A Beginner’s Guide to Malaysia

So what’s Malaysia all about, anyway? It’s a small country on the other side of the world, and most Americans can probably only rattle off a few bullet points:

• It’s a country in Asia
• It’s hot
• That plane disappeared…
• Petronas Towers?

I myself knew little about the country before meeting my Malaysian wife, but I’ve learned a lot these last few years and I’ll try to get you up to speed.

Where is Malaysia?

A quick browse of the world map shows us Malaysia is a small country in Southeast Asia.

Malaysia sits just north of the equator in the South China Sea. It actually spans two landmasses, with Peninsular Malaysia stretching south of Thailand, and East Malaysia covering a portion of the island of Borneo. Peninsular Malaysia is where most of the action is, home to the capital city Kuala Lumpur (KL) and about 90% of the country’s population.

As the crow flies, KL sits roughly 9,500 miles from my current home in Columbus, Ohio. It’s quite a journey. When I traveled there last December, it took about 22 hours of flight time to get from A to B. Aside from a few cities in Australia or Indonesia, KL is pretty much the farthest major city I could move to.

Neighbors in the region include Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore, with Australia just a few hours away by plane. Singapore is an island and city-state on the southern tip of Malaysia. Together with Kuala Lumpur they make up a major economic hub in the region.

Geography and Weather

Malaysia is a tropical country with tropical weather. Temperatures hover between 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit pretty much all year round.

Malaysia gets a lot of rain. They have monsoon seasons that vary by location, and peninsular Malaysia averages over eight feet of rain per year. At one point during my trip last December it rained like this for three days straight.

Malaysia is quite mountainous, and everything is green. There is still some virgin rainforest on peninsular Malaysia but much of it has been replaced by palm and rubber plantations, two of the country’s chief exports. Malaysia accounts for about 40% of the world’s palm oil production and 10% of the world’s rubber.

Su’s father owns a rubber plantation that he’s worked for many years. It’s just a short drive from his home in rural Negeri Sembilan.

Fortunately, Malaysia is pretty well insulated from the natural disasters that afflict the surrounding region. The country sits outside the Ring of Fire, and seismic activity on Peninsular Malaysia is effectively nil. Also, its orientation near the equator and surrounding landmasses protects Malaysia from most major storms and cyclones. While flooding is possible during monsoon seasons, destructive landfall events are quite rare.

Politics and Government

Malaysia is in the midst of a pretty remarkable political transition. In May the people elected a new Prime Minister and ousted a ruling party that had controlled the government for sixty years.

The historic result came amidst mounting allegations of corruption and misappropriation by former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife. Najib is accused of pocketing more than $700 million from a Malaysian development fund, and authorities recently seized hundreds of luxury Birkin handbags from his various homes.

Najib denied all allegations and went into the 2018 election heading a party that’s ruled Malaysia since the country gained independence from Britain in 1957. He ended up losing to this guy:

93-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, who became the world’s oldest elected leader fronting a party that didn’t exist five years ago.

It’s a pretty cool story. With allegations piling up against Najib, Malaysians basically said, “Screw this guy,” even though his party was the only ruling coalition many had ever known.

The election has been called a landmark moment for democracy in Southeast Asia, and an empowering victory in the fight against corruption around the world.

People and Culture

Malaysia is very diverse compared to other countries in the region. The major ethnic group is the Malays, but they only make up about half the population. The rest is a mix of Chinese, Indian, and various indigenous groups native to the region.

I couldn’t find any reliable statistic for the percentage of white people living in Malaysia, so I expect that number is low. That said, Kuala Lumpur has a sizable expat community and Malaysia is a popular retirement destination due to its economy and climate.

The majority religion in Malaysia is Muslim, so hijabs are commonplace and all the food is halal. It’s not uncommon to hear the daily calls to prayer, broadcast across the city.

My experience with Malaysian people has been overwhelmingly positive. My family and I enjoyed great hospitality during our visit, and we were treated warmly everywhere we went. The people I talked to were friendly, laid back, and curious, and I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe.

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of what Malaysia is all about. It’s a land of diverse people and democratic ideals. Rich in natural resources and renowned for incredible food.

Malaysia is still considered a “Developing Nation” by western standards, but the country boasts a strong national healthcare system and one of the lowest poverty rates in the world.

Given we’ve only scratched the surface, I’d love to hear some of your questions and curiosities. I’ll do my best to answer them as I go, and you might give me ideas for future articles.

Thanks for reading.

Until next time…