One of the significant characteristics of Malaysian culture is its celebration of various festivals

Malay (official), English (official for some purposes), Chinese dialects ( Mandarin , Cantonese , Hokkien , Teochew, Hakka, Hainanese, Foochow), Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , Punjabi, and Thai ; in addition, several indigenous languages are spoken in East Malaysia, especially Iban and Kadazan
West (peninsular) Malaysia shares a border with Thailand , is connected by a causeway and a bridge (the 'second link') los angeles farmers market to the island state of Singapore , and has coastlines on the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca.
Malaysia is a mix of the modern world and a developing nation. With its investment in the high technology industries and moderate oil wealth, it has become one of the richer nations in Southeast Asia. Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy mix: there is high-tech infrastructure and things generally work well and more or less on schedule, but prices remain more reasonable than, say, Singapore .
Before the rise of the European colonial powers, the Malay peninsula and the Malay archipelago los angeles farmers market were home to empires such as the Srivijaya, the Majapahit (both ruled from Indonesia, but also controlling parts of Malaysia) and the Melaka Sultanate. The Srivijaya and Majapahit empires saw the spread of Hinduism to the region, and to this day, despite being nominally Muslim, many Hindu legends and traditions survive in traditional Malay culture.
los angeles farmers market This was to change los angeles farmers market in the 16th century when the Portuguese established the first European colony in Southeast Asia by defeating the Melaka Sultanate. The Portuguese subsequently then lost Malacca to the Dutch. The British also established their first colony on the Malay peninsula in Penang in 1786, when it was ceded by the Sultan of Kedah. Finally, the area was divided los angeles farmers market into Dutch and British spheres of influence with the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1824. With this treaty, the Dutch agreed to cede Malacca to the British and in return, the British ceded all their colonies on Sumatra to the Dutch. The line which divided the Malay world into Dutch and British areas roughly corresponds to what is now the border between Malaysia los angeles farmers market and Indonesia .
Before World War II, the Malay Peninsula was governed by the British as the Federated Malay States (Selangor, Perak, Negeri los angeles farmers market Sembilan and Pahang), which were governed as a single entity, the Unfederated Malay States (Johor, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Kelantan), which were each governed as separate protectorates, and the Straits Settlements (including Malacca, Penang, Labuan and Singapore), which were crown colonies. Northern Borneo consisted of the British colony of North Borneo, the Kingdom of Sarawak, which was ruled by a British los angeles farmers market family known as the "White Rajas", and the British protectorate of Brunei.
World War II was disastrous for the British Malayan Command. The Japanese los angeles farmers market swept down both coasts of the Malay Peninsula and despite fierce fighting, much of the British military was tied down fighting the Germans in Europe and those that remained in Malaya simply could not cope with the Japanese onslaught. The British military equipment left to defend Malaya were outdated and no match for the modern ones used by the Japanese, while the only two battleships based in the region, the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, were sank by Japanese bombers off the East Coast of Malaya. By 31 January 1942, the British had been pushed all the way back to Singapore, los angeles farmers market which also fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. The situation was no different on Borneo, which fell to the Japanese on 1 April 1942 after months of fierce fighting. los angeles farmers market The Japanese occupation was brutal, and many, particularly the ethnic Chinese, suffered and perished during the occupation. Among the most notorious atrocities committed by the Japanese was the Sandakan Death Marches, with only six out of several thousand prisoners surviving the war.
After World War II, the Federated Malay States, Unfederated los angeles farmers market Malay States and the Straits Settlements of Malacca and Penang were federated to form a single British colony known as the Malayan Union, with Singapore splitting los angeles farmers market off to form a separate colony. In the Malayan Union, the sultans of the various states ceded all their powers except those in religious affairs to the British crown. However, widespread opposition to the Malayan Union led the British to reconsider their position, and in 1948, the Malayan Union was replaced by the Federation los angeles farmers market of Malaya, in which the executive positions of the sultans were restored. In Borneo, the White Rajas ceded Sarawak to the British crown in 1946, making it a crown colony of the United Kingdom.
Six years later, Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963 through a merging of Malaya and Singapore, as well as the East Malaysian states of Sabah (known then as North Borneo) and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, with Brunei deciding not to join. The first several years of the country's history were marred by the Indonesian confrontation ( konfrontasi los angeles farmers market ) as well as claims to Sabah from the Philippines. Singapore was expelled los angeles farmers market from the federation on 9 August 1965 after several bloody racial riots, as its majority Chinese population and the influence los angeles farmers market of the People's Action Party led by Lee Kuan Yew (later the long-ruling Prime Minister of Singapore) were seen as a threat to Malay dominance, and it became a separate country.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, nominally los angeles farmers market headed by the Paramount Ruler ( Yang di-Pertuan Agong ) or commonly known as the king , who is "elected" by the rulers (7 sultans, the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan and the Raja of Perlis) for a five-year term from among the rulers of the 9 royal states of Malaysia, though in practice the election usually follows los angeles farmers market a prescribed order based on the seniority of the rulers at the time of independence. This gives Malaysia a unique political system of rotational monarchy, in which each of the state rulers would take turns to be the king of Malaysia. The current king, from Kedah, was sworn in on 13 Dec 2011.
Malaysia's government is largely based on the British Westminster system, consisting of a bicameral national parliament, with each of the states also having los angeles farmers market their own unicameral Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly). The lower house, known as the Dewan Rakyat (Hall of the People) is elected directly by the people. The upper house, known as the Dewan Negara (National Hall), consists of 26 members elected by the state governments, with each state having 2 representatives, while the remaining members are appointed by the king. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is the party leader of the winning party in the lower house. The United Malays National Organisation los angeles farmers market (UMNO) party and its National Front ( Barisan Nasional ) coalition have ruled Malaysia uninterrupted since its independence, and while periodic elections are contested by feisty opposition parties, the balance has so far always been shifted in the government's los angeles farmers market favor, partly due to press control and use of restrictive security legislation dating from the colonial era.
Peninsular Malaysia (Bahasa Malaysia: Semenanjung Malaysia ) occupies all of the Malay Peninsula between Thailand and Singapore , and is also known as West Malaysia ( Malaysia Barat ) or the slightly archaic Malaya ( Tanah Melayu ). It is home to the bulk of Malaysia's population, its capital and largest city Kuala Lumpur , and is generally more economically developed. Within Peninsular los angeles farmers market Malaysia, the West Coast is more developed and urbanised, and separated from the more rural East Coast by a mountain range - the Titiwangsa.
los angeles farmers market Some 800 km to the east is East Malaysia ( Malaysia Timur ), which occupies the northern los angeles farmers market third of the island of Borneo , shared with Indonesia and tiny Brunei . Partly covered in impenetrable jungle where headhunters roam (on GSM networks if nothing else), East Malaysia is rich in natural resources but very much Malaysia's hinterland for industry and tourism.
The terrain los angeles farmers market consists of coastal plains rising to hills and mountains. Peninsular Malaysia consists of plains on both the East and West coasts, separated from each other by a mountain range known as the Barisan Titiwangsa which runs from North to South.
Malaysia is a multicultural society. While Malays make up a 52% majority, there are also 27% Chinese, 9% Indian and a miscellaneous los angeles farmers market grouping los angeles farmers market of 13.5% "others", such as the Portuguese clan in Melaka and 12% of indigenous peoples (Orang los angeles farmers market Asli). There is hence also a profusion of faiths and religions, with Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism and even shamanism on the map.
One of the significant characteristics of Malaysian culture is its celebration of various festivals and events. The year is filled with colourful, exhilarating and exciting activities. Some are religious and solemn but others are vibrant, joyous events. One interesting feature of the main festivals in Malaysia is the 'open house' custom. This is when Malaysians celebrating los angeles farmers market the festival invite friends and family to come by their homes for some traditional delicacies and fellowship.
Multicultural Malaysia celebrates a vast range of festivals, but the ones to look out for nationwide are Islamic holidays, most notably the fasting month of Ramadan . During its 29 or 30 days, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset. Not all Muslims los angeles farmers market follow the tradition, or sustain the full period or Ramadan fasting but most do make a very serious effort. Pregnant, breast feeding or menstruating women are not expected los angeles farmers market to fast, nor are the elderly, the infirm, or travellers. los angeles farmers market Unless incapable those who do not fast during Ramadan are expected to catch up the missed days at a later time. People get up early before sunrise for a meal ( sahur ), and take off early to get back home in time to break fast ( buka puasa ) at sunset. At the end of the month is the festival los angeles farmers market of Eid ul-Fitr , known locally as Hari Raya Puasa or Aidilfitri , when many locals take one to two week