12 Really Cool Facts About Malaysia

THINGS TO INSPIRE YOU TO VISIT

When visiting other countries, I love learning fun and interesting facts to allow me to better understand and appreciate the place, the culture and the history. If you are thinking about going to Malaysia, I’ve got you covered. Here are 12 really cool facts about Malaysia that I have learnt on my travels to this tropical wonderland. I’m sure you will be inspired to visit, or maybe a stopover. It is a very diverse and exotic country that has become a very popular travel destination in South East Asia.

Here is my listicle, which includes some truly amazing things.

1.

Firstly, Malaysia, as a country, is actually only 56 years old, federation having been in 1963.

2.

The world’s tallest twin towers are the stunning Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

3.

The highest skybridge in the world is the one that connects these twin towers. The view from the skybridge is spectacular.

4.

The biggest roundabout in the world is in Putrajaya. It is 3.5 km in diameter!

5.

Malaysia has the largest underground cave chamber in the world (i.e. one big space). It’s the Sarawak Cave Chamber in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak. It measures over 150,000 square metres. It is very difficult to get to, and recommended only for experienced cavers.

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6.

There are 4 UNESCO world heritage sights in Malaysia:

• Lenggong Valley archeology
• Historic cities of the Straits of Malacca
• Gunung Mulu National Park, and
• Kinabalu Park.

7.

Malaysia has the most royal families in the world, with nine different families. Why do they need so many? Good question.

8.

Jimmy Choo, the famous shoe designer was born in Penang, Malaysia.

9.

Malaysia has the largest flower in the world. Weighing 11 kg (what the …?) and almost a metre wide in full bloom it is the Rafflesia arnoldii in Kinabalu National Park, Sabah. Apparently this flower is sooo smelly, it’s also called the corpse flower.

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10.

Malaysia has the largest specimen of leaf in the world, Alocasia macrorrhiza, from Sabah, over 3 metres long and nearly 2 metres wide.

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11.

Malaysia’s tropical rainforest, Taman Negara, is older than the Amazon rainforests, making it the oldest natural rainforest in the world. Furthermore, it has more than 10,000 species of plants!

12.

Kepong has the world’s largest manmade rainforest – the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), which you can visit to observe birds and wildlife and enjoy recreational activities.

FRIM

As always, I like to give you more …

13.

The world’s oldest complete human skeleton ever found is Perak Man in Malaysia, dating back some 11,000 years! It is currently on display at Lenggong Archaeological Museum in Hulu Perak.

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14.

Some buildings, such as hotels, don’t have a 4th floor. Why? Because in Chinese ‘4’ sounds like ‘death. So they will often have a level 3A instead.

15.

Malaysia is known for producing the best crude oil in the world and the most expensive.

16.

UBER doesn’t exist in Asia anymore since GRAB took over. I have found it to be very efficient. You can download the app for free.

17.

Finally, if you want to speak like a local, use ‘lah’ at the end of every sentence, to give emphasis. You’ll soon get the hang of it.

 

Ok, that’s it, lah. My 12 really cool facts about Malaysia, lah. I hope you have gained some wanderlust to make you want to visit this South East Asian paradise, if you weren’t already planning to. As always when visiting other countries, respect the locals and their customs, lah. (Sorry, I’ll stop now.)

Malaysia Tours

If you are interested in taking a tour, here are some I would really recommend.