Malaysia is divided into two distinct parts: Peninsular Malaysia and the East Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawak in North Borneo. The two regions are 650km (403mi) apart, separated by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia shares borders with Thailand and Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak border Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), and Sarawak surrounds the tiny enclave of Brunei. The Andaman Sea is on the west coast of the peninsula. The east coast of the peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak all adjoin the South China Sea.
Peninsular Malaysia accounts for 40 percent of the country's land mass. Several mountain ranges run north-south along the spine of the peninsula. There is a wide, fertile plain on the west coast, and a narrow coastal plain on the east. Sabah and Sarawak are covered by dense jungles and have large river systems. Mt Kinabalu (4101m/13,450ft) in Sabah is one of the highest peaks in South-East Asia.
More than 60 per cent of the country is still rainforest, but a government plan to build a huge hydroelectric dam in Sarawak is expected to decimate 27,600ha (69,000ac) of forest, which does not augur well for the future. There are 8000 species of flowering plants in Peninsular Malaysia alone, including 2000 tree species, 800 different orchids and 200 types of palm. Fauna includes elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards, tapirs, sun bears, orangutans and gibbons. East Malaysia has one of the most abundant and varied bird populations in the world.
Malaysia is hot and humid all year. Temperatures are usually between 20-30°C (68-86°F); humidity is usually 90 per cent. The region has a monsoonal climate, but only the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia has a real rainy season. The wettest season on the west coast of the peninsula is between September and December; on the east coast and in Sabah and Sarawak it's between October and February. Rain, when it comes, generally interrupts the sunshine only briefly; most of it falls in short, strong bursts.
Population
24.4 million (UN, 2003)
Area
329,733 sq km
Ethnicity/ Race
Malay:49.0%, Chinese:25.0%, Other Indigenous:11.0%, Other:8.0%, Indian:7.0%
Major Languages
Malay (official), English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam
MyCEB Wraps The Year Up With Roadshow In Australia
With the objective to accelerate the business growth from Australia as well as globally, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) recently conducted its Roadshow in Australia spanning two cities namely Melbourne and Sydney. The MyCEB team was joined by eight industry partners including Penang Global Tourism, Sabah Tourism Board, Malaysia Airlines, Discovery Overland Holidays Sdn Bhd, Pacific World, UCSI Communication Sdn Bhd, Accor and CHM Hotels.
Targeting the thriving corporate and incentive segment of the industry, this cornerstone initiative by MyCEB was first organised early this year and received numerous positive feedbacks from the Australian industry players. Ms Ho Yoke Ping, General Manager of Sales and Marketing, MyCEB explained, “Australia is viewed as one of the most promising markets in Asia Pacific and this roadshow has provided an opportunity for Australian corporate and incentive planners to meet and engage with our Malaysian business event industry partners. The programmes lined up during the roadshow showcased the best of what Malaysia has to offer which includes destination presentations via an interactive and informative networking dinner attended by more than 50 Australian corporate and incentive planners.”
During the networking dinner, a special appearance was made by Poh Ling Yeow, or better known as Poh from the popular cooking show Poh’s Kitchen. Born and raised in Malaysia, Poh is a prominent chef as well as the runner up for Masterchef Australia 2009. With her expertise in the culinary industry, Poh prepared a Malaysian inspired menu for the dinner in relation to her Malaysian heritage.
According to Poh, “In many ways I feel that I owe my food career to my Chinese Malaysian heritage. Being exposed to so many exotic ingredients and flavors has instilled in me an approach to cooking which is truly vibrant and unique. It was a pleasure for me to showcase this at MyCEB’s networking dinner.”
Apart from Poh’s participation, the highly interactive networking dinner also featured fun games and quiz segments to introduce Malaysia’s offerings to attendees. MyCEB also took the opportunity to introduce its new campaign and incentive brochure, ‘Malaysia - Asia like never before’ - an informative Guide which is essential for all corporate and incentive planners who are looking for new and unique programmes to experience in Malaysia. The campaign showcases Malaysia as a unique destination for activities such as ‘Team Building’ and ‘Theme Events & Experiences’. Another activity included in the Guide is cooking classes, similar to the session conducted by Poh.
MyCEB’s roadshow in Australia wraps up their sales and marketing calendar for 2012 which forms part of its effort to position Malaysia as Asia’s business events hub.
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