Reference: Agency Statistic Malaysia (31 May 2006)
Tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons. Temperatures range from 21ºC (70ºF) to 32ºC (90ºF).
Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, Indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.)
Photo source:Malaysia My Second Home
 Indian's Wedding |
 Iban's Wedding |
 Malay's Wedding |
 Chinese's Wedding |
 Indian Dance |
 Chinese Dance |
 Malay Dance |
 Melanau Dance |
Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia.
 State Mosque in Shah Alam, Selangor |
 A Taois ceremony in Klang, Selangor |
 Thaipusam in Penang |
 Wesak Day |
Photos sources: Wikipedia, Penang Talk, Penang page
Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai.
Note: In East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan.
| English Name | Malay Name | 2006 | 2007 | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year | Hari Tahun Baru | 1/1 | 1/1 | First day of the year |
| Awal Muharram | Awal Muharram | 31/1 | 20/1 | First day of Muslim calendar |
| Thaipusam | Thaipusam | 11/2 | 1/2 | Hindu festival |
| Chinese New Year | Tahun Baru Cina | 29-30/1 | 18-19/2 | Lunar new year |
| School break | Cuti Sekolah | 11-19/3 | 9-17/3 | School holiday |
| Prophet Muhammad's birthday | Hari Jadi Nabi Muhammad | 11/4 | 31/3 | Prophet's birthday |
| Labour Day | Hari Buruh | 1/5 | 1/5 | International holiday |
| Wesak Day | Hari Wesak | 12/5 | 1/5 | Buddha's birthday |
| School Break | Cuti Sekolah | 27/5 - 11/6 | 25/5 - 9/6 | School holidays |
| The King's birthday | Hari Keputeraan | 3/6 | 2/6 | First Sat in Jun |
| School Break | Cuti Sekolah | 19-27/8 | 17-25/8 | School holidays |
| National Day | Hari Merdeka | 31/8 | 31/8 | Independance day |
| Aïd el-Fitr | Hari Raya Puasa | 24-25/10* | 13-14/10* | End of Ramadan |
| Divali | Deepavali | 21/10* | 8/11* | Hindu festival, also known as festival of light |
| School Break | Cuti Sekolah | 18/11- 2/1/07 | 16/11 - 1/1/08 | School holidays |
| Haji Day | Hari Raya Haji | 10/1 and 31/12* | 20/12* | Festival of pilgrimage to Mecca |
| Christmas | Hari Krismas | 25/12 | 25/12 | Jesus's birthday |
* Subject to change
When a holiday falls on a weekend, the following day becomes a public holiday.Ringgit Malaysia (RM) and cent (¢):RM1, RM5, RM10, RM50, RM100 ; 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, 50¢.
Photos sources: Wikipedia, World Coin Gallery
1€ = RM4.6440 as of 6 Oct 2006
Electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals.
US 18.8%, Singapore 15%, Japan 10.1%, China 6.7%, Hong Kong 6%, Thailand 4.8% (2004).
Electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals.
Japan 16.1%, US 14.6%, Singapore 11.2%, China 9.9%, Thailand 5.5%, Taiwan 5.5%, South Korea 5%, Germany 4.5%, Indonesia 4% (2004).
 King: Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail |
 Prime Minister: Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi |
31 August 1957 (from UK)
Photo source: The Reflector
The early Buddhist Malay kingdom of Srivijaya, based at what is now Palembang, Sumatra, dominated much of the Malay peninsula from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The powerful Hindu kingdom of Majapahit, based on Java, gained control of the Malay peninsula in the 14th century. Conversion of the Malays to Islam, beginning in the early 14th century, accelerated with the rise of the state of Malacca under the rule of a Muslim prince in the 15th century. Malacca was a major regional entrepot, where Chinese, Arab, Malay, and Indian merchants traded precious goods. Drawn by this rich trade, a Portuguese fleet conquered Malacca in 1511, marking the beginning of European expansion in Southeast Asia. The Dutch ousted the Portuguese from Malacca in 1641. The British obtained the island of Penang in 1786. In 1795, the Dutch gave up Malacca to the British temporarily to prevent it from falling to the French during the Napoleonic war. It was returned to the Dutch in 1818. In 1824, through the Anglo-Dutch treaty, Malacca was given to the British in exchange for Bengkulen on the island of Sumatra, in what is today Indonesia.
In 1826, the British settlements of Malacca, Penang, and Singapore were combined to form the Colony of the Straits Settlements. From these strongholds, in the 19th and early 20th centuries the British established protectorates over the Malay sultanates on the peninsula. Four of these states were consolidated in 1895 as the Federated Malay States.
During British control, a well-ordered system of public administration was established, public services were extended, and large-scale rubber and tin production was developed. This control was interrupted by the Japanese invasion and occupation from 1941 to 1945 during World War II.
Popular sentiment for independence swelled during and after the war and, in 1957, the Federation of Malaya, established from the British-ruled territories of peninsular Malaysia in 1948, negotiated independence from the United Kingdom under the leadership of Tunku Abdul Rahman, who became the first prime minister. The British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah (called North Borneo) joined together with the Federation to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963.
Singapore left the Federation on August 9, 1965, and became an independent republic. Neighboring Indonesia objected to the formation of Malaysia and pursued a program of economic, political, diplomatic, and military "confrontation" against the new country, which ended only after the fall of Indonesia's President Sukarno in 1966.
Following World War II, local communists, nearly all Chinese, launched a long, bitter insurgency, prompting the imposition of a state of emergency in 1948 (lifted in 1960). Small bands of guerrillas remained in bases along the rugged border with southern Thailand, occasionally entering northern Malaysia. These guerrillas finally signed a peace accord with the Malaysian Government in December 1989. A separate, small-scale communist insurgency that began in the mid-1960s in Sarawak also ended with the signing of a peace accord in October 1990.
Based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of family law.
Reference: Some facts from this section are taken and modified from:CIA
