The Beauty of Taiwan

         Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park was established in 1974, just offshore Kota Kinabalu, in Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. It comprises 49 square kilometers of which two-thirds are sea, and the rest is coral reefs and five islands. It is named after the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman. The Park is administered by Sabah Parks.Climate
         The islands can be visited all year round. Temperatures are between 23.8-29.4 degrees Celsius. Humidity remains relatively high throughout the year.
Geology
         The islands are underlaid by folded sandstone and sedimentary rock, are part of the Croker Range Rock Formation of the western coast of Sabah. Towards the end of Ice Age happened about one million years ago, changes of the sea level occurred, resulting in portions of the mainland being cut off by the sea, thus forming the islands today. Exposed sandstone outcrops still feature the coasts of most of these islands forming cliffs, caves, honeycombs and deep crevasses along the shore.
Pulau Gaya
         Pulau GayaLook up Ridge in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.Gaya derived its name from the Bajau word "Gayo" which means big, occupies an area of 15 square kilometers (3,700 acres) and an elevation of 300 meters. Several ridges, rising more than 600 feet (180 m) and peaking at 1,000 feet (300 m), form the backbone of Pulau Gaya.
         Gaya is the largest island of the park, closest to downtown Kota Kinabalu (KK) and is covered with dense virgin tropical forest. It has been a forest reserve since 1923. The island has a Marine Ecology Research Centre, hiking trails and some resorts. However, it is also host to a very large (and growing) stilt village located just opposite the KK waterfront. This village is occupied by illegal immigrants from the Philippines and is considered a dangerous high crime or "no-go" area by the police and KK locals.
         The major beach area in Gaya located at the Police Bay, a quarter mile of white sand gently slopes out to the sea makes Police Beach ideal for swimming in the crystal clear water. The coral reefs along the entire coast of island are in excellent condition.
Pulau Manukan
         The second largest island in the park, Manukan is the most popular with Kota Kinabalu residents. Manukan has some good stretches of beaches on the southern coastline. The best beach is on the eastern tip of the island. Offshores of Manukan are coral reefs, which is ideal for snorkelling, diving and swimming.
         Out of 5 islands, Manukan features the most developed tourist facilities that includes 20 units of chalets, a clubhouse, and few restaurants and a diving centre. Recreation facilities include a swimming pool, football field, squash and tennis courts. Infrastructural facilities include support-water, electricity, desalination plant, sewerage system, and even a solar public telephone. It is covered in dense vegetation and has hiking trails.
Pulau Mamutik
         The 15 acres island makes Mamutik the smallest of the park. Despite being the smallest, the island offers some good beaches and coral reefs. It also has a jetty, a 3 bedroom resthouse for rent, and staff quarters for Rangers station. Facilities include changing rooms, toilets, picnic shelters, tables and barbecue pits. Fresh water and electricity are available.
Pulau Sapi
         Pulau Sapi, literally known as "Cow Island" in Malay is just off the south-western tip of Pulau Gaya. The 25 acre (10 ha) island features one of the nicest beaches in the park and most popular with tourists for snorkling and scuba diving. It is developed with tourist facilities that includes a jetty, picnic shelters, barbecue pits, tables, changing rooms and toilets. The forest is inhabited by macaques. Camping is allowed with the permission from the Park Warden.
Pulau Sulug
         Sulug is the farthest island of them all. Considered relatively untouched, remote and undeveloped, the 20-acre (16 ha) island is more popular with foreign tourists who prefer a quiet and tranquil atmosphere. Good reef patches lie along the southern end of the island.
         During formation, a long sand spit jutting out into the ocean formed a round hill.
History
         In 1882, British North Borneo Chartered Company set up a trading settlement on Pulau Gaya which was later moved to the mainland known as Jesselton. Later Jesselton is renamed as Kota Kinabalu.
         In 1974, the major part of Pulau Gaya and Pulau Sapi was gazetted as Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, covering an area of 8,990 acres (36.4 km²). In 1979, it was increased to 12,185 acres (4,931 ha) with the inclusion of the 3 nearby islands Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik and Pulau Sulug.
External links
         Sabah Parks
~ data from Wikipedia

         Mount Kinabalu (Malay: Gunung Kinabalu) is a prominent mountain in Southeast Asia. It is located in Kinabalu National Park (a World Heritage Site) in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo in the tropics.         In 1997, a re-survey using satellite technology established its summit (known as Low’s Peak) height at 4,095 metres (13,435 feet) above sea level, which is some 6 metres less than the previously thought and hitherto published figure of 4,101 metres (13,455 feet). The mountain is the third tallest in Southeast Asia behind Hkakabo Razi of Myanmar (Burma) and Puncak Jaya of New Guinea - Indonesia, and is therefore also the tallest in Malaysia and on the island of Borneo, which Malaysia shares with Indonesia and tiny Brunei.
         The mountain and its surroundings feature a huge variety of flora, and is one of the world’s most important biological sites.
         The main peak of the mountain (Low's Peak) can be relatively easily climbed by a person with a good physical condition, and requires no mountaineering equipment. Other peaks along the massif, however, require rock climbing skills.
Biology
         Significantly, Mount Kinabalu is well-known worldwide for its tremendous botanical and biological species biodiversity, with high levels of endemism (i.e. species which are found only within Kinabalu Park and are not found anywhere else in the world). As examples, it has one of the world’s richest orchid flora with over 800 species, over 600 species of ferns (more than the whole of Africa’s 500 species) of which 50 are found no where else, and is the richest place in the world for the Nepenthes insectivorous pitcher plants (five of the thirteen are found nowhere else on earth) which reach spectacular proportions (the largest in the world being the endemic Nepenthes rajah).
         The parasitic Rafflesia plant, which has the largest single flower in the world, is also found in Kinabalu (particularly the Rafflesia keithii whose flower grows to a whopping 94 centimetres or 37 inches in diameter), though it should be noted that blooms of the flower are rare and difficult to find. A recent botanical survey of the mountain estimated a staggering 5,000 to 6,000 plant species (excluding mosses and liverworts but including ferns), which is more than all of Europe and North America (excluding tropical regions of Mexico) combined. It is therefore one of the world’s most important biological sites.
         Its incredible biodiversity in plant life is due to a combination of several unique factors: its setting in one of the richest plant regions of the world (the tropical biogeographical region known as western Malesia which comprises the island of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and the island of Borneo), the fact that the mountain covers a wide climatic range from near sea level to freezing ground conditions near the summit, the jagged terrain and diversity of rocks and soils, the high levels of rainfall (averaging about 2700mm a year at park HQ), and the climatic instability caused by periods of glaciation and catastrophic droughts which result in evolution and speciation. This diversity is greatest in the lowland regions (comprised of lowland dipterocarp forests, so called because the tree family Dipterocarpaceae are dominant). However, most of Kinabalu’s endemic species are found in the mountain forests, particularly on ultramafic soils (i.e soils which are low in phosphates and high in iron and metals poisonous to many plants; this high toxic content gave rise to the development of distinctive plant species found nowhere else).
         There are some 326 species of birds in Kinabalu Park (including the spectacular Rhinocerous Hornbill); and some 100 mammalian species, including one of the four great apes, the Orang Utan (though sightings of these are uncommon; estimates of its numbers in the park range from 25 to 120).
Geology
         Mount Kinabalu is essentially a huge granite dome that was pushed up from the earth’s crust as molten rock millions of years ago. In geological terms, it is a very young mountain as the granite cooled and hardened only about 10 million years ago. During the ice ages of about 100,000 years ago, the massive mountain was covered by huge sheets of ice and glaciers which flowed down its slopes, scouring its surface in the process. Its granite composition and the glacial formative processes are readily apparent when viewing its craggy rocky peaks.
Climbing route
         Climbers must be accompanied by guides at all times. The climb starts at the Kinabalu park headquarters at 1,563m (5,128 feet).
         Accommodation is available inside the park or outside near the headquarters. From there, climbers proceed to the Timpohon gate at 1800 m (5900 ft), either by minibus or by walking, and then walk to the Laban Rata hut at 3300 m (10,800 ft). Most people accomplish this part of the climb in 3 to 6 hours. Since there are no roads, the supplies for the Laban Rata hut are carried by porters, who bring up to 30 kilograms of supplies on their backs. Hot food and beverages, hot showers and heated rooms are available at the hut. The last 800 m (2600 ft), from the Laban Rata hut at 3300 m to the summit at 4100 m, takes between 2 and 4 hours. The last part of the climb is on naked granite rock.
         Given the high altitude, some people may suffer from altitude sickness and should return immediately to the bottom of the mountain, as breathing and any further movement becomes increasingly difficult.
         A typical descent from the summit is quick but is often equally painful as the ascent: knee joints, ankle joints and toes tend to suffer as the climbers descend 3000 m (9850 ft) in five hours.
Tales
         There are two tales that led to the main beliefs in the origin of the mountain's name.
         The first derivation of the word Kinabalu is extracted from the short form for the Kadazan Dusun word 'Aki Nabalu',- meeting "the revered place of the dead".
         The second source states that the name "Kinabalu" actually means "Cina Balu" ( which would fully mean "A Chinese Widow"). Due to the lingual influence among the Kadazan Dusun of Sabah, the pronunciation for the word "cina" (chee-na) was changed to "Kina" (kee-na). It was told that a Chinese prince was cast away to the Borneo island when his cruise ship sank in the middle of the South China Sea.
         He was subsequently rescued by the local natives from a nearby village. As he regained full recovery, he was slowly accepted as one of the people living in the village. Eventually, he fell in love with a local girl and married the girl. Years went by, he started to feel homesick. So, he asked permission from his newly-found family to go back to China to visit his parents (the Emperor and Empress of China). To his wife, he promised that as soon as he is done with his chores in China, he will come back to the Borneo Island to take her and their children back to China.
         So, after building a simple sailship for him, he went back to China. When he arrived in China, he was given a grand welcome by his family. However, to his dismay, his emperor parents disagreed with him about taking his wife from Borneo back to China. Worse, his parents told him that he was already betrothed to a princess of a neighbouring kingdom. Having no choice (due to high respect towards his parents), he obeyed with a heavy heart.
         Meanwhile, back in the Borneo Island, the lovesick wife grew more and more anxious. Eventually, she decided that she will wait for her husband's ship. However, since the village is situated far away from the shore, she couldn't afford to come to the docks and wait for him daily.
         Nevertheless, because of love, she found a better way to wait for her husband's arrival. She decided to climb to the top of the highest mountain near her village, so that she could have a better view of the ships sailing around the South China Sea. Thus, she was then seen climbing up the mountain at every sunrise, returning only at nights to attend to her growing children.
         Doing this for a long time, her efforts have finally taken a toll. She fell ill, and eventually died at the top of the cold mountain while waiting for her husband. The spirit of the mountain, having observed her for years, was extremely touched by her loyalty towards her husband. Out of admiration for this woman, the spirit of the mountain turned her into a stone. Her face, was made to face the South China Sea, so that she can wait forever for her dear husband's return.
         The people in her hometown who heard about this were also gravely touched by this. Thus, they decided to name the mountain, Kinabalu, in remembrance of her. To them, the mountain is a symbol of the everlasting love and loyalty, that should be taken as a good example by women.
         To this day, the people around Ranau, a district in Sabah, believed that St John's Peak was the stone which her body was turned into.
~ data from Wikipedia

         Kinabalu National Park or Taman Negara Kinabalu in Malay, established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of the most important biological sites in the world.          Located at west coast of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo; it covers an area of 754 square kilometers surrounding the majestic Mount Kinabalu which at 4,095.2 metres, is the highest mountain in south-east Asia.
         This botanical site is blessed with astonishing variety of flora and fauna that ranges over 4 climate zones; from rich lowland dipterocarp forest through the montane oak, rhododendron, to the coniferous forests, to the alpine meadow plants, and to the stunted bushes of summit zone. The mountain is famous for its many carnivorous plant and orchid species, most notably Nepenthes rajah. Its is also home to a multitude of endemic animal species, including the Kinabalu Giant Red Leech and Kinabalu Giant Earthworm.
Kinabalu Park Headquarters
         The park HQ is 88 kilometers away from the city of Kota Kinabalu. Highways and sealed roads made the Park easily accessible. It is situated on the southern boundary of Kinabalu Park, at an elevation of 1,563m (5,128 feet).
         Resorts, restaurants, exhibit centers, and park offices are within the headquarter vicinity. All climbers and overnight visitors must register at the HQ Park office.
         Nine different types of accommodation are available, ranging from the relatively cheap Menggilan Hostel to the luxury, five-bed Rajah Lodge.
         In 2004, more than 415,360 visitors and 43,430 climbers visited the Park.
         This park is administered by an organization called Sabah Parks and reservations are processed through Sutera Sanctuary Lodges.
Further information
         Further information on the mountain (including its biology) can be found in the article on Mount Kinabalu.
External links
         Sabah Parks website
         Kinabalu National Park - A guide to climbing Mt Kinabalu
~ data from Wikipedia

         亞庇（Kota Kinabalu，曾譯作哥打京那峇魯、哥打京那巴魯或哥打基那巴魯，簡稱K.K.）是馬來西亞沙巴州的首府。馬來西亞獨立前，其英文名稱為Jesselton。歷史
         亞庇是馬來西亞沙巴州的第三個也是現任首府。亞庇據説是馬來語中「火」的意思，亞庇曾多次遭火神光顧，稱火之都市。亞庇最後一次火劫是在第二次世界大戰期間，被日本兵縱火燒成平地的。哥打馬來語是都市之意，京那巴魯則是神山。
人口
         包括周邊的城鎮共約七十萬。
經濟
         以商業為主，周圍的城鎮都把種植品載到亞庇來經銷，距離亞庇三十分鐘車程的亞庇工業園，成立於1994年，也是現今政府大力推薦的工業中心，可惜基本設施如水電供應不足，發展頗慢。
         除了商業，亞庇最主要的經濟來源是旅遊業，這裡可以看見來自世界各地的遊客，常年夏天的氣候，方便的旅遊場所非常適合旅客來遊玩，熱情的人民、白細的沙灘，讓人流連忘返。
文化
         除了伊斯蘭、基督教文化之外，由於該市有許多華人聚居，故中華文化在當地社區風氣亦甚。這裡的馬來西亞華人多操客家話，甚至有些土著族群也操流利的客家話，年輕一代多操華語，其他州來的華人也帶來了其他的方言，好比如福州話、廣府話等。
旅遊
         亞庇位處於熱帶地區，陽光與海灘是旅遊者到此享受的其中一些活動，例如丹容亞路海灘。另外，在亞庇水域潛水亦為旅遊者所嚮往，南海的水清和眾多珊瑚礁裡豐富的珊瑚品種令潛者大開眼界。
         當地的清真寺亦富有文化和歷史旅遊的價值。
京那巴魯山(神山)
         京那巴魯山是眾多徒步旅行者的聖地，被當地人稱為神山。它是東南亞最高的山峰，高有4095米，每年增高約5毫米。「京那」（Kina）是馬來語「中國」之意，「巴魯」據説為「寡婦」之意。沙巴許多神奇哀艷和壯烈的故事與這座「中國寡婦山」有關。
         相傳在古代，一位中國的年輕商人來到浡泥（北婆羅洲），與當地一位美麗的卡達山族姑娘結為夫妻，婚後過著幸福的生活。後來這位中國商人北上回故里，臨別前，許諾愛妻日後團圓，但這位中國商人回故鄉後，渺無音訊，日復一日、年復一年。美麗的姑娘，站在高山上，遠望北方，盼星星盼月亮，不見夫君歸來，姑娘絕望了，跳入湖中殉情。另一說，那位姑娘，望穿秋水，日日夜夜在海邊盼望夫君歸來，但思君不見君，最後她登上神山之頂峰，眺望南中國海上南來的帆影，終於望成石頭。她永遠守望在高山之巔，故稱「中國寡婦山」。
註解
         早年當地華人亦稱為亞庇Api-Api，據説其意為「火，火！」，此名稱一直被沙巴人還有一些國際航線沿用到今天，之前也有人把她譯作哥打京那峇魯，但是在沙巴人民的堅持下，大家才沿用沙巴人的稱呼。
~ data from Wikipedia

         沙巴州（Sabah），是馬來西亞的第二大州，位於東馬，在婆羅洲的北部，以前被稱為北婆羅洲（North Borneo）。         西元1881年開始被英國人統治，直到西元1963年9月16日和砂拉越一起脫離英國統治結合馬來亞及新加坡組成馬來西亞聯邦。
         沙巴享有風下之地(Land Below The Wind)或是風下之鄉之美譽，之因颱風經過菲律賓時不會經過這裡。沙巴的首府是亞庇(Kota Kinabalu)，其他主要城鎮有山打根(Sandakan)、斗湖(Tawau)、根地咬(Keningau)、保佛(Beaufort)、古達(Kudat)、仙本那(Semporna)、拿篤(Lahad Datu)、斗亞蘭(Tuaran)、吧巴(Papar)、實必丹(Sipitang)、丹南(Tenom)、蘭腦(Ranau)、古打毛律(Kota Belud)、萬勞(Kota Marudu)等等。納閩(Labuan)在1984年由當年哈里士所領導的人民黨組成的州政府送給了聯邦政府，現在已經是聯邦直轄區了，也是馬來西亞的唯一的岸外金融中心。
         東南亞第一高峰京那峇魯山（又稱中國寡婦山，俗稱神山）位於沙巴東海岸內陸地區，山高4095米。關於這座山，記載著一個動人愛情故事，她也是杜順人(Dusun)/卡達山(Kadazan)族傳說中的靈魂歸屬地。州首府也是以她來命名，Kota既是城的意思，而中文亞庇名則是由Api-Api得來的(亞庇，哥打京那巴魯之爭)。
         這裡住著32種土著，其中以杜順人/卡達山人為主，他們主要信奉基督教、天主教，其他的則有巴夭族(Bajau)，主要信奉回教、毛律族(Murut)等。他們每年五月會慶祝豐收節(Tadau Kaamatan)，官方假期則在五月三十及三十一日。華人是在十九世紀時才大量移民來到這裡，主要是客家人、廣東人、潮州人、福建人、海南人及一些廿世紀來的天津人、湖北人。
         雖然陸路交通方便、人們也很少依賴火車服務、但是沙巴現在還保留著婆羅州唯一的火車軌道，從亞庇的丹容亞路火車站通到內陸省的丹南。由於地廣人希、山脈縱橫、相對之下航空系統比較重要。有一些地方更需要經由水路才能到達，這些地方也缺少良好的水電供應。
歷史
         由於缺少正式的官方歷史文件紀錄，沙巴早期的歷史比較模糊，也只能由一些國外的紀錄及考古學家所發現的考古證據來考證。沙巴博物館收藏了關與這方面的資料。
早期
         據記載，沙巴早在西元六世紀就和中國有經濟來往，在沙巴的博物館還可以看到各式各樣的甕，證明沙巴及中國的關係源遠流長。當時中國商人來這裡多數為了香料、木材、燕窩等等。在中國各朝代古書、史書中都有記載著渤泥(Borneo)，可見當時中國人已經踏足婆羅洲了，甚至在中國南京還保留著明朝渤泥國王的墳墓。
近代
         在十五世紀沙巴以及砂拉越為汶萊蘇丹所統治。在1658年汶萊蘇丹為了答謝蘇祿蘇丹幫忙平定汶萊的內亂，把東北地區割讓給蘇祿蘇丹。
         在西元1761年，英國東印度公司向蘇祿蘇丹定了合約，以便在Pulau Balambangan上設立一個貿易站，在西元1805年11月，這個島也被他們捨棄了。
地理
         沙巴州面積大約76,115平方公里，海岸線長1,440公里，沙巴州在地圖上看似一個狗頭，三面環海，沙巴州東北部與菲律賓為鄰，面向蘇祿海(Sulu Sea)，東部南部是印尼蘇拉維西(Sulawesi)及加里曼丹(Kalimantan)，面向蘇拉威西海(Celebes Sea)，東南部與汶萊及砂拉越州為鄰，西部面向南中國海。
         沙巴境內最長的河流是京那巴當岸河(Kinabatangan River)，最高的山是神山。
人口
         沙巴一共有32個種族卡達山/杜順人、巴夭人、毛律人、Lundayeh人、龍古斯(Rungus)人、汶萊人等等。外來人有華人、菲律賓來的難民等。各種族分佈在不同的地方，也從事不同的行業，華人多數涉及商業、建築業、農業等。
語文
         各族群都有其各自的語文，因屬大馬，馬來文與馬來語為官方語文，也是馬來人及莘莘學子的主要書寫與溝通語文。但就學於八十年代初或以前（大馬教育文憑取代英國普通教育文憑之前）的沙巴子民仍多以英文書寫、溝通。原住民—卡達山與杜順族普遍都以卡達山文,馬來文或英文溝通。華人就其籍貫方言溝通，但客家話為各地的主流方言（小香港—山打根例外以廣東話為主），年輕學子已大部分捨棄方言溝通而常用華語。
觀光區
         沙巴有很多聞名世界的觀光區：
         1.神山公園(Kinabalu National Park) - 這個國家公園座落在神山山腳下，氣候涼爽。要登山的遊客可以在幾個月前預定自己的位子，山腳下的公園總部可以辦理登山手續，那裡也有一些旅店供人休息、度假，是個避暑的好地方。
         2.東姑阿都拉曼公園(Tunku Abdul Rahman Park) - 由五個島嶼組成(Pulau Sapi, Pulau Gaya, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik還有Pulau Sulug)，距離亞庇市區大約30分鐘，是個潛水愛好者的好去處。那裡的海水清澈見底，還可以看見魚兒游來游去。
         3.西比洛人猿保護中心(Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre)
         4.哥曼洞(Gomantong Cave)
         5.西陵安海龜島(Seringan Island National Park)
         6.Danum Valley
         7.西巴丹島(Pulau Sipadan) - 西巴丹島，在斗湖的岸外，是著名的潛水中心。
         8.Meliau Basin
         9.沙巴州博物館
經濟狀況
         沙巴州主要經濟活動有伐木業、可可業、棕油業、橡膠業、魚業、燕窩、椰子業、旅遊業等以及各加工工業所組成。
文化
         州內最主要的慶典如下
         1.豐收節(Pesta Kaamatan/Tadau Kaamatan)，是當地土著慶祝豐收感謝神明的節日，慶典一共歷時一個月，在五月30-31日是高潮，也是州內及納閩的公共假期。
         2.華人的農曆新年
         3.回教徒的開齋節
         4.以及各個宗教的慶典
交通
         沙巴的交通還不算發達，公路網雖然普遍，乘搭巴士是可以到達各大小城鎮，但是有些地方還是需要用船或四輪驅動車才能到達，普通小車轎車沒有辦法進入，造成偏遠地方的人民教育和醫療設備較落後，水電供應不足，很多時候還需要動用直升機飛到內陸地區，將病人送到大醫院以進行救濟。
陸路
         在沙巴各大城市，都流行著迷你巴士(mini bus)，當中業者水準參差不齊，還有一些霸王車。以前在亞庇、斗亞蘭、兵南邦、丹容亞路各有三家比較大型的巴士公司(Tuaran United Transport, TUT, Penampang United Transport, PUT還有Luen Tong)在服務，現在只剩下PUT在川行了。在亞庇市區成功衛星市那裡，也可以乘搭長途巴士或的士(計程車)去到山打根、斗湖、根地咬、蘭腦、砂拉越州的老越等地方。
航空
         乘搭飛機也是很多人的選擇之一，這裡的航空公司主要是馬航及亞航。差不多每個城鎮都有自己的飛機場，可是由於陸上交通的發達，有些已經荒廢了。亞庇的國際機場是全國第二繁忙的飛機場，有直飛中國、澳門、台灣、日本、菲律賓等國際航線。
火車
         沙巴還保留著婆羅州唯一的鐵軌，雖然它的光輝日子已不再，但是一些居民還是會搭火車到市區來。現在也用作觀光用途，讓遊客一睹沙巴鄉區的風景。
~ data from Wikipedia

         在歷史上，馬來西亞被統稱為「英屬東印度」和「傳說中的東方香料島國」，它位於東南亞的核心，赤道以北，是一個景致異常美麗和迷人的國家。 多元豐富的歷史
         根據歷史的記載，馬來西亞在六千年前已有人類居住。印度探險家於西元前二世紀到達馬來西亞，印度文化和宗教對馬來西亞的影響已長達一千多年之久。由於馬來西亞位於印度洋和南太平洋之間，也就是處於中西方及東方兩大貿易國－印度和中國之間，長期以來一直是東西方商人與旅客匯集的中心，因此，當時印度人便決定以此地做為貿易重鎮，並且以它做為避免海盜騷擾的避風港，長期互動的結果，印度人傳入的印度教在此地大盛其風。我們可從馬來人的文學、語言、建築和社會典禮，強烈地感受到印度文化對馬來文化的影響。
馬六甲曾為各國殖民地達一百多年之久
         西元1403年，拜理米蘇拉（PARAMESWARA）創立了馬六甲殖民地，馬六甲逐漸成為東西方的貿易和文化交流據點。中國的絲綢，印度和東南亞的香料係當時主要的貿易商品。但1511年，馬六甲因為地理位置佳，被葡萄牙艦隊所侵占，馬六甲蘇丹因而往南逃，一直至柔佛州，然後在柔佛建立另一個王朝－柔佛王朝。葡萄牙人統治馬六甲長達130年之久，所以現在馬六甲還可以看到當時葡萄牙的影子。 葡萄牙人在馬六甲的勢力於十七世紀初期，受到了荷蘭人的威脅，荷蘭人當時控制了東方的香料市場。1641年，荷蘭人擊敗葡萄牙人，攻佔了馬六甲，荷蘭人統治馬六甲也長達150年之外，在馬六甲市內有座紅色教堂，所使用之紅磚塊就是當時直接從荷蘭運來的。
檳城一度取代馬六甲的商港地位
         1786年，英國東印度公司從吉打州蘇丹的手中買下檳城州，他們同時也探制了檳城對岸的城市－北海，當時檳城州是個免稅港口，吸引了大批馬六甲貿易商的注意，從而使他們轉移了貿易據點，來到檳城做生意。 而英國探險及政治家佛萊士於1819年從柔佛州蘇丹的手中買下了新加坡，後來也成了東印度集團的主要貿易根據地。兩年後，英國政府建立了海峽殖民地，它是由新加坡、麻六甲、檳城、納閩、可可群島及聖誕島組成。緊跟著，森美蘭州、彭亨州、霹靂州、雪蘭莪州、以吉隆坡為首，聯合建立了聯邦馬來州。
政治意識覺醒脫離英國而獨立
         1941年日本佔領了馬來西亞和新加坡，並實施了苛刻的統治達四年之久。二次世界大戰後，也就是1945年9月，馬來西亞再次回到英國人手中。由於當時馬來亞人民政治意識覺醒，不同種族相繼成立了屬於自己的政治團體，1946年馬來人統一組織，簡稱巫統；印度人成立了馬來亞印度人公會，簡稱國大黨；1949年中國人成立了馬來亞華人公會，簡稱馬華。 1950年代初期，獨立意識逐漸在這三個政黨中擴張，1955年，這三個政黨聯合組織了國家聯盟陣線，簡稱國陣，那年全國國民選舉中，國陣就贏得了全國五十二個席位中的五十一個席位，於是英國人交出了權力。 1957年8月31日，馬來亞終於從英國手中爭取到獨立，並成為馬來西亞聯邦政府，東姑阿都拉曼獨立後第一任首相。1963年，婆羅州的沙巴和砂勞越也加入了馬來西亞聯邦政府，建立自己的國家。
國家
         馬來西亞聯邦由半島馬來西亞以及東馬婆羅州島沙巴、砂勞越所組成。
地理位置
         位於赤道以北2至7度之間，由南中國海區分成西馬半島馬來西亞以及東馬沙巴、砂勞越兩州。半島馬來西亞的北部是泰國，南端為新加坡。沙巴、砂勞越兩州鄰接印尼的婆羅州。而砂勞越還和汶萊交界。
面積
         329,758平方公里。
人口
         2千2百70萬人。
首都
         吉隆坡
人民
         馬來人佔了全馬人口總數57%，是三大族群中最主要的族群。其他兩大族群包括華族、印度族。此外還有一些少數民族。
語言
         馬來語 / 馬來文是國家訂定的語文，而被廣泛使用的卻是英語 / 英文。另外，其他族群還保留著各自的方言和母語。
宗教
         回教是國家訂定的宗教，其他各族則享有宗教自由的權利。
政府
         馬來西亞奉行議會民主制以及兩院制的司法制度。國家的最高領導人是最高元首，而政府的最高領導人則是首相。
氣候
         典型的熱帶氣候，全年是夏。氣溫介於攝氏21度至32度之間。全年降雨量為2千至2千5百毫米。
歷史與文化
         多元種族與多元文化形成了大馬獨特的歷史。除了馬來人土著與原住民之外，來自中國、印度、印尼和世界其他地區的移民共同形成了多元族群和多元文化的特色。大馬文化的多元性質絕大部分是由於國家長期以來和外界互動交流以及曾被葡萄牙、荷蘭及英國等殖民而形成的結果。這些文化相互激盪後非常明顯地熔成一爐，形成了獨特的宗教、社會、文化、傳統、服裝、言語以及食物等等。馬來西亞於1957年8月31日正式宣佈獨立，並在1963年併入沙巴與砂勞越兩州連合組成的馬來西亞聯合邦。
經濟簡介
         製造業是大馬最主要的經濟命脈。另外，旅遊業以及天然資源例如石油、棕油、橡膠及木材也是重要的經濟來源。
入境要求
         入境馬來西亞必須持有有效的護照或旅遊簽證，有效期最少6個月。大多數國籍人士以社會或經商名義前來馬來西亞並不須要申請簽證。欲知更多詳情，請向最臨近的大馬外交處或旅遊局查詢。
貨幣
         馬來西亞所使用的貨幣單位為零吉RM。外國貨幣可在銀行或錢幣兌換中心處兌換。所有出入境者，不論是國民或非國民都必須填妥旅客貨幣申報表(TDF)。旅客申報表擁有兩個各別的部分，藍色部分給國民填報貨幣，白色部份則給非國民填報貨幣。
         國民如攜帶超過1千元零吉，在出入境時必須詳細填寫貨幣數目。另外若攜帶超過相等於1萬零吉的外國貨幣，包括旅行支票，在出境時也須詳細填寫貨幣數目；入境時則無須填寫。非國民所攜帶貨幣若超過2千5百美元則不論出入境都須要詳細填報。
         國民們在出境時必須把旅客申報表夾在護照裡，並且在回國時將旅客申報表呈交給海關人員。非國民作法亦如同，在入境時必須把旅客申報表夾在護照裡，並在出境時將旅客申報表呈交給海關人員。
時間
         GMT為8小時；US PACIFIC STANDARD TIME則是16小時。
電力電壓
         為220-240瓦特。
計量單位
         馬來西亞所使用的計量單位是公制。
電話
         欲撥國內電話者可利用公共電話亭的投幣式電話或預付卡式電話。國際電話則可利用卡式電話服務或電訊局的服務。
交通
         前往馬來西亞最主要的方式是經由雪邦的新機場吉隆坡國際機場，座落在吉隆坡以南50公里。另外，梳邦的舊機場提供少數幾個國內及區域內的航班服務。其他供國際航線入境的主要機場分別位於檳城、古晉、哥打京拿巴魯以及浮羅交怡。另外，經由海路前往吉隆坡最主要的下站點是巴生港口，距離吉隆坡大約50公里。最後，經由鐵路和陸路從泰國和新加坡也可抵達馬來西亞。
         國內交通馬來西亞擁有卓越的國內航線聯繫以及有效的公共交通系統，如巴士、計程車及火車。
~ data from 馬來西亞觀光局