Map source: Map of World Happiness
From Lonely Planet Destination Guide: "Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in southeast Asia. It's buoyant and wealthy, and has moved towards a pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs.
Malaysia's love of Western-style industrialisation is abundantly clear in its big cities. Aside from the gleaming glass towers of the 21st Century, though, Malaysia boasts some of the most superb beaches, mountains and national parks in Asia."
Kuala Lumpur is the capital of and the largest city in Malaysia.
'KL' is a very cosmopolitan and vibrant city with world class hotels and shopping areas, high tech facilities, modern buildings, and a sophisticated transportation infrastructure.
A mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures give KL a special quality, resulting in a rich diversity of architecture, cuisine and clothing. Malaysia is a country that consists of 13 states and three federal territories in South East Asia with a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometers. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur and it is also the largest city in Malaysia. The country is separated into 2 regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo which are separated by the South China Sea.
The population of Malaysia is approximately 26 Million. The Malays forms the majority population while there are sizeable Chinese and Indian communities along with other minority races.
Malaysia was known as Malaya prior to our independence in 1957. What a historical day it was when the Union Jack was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted to the cries of MERDEKA led by our first Prime Minister the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. Malaysia is now an independent and sovereign state. Since then, Malaysia has come a long way. The last five decades saw Malaysia marching towards achieving her goal of being a fully developed nation by the year 2020.
One of Malaysia's key attractions is that she is a land of fascinating contrasts. Tall skyscrapers tower over wooden houses built on stilts, while five star hotels sit several meters away from ancient coral reefs.
Malaysia is also a land of natural wonders. There are dramatic limestone outcrops, fascinating caves and spectacular waterfalls in hills and the mountains of Malaysia. She also boasts of two of the highest mountains in South East Asia. 'Mount Tahan' which rises 2,190m above the central spine of the Tititwangsa mountain range in Peninsular Malaysia and 'Mount Kinabalu' which is 4,100m high in Sabah.
The country's beautiful sandy beaches and idyllic island resorts are vacation paradise an awe-inspiring national parks with nature's beauty present visitors a preview an amazing array of flora and fauna. Cool serene hill stations offer a relaxing and refreshing holiday.
A melting pot of people, culture, religions and traditions, Malaysia proffer an exuberant celebration of festivals, a colorful fusion of Asian customs, culture and tradition, and a gastronomic delight of multi cultural cuisines.
