Geographical location: Bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam.

Capital: Kuala Lumpur

Currency: Malaysian Ringit (MYR)

Weather/Seasons: Tropical, annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons

Transportation

• Buses
• Malayan Railways or Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM)

Tourist Attractions

Batu Caves
A cluster of limestone caves considered as a sacred ground for the Hindus. Venue of the Hindus’ major religious event, Thaipusam. Prayers are held here daily.

Malacca
A state steeped in a wealth of history and colourful culture.

Kuala Lumpur
Landmarks include the Petronas Twin Towers and the historical Sultan Abdul Samad building.

Kinabalu Park
Nature trek along one of the many jungle-trekking trails.

Poring Hot Springs
Hot sulphur springs with a 41-metre-high canopy walk, which offers a spectacular view of the surrounding Borneo rainforest.

Genting Highlands
A mountain retreat 6,000 feet above sea-level as well as a popular one-stop entertainment centre that comes complete with a casino and a theme park.

Langkawi
Famous for Eagle Square with its 52-foot statue of an eagle ready to take off and Tunnel Tank at The Underwater World, one of the biggest marine aquariums in the world.

Lost World of Tambun
Water theme park.

Penang Butterfly Farm
A living museum featuring more than 4,000 butterflies from more than 120 species, as well as some insects and reptile species, and over 300 plant species.

Tropical Fruit Farm
A 25-acre organic orchard boasting over 250 types of fruits from durians to West Indian cherries.

Popular Accommodations

• Berjaya Tioman Beach Golf & Spa Resort
• Berjaya Redang Beach Resort
• Colmar Tropicale
• Mahkota Hotel Malacca
• A’Famosa Resort
• Century Pines Resort
• Swiss Garden Resort & Spa Kuantan
• Hotel Equatorial Melaka
• Renaissance Hotel Melaka
• Tiara Beach Resort

Best time to go: May to September is ideal.  Rains heavily during October-November and April-May on the West coast and from November to January on the East coast and in Sabah and Sarawak. Rainy season is the best time to spot turtles which come out to lay their eggs.

Languages Spoken: Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai

Sports/Recreation: Kite-flying, Silat (Malaysian art of self-defence), Wayang Kulit (shadow play), soccer, horse racing, car racing, powerboat racing, cricket, squash, field hockey, ping pong, badminton

Cuisine: Malaysian cuisine is multi-cultural. It is a mixture of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Nyonya and Portuguese food. Traditional Malay food is exemplified by different spices and flavors. Amongst the popular Malaysian delicacies are Satay, Nasi Lemak, Rendang, Roti Canai, Murtabak, Laksa, Chicken Rice and Fried Noodles.

Ethnicity: Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.)

Population: 25,715,819 (July 2009 estimate)

Religion: Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census)

Economy: High technology industries, medical technology, pharmaceuticals. electronics, oil and gas export

Government: Constitutional Monarchy

Security: Overall crime rate is low, and violent crime is relatively uncommon. Most criminal activity directed against foreign nationals are limited to petty theft and credit-card fraud.

Visa Matters

There is no Malaysia visa requirements for citizens of The Commonwealth countries (except Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria), and British protected persons or citizens of the Republic of Ireland and citizens of Switzerland, the Netherlands, San Marino and Liechtenstein

No Malaysia visa requirements for U.S.A. citizens visiting for social, business or academic purposes (except for local employment).

No Malaysia visa requirements for a stay not exceeding three months for citizens of Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bosnia Herzegovina, Chile, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Tunisia, Turkey, U.A.E., Uruguay, and Yemen.

Malaysia visa not required for a stay of not more than one month for citizens of all ASEAN countries, Hong Kong, Macau, British National Overseas and North Korea.

For a stay exceeding one month, a Malaysia visa will be required, for citizens of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines.

No Malaysia visa requirements for a stay not exceeding 14 days for citizens of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Macau (travel permit) and Portugal Alien Passport.
The citizens of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Western Sahara, Taiwan, Laisser Passer holders, Certificate of Identity Holders and Titre De Voyage must obtain a Malaysia visa before entry to Malaysia.

Citizens of Israel and Yugoslavia are required to apply for Special Approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs before entering Malaysia.

Citizens or nationals other than stated above do not require a visa for social/business visit for stay not exceeding one month.

Flights

Malaysia Flag

• Malaysia Airlines flights
• Korean Air flights
• Dragonair/Hong Kong Dragon Airlines flights
• Air Asia flights
• Jetstar Asia flights
• Merpati flights
• Firefly flights
• Air Asia X flights
• Xiamen Airlines flights
• Singapore Airlines flights
• KLM.com flights
• SriLankan Airlines flights
• Indonesia Air Asia flights
• Qatar Airways flights
• Vietnam Airlines flights
• Thai Airways flights
• Royal Brunei flights
• EVA Air flights
• Cathay Pacific flights
• Japan Airlines flights
• Asiana Airlines flights
• Berjaya Air flights
• China Eastern flights
• Indian Airlines flights
• SilkAir flights
• Cebu Pacific flights
• Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights
• Lufthansa flights
• China Airlines flights
• GMG Airlines flights
• China Southern flights
• Lion Airlines/Lion Mentari Air flights
• EgyptAir flights
• Garuda Indonesia flights
• Shenzhen Airlines flights
• Yemenia flights
• Emirates flights
• Etihad Airways flights
• Freedom Air flights
• Tiger Airways flights
• Wings Air flights
• Baseops International flights
• Thai AirAsia flights
• Gulf Air flights
• All Nippon Airways flights
• Air China flights
• Philippine Airlines flights
• South African Airways flights
• Jet Airways flights
• Saudi Arabian Airlines flights