Malaysia officially the Federation of Malaysia has one of the most diverse cultural countries in Malaysia. There is a lot of general knowledge about Malaysia, but there are untold stories about Asia that will surprise you. Do you know that the biggest roundabout in the world is located in Malaysia?
We will be uncovering some historical, cultural, food, and religious facts, and more in the article. If you want to visit Malaysia or just want to know more about that beautiful country, this article will surely be an eye-opener for you.
1. The currency of Malaysia, the ringgit means jagged in Malay which is a reference to the serrated edges of the Spanish silver dollars that were used in the 16th and 17th centuries.
2. To choose the design for the flag of Malaysia, a competition was held which was won by Mohamad Hamzah in May 1950.
3. The World’s tallest twin building is the Petronas Twin Towers located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
4. Malaysia has a total of 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites with 2 of them being cultural and the other 2 naturals.
5. Sarawak Chamber in Malaysia is the largest cave chamber in the World stretching out to 600 meters long, 415 meters wide, and 80 meters high.
6. The highest mountain in Malaysia, Mount Kinabalu is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It measures about 13,435 feet high.
7. Borneo Island is the only island located in three countries; Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, and is also the 3rd largest island in the World.
8. The biggest roundabout in the world is located in Putrajaya, Malaysia and it measures about 3.5 km.
9. In 1997, the Malaysian State of Kelantan stopped the switching off of lights in movie cinemas to prevent people from kissing and cuddling.
10. A Specie of cat, striped, huge, and orange where first spotted in Malaysia and hence was named the Malayan Tiger.
11. King cobras are found mainly in the rain forest and plains of southern China and Southeastern Asia, Malaysia included.
12. The Rafflesia flower commonly known as the corpse flower due to its smell is found in large numbers in Malaysia. It can be seen commonly in states like Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang. This flower is the largest and tallest growing flower in the world.
13. The World’s tallest tropical tree called Shorea faguetiana is found in the rainforests of Sabah, Borneo Malaysia.
14. Malaysians need a passport to travel from East Malaysia to Peninsular Malaysia and vice versa.
15. In Malaysia, wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the right hand. This ring is put in y a senior female relative of the groom, not the groom.
16. It is believed that Chinese Malays visit graveyards at the midnight with offerings for the dead with the hope of receiving lucky lottery numbers from them.
17. Like in China and some other Asian countries, the number ‘4’ is considered unlucky because it sounds like the Chinese word for death.
18. According to tradition, pregnant women in Malaysia are not allowed to tie or kill anything because it might result in the birth of a deformed baby or one with birthmarks.
19. Pregnant women in Malaysia refrained from seeing anything scary or ugly.
20. The Taman Negara Park protects one of the world’s oldest rainforests which is believed to be more than 130 million years old and was once home to dinosaurs.
21. Malaysia is one of the few countries that do not permit gay marriage. In fact, they look upon the LGBTQ family with discrimination.
22. Malaysia is divided into two parts, Peninsula Malaysia and East Malaysia. These parts are divided by the South China Sea.
23. While the majority of their population is Malay, there are also large numbers of Chinese and Indians found in Malaysia.
24. Malaysia is one of the major exporters of tropical fruits.
25. Malaysia is home to the stinkiest fruit in the world known as durian.
26. ‘Lah’ is an important part of the Malay speech. It could be used as an exclamation or to exaggerate a statement or to strongly agree or disagree with someone or to show exasperation.
27. Singapore is separated from Malaysia by just a bridge.
28. The largest and longest river in Malaysia is the Rajang river which flows for 350 miles.
29. Malaysia is home to a large number of orangutans numbering over 3,000. Orangutans are found mostly in Malaysia and Indonesia.
30. A fun fact and a little bit of a surprising one is that Mohamad Hamzah the designer of the Malaysian flag is an architect.
31. The first name of Malaysia is believed to be Aurea Chersonesus which means ‘peninsula of gold’.
32. The Taman Negara Park is the oldest park in Malaysia dating back to 1938.
33. The local time of Peninsula Malaysia has been adjusted a total of 6 times. The last one was in 1981 which was made 30 minutes ahead to match the time in East Malaysia which is UTC +8.
34. The Kedah Sultanate is believed to be one of the oldest Sultanates still standing.
35. The two parts of Malaysia have 2 different independence dates. Eastern Malaysia gained theirs on 16th September 1963 while the Peninsula gained its independence on 30th August 1957.
36. Despite Islam being the main religion of Malaysia, other religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity are also practiced.
37. Malaysia has adjusted their local time a total of 6 times with the first being in 1932 and lastly in 1982 making the 30 minutes faster.
38. During ancient times, newborn babies in Malaysia were referred to as ‘ulat’ meaning ‘worm’. This is to be the name till the official naming ceremony.
39. Malaysia has both a prime minister and a king, but the country’s decision-making is carried out by the prime minister.
40. Caning is still a valid form of punishment in Malaysia. Boys under the age of 10 and men over the age of 50 cannot be canned unless charged with rape.
41. The total highway length of Malaysia’s highway is 65,877km which is longer than the Earth’s circumference which is 30,075km.
42. Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak, and Malaya were part of Malaya which is currently Peninsular Malaysia.
43. The tropical rainforests of Malaysia are home to many endangered animal species including Bornean orangutans, pygmy elephants, and Sumatran rhinoceroses.
44. The ringgit features the national flower of Malaysia; hibiscus rosa-sinensis and a portrait of Tunku Abdul Rahman the first prime minister of Malaysia.
45. The king of Malaysia is elected by the nine rulers of the Malay states.
46. In an attempt to increase trade with China, Britain bought Malaysia’s Penang Island in 1786.
47. Malaysia was occupied by the Japanese during World War 2. The end of this war brought a desire for independence for the Malays.
48. Malaysia is one of the first countries in the world to have won the war against communism.
49. Malaysians from other origins refer to themselves as ‘Dan Lain Lain’ which means ‘other’.
50. One of the biggest festivals in Malaysia, Thaipusam is celebrated either in January or February. It is a day of thanksgiving and penance paying for Lord Murugan which normally is a public holiday.
51. 2 years after Malaysia gained her independence, in 1963, Singapore separated from Malaysia.
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