Malyasia

Malaysia is composed of, what was once British ruled territories, Peninsular Malaysia, and Sarawak and Sabah (located on northern Borneo). Kuala Lumpur, Malay for "muddy estuary", is on the western side of the Malay Peninsula. This modern city is located, hilly country, where the Kelang and Gombak rivers come together. If you look at a map of Malaysia, you can find the capital located on the western side of the peninsula. This beautiful country is divided into two main regions. Part of the nations lays on Semenanjung Malaysia, on the Malay Peninsula, and Malaysia Timur, located on the island of Borneo.1

The official language of this beautiful country is Malaysian, which is referred to as Bahasa Malaysia, which means Malaysian language. The official language is sometime called Bahasa Malayu or Malay language. In 1967, the National Language act designated Latin, or Rumi, script as the country's written language, but Jawi script, which is the traditional written language, is allowed. The second most widely spoken language in Malaysia is English.2

Malaysia's constitution makes the country a secular nation, establishes religious freedom, and Islam as the "religion of the Federation".3. Besides Islam, which is practiced by approximately 61.3% of the population, there are adherents of Buddhism (19.8%), Christianity (9.2%), Hinduism (6.3%), about 1.3% of the Malaysian people practice Taoism, Confucianism, or some other traditional Chinese religion, 1.4% of the population claim other religions as their spiritual paths, and 0.7% claim no religion.4 All this goes into making Malaysia a diverse spiritual and religious nation.

One of the other religions practiced in Malaysia is the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'i community in Malaysia works alongside their neighbors, of every religious and non-religious background, to empower and assist them in their social, intellectual, and spiritual progress.5 There is a Spiritual Assembly in Sarawak, where a Baha'i community was established in 1951. This is a widely diverse community, that promotes harmony with other faith-based organizations.6

The World Fact Book7 contains seventeen photos that reveal the exquisite beauty of the country, and the creativity of its citizens. The first picture, in this photo album, is a skyscraper located in Kuala Lumpur. The Petronas Twin Towers is an 88-floor building, with a sky-bridge, of two-stories, connecting the towers. Other photos, some taken from the twin towers, show the National Museum, an aerial view of Kuala Lumpur, the Strait of Malacca, the Batu Caves, and several locations of religious significance to the Malaysian people.8

As shown on the website Tourism Malaysia9, this nation is a popular tourist destination. The latest promotion was launched in January of 2018, and promotes the concept Visit Malaysia in 2020.10 Each of these promotions, some of which won awards, shows the countries where Malaysian tourism is being promoted. The pictures displayed on this website make show Malaysia as an inviting and friendly place to visit. This tourism website caught my attention because I live in a tourist city, and I enjoy seeing the promotions of other tourist destinations. Malaysia is an intriguing country, while it probably has the some worries as any other tourist destination, it is a place that draws the creative imagination of any poet, writer, or artist.

WC: 526

Footnotes
1  https://www.britannica.com/place/Malaysia
2  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia#Languages
3  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia#Religion
4  ibid.
5  http://www.bahai.org.my/who-we-are.html
6  http://www.bahai.org.my/sarawak.html
7  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/my.html
8  ibid.
9  https://tourism.gov.my/
10  ibid.