today’s visitors marvel at high skyscrapers next to historic buildings from the colonial era, the incomparable flora and fauna and a rainforest that is approx. 130 million years old.
The country offers all visitors optimal holiday and accommodation options in all seasons: In winter from November to March it is warm and dry on the west coast and numerous bathing resorts invite you. The most important: Langkawi, Penang and Pangkor Laut. In the summer from April to October it is warm and dry on the east coast. The following coastal towns offer ideal conditions for beach holidays: Kuantan, Terengganu, Pulau Redang, Pulau Tioman and many more. Also popular are the long sandy beaches of Sipadan Island in the Celebes Sea or Labuan in Sabah. Our round trips organized as individual trips or in small groups are popular, eg the “Ronda-Ronda” Overland Tour, a 7-day round trip with German or English-speaking guides. However, the range of programs is diverse with offerings not only for Malaysia but also in the associated area of Sarawak and Sabah. There are four access routes to Taman Negara National Park: From the South: from Kuala Tahan in Pahan State From the West: from Meraph, Sungai Relau in Pahang From the North: from Kuala Koh in Kelantan State From the East: from Tanung Mentong, Tasik Kenyir in Terengganu Taman State Negara is the largest wildlife sanctuary on Peninsular Malaysia, covering 4,343km2. At 2,187m, Gunung Tahan is the highest mountain in Malaysia. Taman Negara is one of the oldest rainforests in the world. The diversity and lushness of nature is phenomenal. Taman Negara is home to one of the richest and most complex ecosystems in the world. A veritable treasure trove of nature. The lowland – Dipterocarp forest is home to an amazing number of different plants: 14000 species of trees and plants live here, more than in other forests on earth. The tallest tree in Southeast Asia, the Tualang (Koompassia excelsa) grows here to over 50m high. The humid habitats provide home for the huge evergreen dipterocarps that tower above the treetops with various layers of growth below. At altitudes of around 750m, the mountain forests thrive with their oaks, conifers (evergreen plants and trees), rattan and dwarf palms. In regions above 1500m you can see the “cloud forests” during the day dwarf trees shrouded in dense fog. The layman actually only sees a lot of green in the jungle. But the expert knows about the healing power of every plant, recognizes whether it can be eaten, whether it provides resin or firewood, or whether it can be processed into balsam. Likewise, the jungle provides building materials and household items. With us you will find exciting trips to this fascinating area of Southeast Asia. Depending on your time requirements and framework conditions, we plan your individual or group trip combined with small hikes, animal observations and river trips. Give us a call!
Climate and Geography
According to topmbadirectory, Malaysia lies completely in the humid, hot and humid tropics: According to this, the daily and annual temperature differences are very small at 2 °C, there is a high relative humidity of 98% in the morning and over 65% in the afternoon and the average annual precipitation amounts are 2000 ( lowlands in the west) over 4000 mm (northeast with monsoon influence) up to 6000 mm (mountains) rain high to very high. Temperatures range from 25 to 28 °C throughout the year. From April to October the southwest monsoon and from October to February the northeast monsoon determine the weather.
History
Peninsular Malaysia became a major trading center in Southeast Asia as trade between China and India began to flourish. At that time a great deal of activity began in the Straits of Malacca. The first Malay kingdoms arose from ports established in the 10th century. The most important early kingdoms were Langkasuka and Lembah Bujang in Kedah, Beruas and Gangga Negara in Perak, and Pan Pan in Kelantan. Islam arrived in Terengganu in the 14th century. In the early 15th century, the Sultanate of Malacca was established. Its prosperity attracted the interest of Portugal. The port then became a center of colonization by the Dutch and the British.
Population
The population of Malaysia is made up as follows: 50.4% are Malays, 23.7% Chinese, 11% indigenous peoples (Orang Asli and Dayak), 7.1% Indians and 7.8% other. The population is not evenly distributed over the national territory of Malaysia, because in the eastern part of Malaysia, i.e. the two states of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo, only about 5 million people (about 20% of the population of Malaysia) live, although the two states together make up about 60% of Malaysia’s land area, while the remaining 80% of the population (about 22 million people) live in the smaller western part of the country.
Languages
The official language of Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian). Due to the long British colonial period in Malaysia, the English language enjoys a special role and is a second language for many Malaysians. Due to a large Chinese minority, Chinese also plays an important role (especially Cantonese, Standard Chinese, Hokkien, Hakka, Chaozhou (Teochew), Hainan, the Fuzhou dialect). Due to the Indian minority also living in Malaysia, numerous Indian languages, especially Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, are spoken. A variety of indigenous languages are also spoken in East Malaysia, the most important of which are Iban and Kadazan. A total of 140 different languages and idioms are spoken in Malaysia.
Business
Malaysia is a country rich in natural resources and raw materials (tin, rubber, palm oil, petroleum). In addition, Malaysia is home to the automobile manufacturers Inokom, Perodua and Proton as well as the oil multinational Petronas. Rapid industrial development has taken place since the beginning of the 1990s, making the country one of the aspiring emerging countries.
Politics
Malaysia is a federal, constitutional, parliamentary-democratic elective monarchy (parliamentary monarchy). The representative head of state is the king, who is elected every five years from among the rulers of the nine sultanates on a rotating basis. His official title is Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Sultan Abdullah Shah of Pahang has held this post since January 31, 2019. This system of voting from among the ranks of the federal rulers (or federal princes) is almost unique in the world. Only the United Arab Emirates are also a federal elective monarchy.
