Just its geography makes Malaysia an interesting country, with its west side on the southeast Asian peninsula, bordering with Thailand and connected to Singapore, and its east side on the island of Borneo.
It is one of the richer nations in Asia but has maintained reasonable prices compared to other developed countries in its vicinity, like Singapore.
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About
34 million
330,803 km2
101/km2
$1.3 trillion
Malaysia
Info & Stats
- Language: Malaysia is one of the few Asian countries with an extensive use of English. The national language is Malay.
- Population: 32+ million (2019 est.)
- Timezone: UTC +8
- Ethnic Make-up: Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8%
- Religions: Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8%
- Government: constitutional monarchy
- Currency: Malaysian ringgit (MYR).
- Credit Cards: Within the cities, credit cards are widely accepted.
- Electricity: Socket type G, 240 volt / 50 hertz
- Tipping Customs: Not expected, but appreciated
- Haggling Culture: Common in markets and street stalls
Climate & Seasons
The average temperature is 27°C. Being a city near the equator, the weather is even throughout the year, namely tropical, hot, and humid. However, it does not receive as much rain as, say, Singapore’s neighbor. Between May and July and December and February, the humidity is lower. When I visited in May, the weather was absolutely wonderful and did not feel like other southeast Asian cities, although the sun did hit like a brick.
Entry Requirements
Most nationalities can enter Malaysia without a visa and can reside there for 14 to 90 days, depending on their nationality. Refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for current information regarding visa requirements and stay periods.
Nationals of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Serbia, and Sri Lanka need a visa but can apply for an e-visa.
Click the map to see details on visa requirements for each country
Safety
Safety: The violent crime rates are low. In the cities, the biggest issue is scamming and petty theft.
Natural risks: On the coastlines, there is a higher risk of tsunamis.
Emergencies number: 999
See more safety info on the Global Safety Indices page