Malaysia in a Nutshell
马来西亚 mǎ lái xī yà
简而言之 jiǎn ér yán zhī
Area
面积 miàn jī
about 330 thousand square km
(about 330,000 square km)
Capital 首都 shǒu dū
Kuala Lumpur 吉隆坡 jí lóng pō
Climate 气候 qì hòu
Tropical 热带 rè dài
Temperature 温度 wēn dù: 21 to 32 degrees Celsius
Annual rainfall: 2000 mm to 2500mm
Conduct 行为 xíng wéi
Most Malaysians refrain from hugging and kissing in public. It would be inappropriate for visitors to do so, too.
Country
The Federation of Malaysia can be geographically divided into Peninsula Malaysia and East Malaysia (the states of Sabah and Sarawak).
Credit Cards 信用卡 xìn yòng kǎ
Widely accepted:
Visa, Mastercard, American Express and all other major credit cards.
Many establishments in the major cities accept mobile payments / e-wallets such as Alipay.
Currency 货 币 huò bì
Ringgit (MYR) 令吉 lìng jí
Denominations: RM100, RM50, RM10, RM5 and RM1 and sen (50 sen, 20 sen, 10 sen and the seldom used 5 sen).
Customs and Excise
Langkawi is a duty-free port. Hotel tariffs and retail goods are exempted from Government duty. Visitors who stay more than 48 hours on Langkawi do not have to pay tax on
* wine and liquor
* tobacco
* cosmetics
* souvenirs
* portable electronic goods
Dressing 穿着 chuān zhuó (Recommended)
Light and sweat absorbent material for daily wear - such as cotton.
Drugs (Illicit) 贩毒 fàn dú
The trafficking of illicit drugs carries a sentence of mandatory death upon conviction.
Electricity 电 diàn
220-240 Volts (Alternating current A/C)
Frequency: 50Hz
Geographical Location
Between 2 and 7 degrees North of the Equator
Government 政府 zhèng fǔ
Parliamentary Democracy with Constitutional Monarchy
Halal Food
Food that is permissible for Muslims by Muslim law. Restaurants that are certified "halal" do not serve alcohol and pork.
Head of Government
Prime Minister Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak. Click HERE for more info.
Homestay Programme
A Ministry of Tourism's programme where foreign and local visitors are invited to enjoy a homestay in traditional communities / villages.
Humidity 潮气 cháo qì
High humidity level 75% - 80%
Introductions/Greetings 寒喧 hán xuān
Normally a handshake among men. General acknowledgment by Muslim women are a smile and a nod.
Names 名字 míng zi
Malays 马 来人 mǎ lái rén:
First name is given name.
Name after the word "bin" is the name of the father.
Example: Ahmad bin Mohamad
Ahmad - name of the person
Mohamad - name of Ahmad's father
Chinese 中华民族 zhōng huá mín zú:
First name is surname or family name.
The next two are given names. It is also common practice that the second name refers to the generation (level) of the family.
Example: Yeoh Seng Siang
Yeoh - surname or family name
Seng - name of the generation
Siang - given name
Indians 印度人 yìn dù rén:
The first name is the given name followed by the family name.
Example: Siva a/l Kumar
Siva - given name
a/l - anak lelaki (literally translated as "son of")
Kumar - name of father
National Language 官方语言 guān fāng yǔ yán
Bahasa Malaysia
(English is widely spoken.)
Neighboring Countries
Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia
Member Nation of ASEAN
Official Religion 官方宗教 guān fāng zōng jiào
Islam 伊斯兰 yī sī lán (practiced by all Malays 马 来人 mǎ lái rén)
Other religions
are also practiced in Malaysia. Among them:
Christianity
Buddhism
Taoism
Hinduism
Sikhism
Population 人口 rén kǒu
32 million
Races 族 zú
The major races 族 zú in Malaysia are the Malays 马 来人 mǎ lái rén, Chinese 中华民族 zhōng huá mín zú and Indians 印度人 yìn dù rén.
Other races include the Kadazandusun and Ibans.
Ruler 君 jūn
Paramount Ruler called the "Yang di-Pertuan Agong" or simply in English the "King".
Salam
A "handshake" 握手 wò shǒu practiced by Muslims 清真 qīng zhēn. Both hands are offered to the other party. The other reciprocate by extending the hands as well. However, the contact is brief and light - unlike the firm grasp of a handshake. The hands are then brought toward the chest signifying a greeting that comes from the heart.
States 州 zhōu
13 States - 11 in Peninsular and 2 in East Malaysia
Time 时间 shí jiān
GMT +8 hours
Tipping 小费 xiǎo fèi
Not customary as quite a number of restaurants and eateries add a 10% service charge and a 5% government tax. But tipping to show appreciation is quite common among visitors.
Titles
Titles conferred by the government:
Tun, Tan Sri, Dato', Dato' Seri, Datuk and Datuk Seri.
Political dignitaries: Yang Berhormat (YB) and Yang Amat Berhormat (YAB)
about 330 thousand square km
(about 330,000 square km)
Capital 首都 shǒu dū
Kuala Lumpur 吉隆坡 jí lóng pō
Climate 气候 qì hòu
Tropical 热带 rè dài
Temperature 温度 wēn dù: 21 to 32 degrees Celsius
Annual rainfall: 2000 mm to 2500mm
Conduct 行为 xíng wéi
Most Malaysians refrain from hugging and kissing in public. It would be inappropriate for visitors to do so, too.
Country
The Federation of Malaysia can be geographically divided into Peninsula Malaysia and East Malaysia (the states of Sabah and Sarawak).
Credit Cards 信用卡 xìn yòng kǎ
Widely accepted:
Visa, Mastercard, American Express and all other major credit cards.
Many establishments in the major cities accept mobile payments / e-wallets such as Alipay.
Currency 货 币 huò bì
Ringgit (MYR) 令吉 lìng jí
Denominations: RM100, RM50, RM10, RM5 and RM1 and sen (50 sen, 20 sen, 10 sen and the seldom used 5 sen).
Customs and Excise
Langkawi is a duty-free port. Hotel tariffs and retail goods are exempted from Government duty. Visitors who stay more than 48 hours on Langkawi do not have to pay tax on
* wine and liquor
* tobacco
* cosmetics
* souvenirs
* portable electronic goods
Dressing 穿着 chuān zhuó (Recommended)
Light and sweat absorbent material for daily wear - such as cotton.
Drugs (Illicit) 贩毒 fàn dú
The trafficking of illicit drugs carries a sentence of mandatory death upon conviction.
Electricity 电 diàn
220-240 Volts (Alternating current A/C)
Frequency: 50Hz
Geographical Location
Between 2 and 7 degrees North of the Equator
Government 政府 zhèng fǔ
Parliamentary Democracy with Constitutional Monarchy
Halal Food
Food that is permissible for Muslims by Muslim law. Restaurants that are certified "halal" do not serve alcohol and pork.
Head of Government
Prime Minister Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak. Click HERE for more info.
Homestay Programme
A Ministry of Tourism's programme where foreign and local visitors are invited to enjoy a homestay in traditional communities / villages.
Humidity 潮气 cháo qì
High humidity level 75% - 80%
Introductions/Greetings 寒喧 hán xuān
Normally a handshake among men. General acknowledgment by Muslim women are a smile and a nod.
Names 名字 míng zi
Malays 马 来人 mǎ lái rén:
First name is given name.
Name after the word "bin" is the name of the father.
Example: Ahmad bin Mohamad
Ahmad - name of the person
Mohamad - name of Ahmad's father
Chinese 中华民族 zhōng huá mín zú:
First name is surname or family name.
The next two are given names. It is also common practice that the second name refers to the generation (level) of the family.
Example: Yeoh Seng Siang
Yeoh - surname or family name
Seng - name of the generation
Siang - given name
Indians 印度人 yìn dù rén:
The first name is the given name followed by the family name.
Example: Siva a/l Kumar
Siva - given name
a/l - anak lelaki (literally translated as "son of")
Kumar - name of father
National Language 官方语言 guān fāng yǔ yán
Bahasa Malaysia
(English is widely spoken.)
Neighboring Countries
Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia
Member Nation of ASEAN
Official Religion 官方宗教 guān fāng zōng jiào
Islam 伊斯兰 yī sī lán (practiced by all Malays 马 来人 mǎ lái rén)
Other religions
are also practiced in Malaysia. Among them:
Christianity
Buddhism
Taoism
Hinduism
Sikhism
Population 人口 rén kǒu
32 million
Races 族 zú
The major races 族 zú in Malaysia are the Malays 马 来人 mǎ lái rén, Chinese 中华民族 zhōng huá mín zú and Indians 印度人 yìn dù rén.
Other races include the Kadazandusun and Ibans.
Ruler 君 jūn
Paramount Ruler called the "Yang di-Pertuan Agong" or simply in English the "King".
Salam
A "handshake" 握手 wò shǒu practiced by Muslims 清真 qīng zhēn. Both hands are offered to the other party. The other reciprocate by extending the hands as well. However, the contact is brief and light - unlike the firm grasp of a handshake. The hands are then brought toward the chest signifying a greeting that comes from the heart.
States 州 zhōu
13 States - 11 in Peninsular and 2 in East Malaysia
Time 时间 shí jiān
GMT +8 hours
Tipping 小费 xiǎo fèi
Not customary as quite a number of restaurants and eateries add a 10% service charge and a 5% government tax. But tipping to show appreciation is quite common among visitors.
Titles
Titles conferred by the government:
Tun, Tan Sri, Dato', Dato' Seri, Datuk and Datuk Seri.
Political dignitaries: Yang Berhormat (YB) and Yang Amat Berhormat (YAB)
