Do you know? The interesting Facts About Malaysia?

     Malaysia is a small country with a fast-growing economy. Located on a trade route in the South China Sea, the Southeast Asian country has an open, diversified, upper-middle income economy.

Located partly on the Asian mainland and partly on the Northern Island of Borneo, Malaysia is truly Asia. It is one of the wealthiest countries in Southeast Asia with investments in technology industries and reasonable oil wealth. From sky gazing skyscrapers to exotic wildlife, Malaysia is sure to mesmerize you. Here we present some interesting facts about 

Here are some interesting facts about Malaysia:

1. Malaysia is the only country in the world with its territory on both the mainland of Asia and the islands that form the Malay Archipelago. Yes, that’s correct.The country declared independence from the British Empire in 1957.

2. Ethnic Malays account for roughly half of Malaysia's estimated 31 million people. Other significant groups include Chinese, Indians and various indigenous peoples.

3. Malaysia has a unique rotating monarchy system, in which nine ethnic Malay state rulers take turns as king for five-year terms.

4. The country is made up of two main landmasses, Peninsular 

Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. They are separated by the South China Sea.

5. The Sarawak Cave Chamber is the largest known cave chamber in the world. It is located in Gunung Mulu National Park, on the island of Borneo.

6. The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur were the world's tallest buildings until 2004. Standing 451.9 meters (1,483 feet) high with 88 stories, the structures remain as the world's tallest twin buildings.

7. Shoe designer Jimmy Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia. Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the Order of the British Empire in 2003.

8. What may be the world's richest unrecovered treasure trove from a sunken ship rests somewhere on the sea floor in Malaysia's Strait of Malacca. The Portuguese ship Flora de la mar (Flower of the sea) was returning home loaded with what was then the largest treasure collected by the Portuguese navy when it sank in December 1511. Today, modern-day pirates are known to patrol the Malaysian strait.

9. The national currency is the ringgit, which is a dated term for "jagged" in the Malay language and refers to the serrated edges of silver Spanish dollars widely used in the 16th and 17th centuries.

10. Four UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites are found in Malaysia: Gunung Mulu National Park, Kinabalu Park, the historic cities of Melaka and George Town, and the archaeological heritage site of the Lenggong Valley.

Here are some interesting Malaysia facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Malaysian Flag

• Population: 32 million people (2018)
• Capital: Kuala Lumpur with more than 7 million inhabitants, the administrative capital, however, is Putrajaya with less than 100,000 inhabitants!
• Name: Malaysia
• Motto: 'Unity is Strength'
• Government: Constitutional monarchy. Federation of 13 states and three territories. The country also has a king who is elected every five years.
• Language: Malay (Bahasa Malaysia)
• Religion: mainly Islam (60%). There are also Buddhists (20%), Christians (9%) and Hindu (6%)
• Currency: 1 Ringgit = 100 sen
• History: Signs of human settlements on the Malay Peninsula date back more than 40,000 years. The first settlers arrived from China and India around the first century AD. In the 15th century Portuguese conquered port towns such as Melaka, after this the Dutch established their rule. In the late 17th century the British ruled in the area with main settlements in Melaka, Penang and Singapore. During the second world war the Japanese invaded the country and occupied the area for three years. Malaysia gained independence in 1963.

• National Day: 31 August 
• National Symbols: Malayan tiger (national animal), hibiscus (national flower)
• National Anthem: 'My Country'

Malaysia has six neighbouring countries. These are:

• Thailand to the north,
• Singapore to the south
• Indonesia on the island of Borneo and maritime border 
• Brunei on the island or Borneo

Kuala Lumpur is a 7 hours flight from Dubai and 14 hours flight from Johannesburg/South Africa, 13 hours flight from London/UK and 21 hours from New York/USA.

• Malaysia covers roughly the same size in land area as the US state of New Mexico!
• Peninsular Malaysia is linked to Singapore by a causeway and a bridge.
• East Malaysia is on the island of Borneo and consists of two states: Sabah and Sarawak.
• Malaysia has hundreds of islands along the coastline. Pulau Langkawi is the biggest island of the country. Pulau means island in Malaysian. 
• Malaysia's highest point is Mount Kinabalu, on the island of Borneo, with 4,095 m or 13,435 ft. 
• The longest river is the Rajang river with 563km or 350ft.
• Malaysia's Mulu Caves on the island of Borneo are one of the largest cave system in the world.
• There are four UNESCO world heritage sites in Malaysia among them the towns of Melaka (also referred to as Malacca) and Georgetown (also called Penang). Find out more about the heritage sites here.
• Malaysia lies close to the equator and thus has an equatorial climate with two rainy seasons. The humidity is very high.