15 FUN FACTS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MALAYSIA!
In this post, we listed 15 Fun Facts about Malaysia, which you probably didn’t know.
Malaysia is a happy melting pot between modernity and tradition. The country is located in Southeast Asia between Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia.
With more than 31 million inhabitants, you can discover both the effervescent capital of Kuala Lumpur with its buildings and the lush forests of Borneo! Some also call it the food Paradise!
There are however many unique facts about Malaysia, which your probably didn’t know!
FUN FACTS ABOUT MALAYSIA
1. PEOPLE IN MALAYSIA WEAR THEIR JACKET backward ON A MOTORBIKE
In Malaysia, the weather is really unpredictable.
Each year, Kuala Lumpur is one of the capitals most struck by lightning.
Here, there are up to 220 rainy days a year (of course it never rains a full day but there would be patches of rain pretty much every day). In a few minutes, bad weather can replace the sun.
In addition, the level of pollution is relatively high in large cities and clothes get dirty quickly during journeys.
This partly explains why Malaysian bikers wear their jackets the other way around just like in the photo.
Even when the weather is nice and warm, they carry a raincoat with them in case of rain. They wear it this way to protect themselves from wind and dust while letting their backs breathe. Many tourists have noticed this habit of Malaysian bikers.
It is one of the fun facts about Malaysia!
ALSO READ: PROS & CONS OF LIVING IN MALAYSIA
2. EACH day around 450,000 people cross the border from Malaysia to Singapore
Many people travel to the neighboring country for work, making the Singapore-Malaysia border the busiest in the world. To access the city-state, you just need to cross a bridge.
Thus, nearly half a million people use a simple four-lane highway every day.
3. Former Miss Moscow marrieD Malaysia’s King Muhammad V, after converting to Islam
Oksana Voevodina won the title of Miss Moscow in 2015.
A few years later, she met Muhammad during a trip to Europe. At the time, he was Sultan of the state of Kelantan.
He was later named king.
In 2018, Oksana (25 at the time) converted to Islam to marry the ruler (who was 49). But in 2019, a scandal broke out and the couple ended up divorcing.
Today, the young woman raises their son Léon alone.
4. Malaysians love horror movies
The two biggest box office hits in Malaysia are horror movies with zombies and ghosts. A record number of horror films are being shot in the country.
Horror movies are very profitable in Malaysia.
Wanna know more about the most popular Malaysian horror movie? Check it out here.
READ: 20 BEST MOVIES TO WATCH ABOUT ASIA
5. It is forbidden to show armpits on television
It is strictly forbidden to expose the private parts of a woman’s body in the media. Including the armpits.
This raises the question of how to promote deodorants for women. Contrary to what one might think, there is a solution. The young woman in the ad is shown from behind, so her armpit does not fit into the frame.
In addition, it is illegal in Malaysia to promote legal or medical services on television (including contraceptives).
6. There is no button to access the fourth floor in the elevators
Sometimes the fourth floor does not appear at all, so the elevator goes from the third to the fifth directly. In some cases, it is replaced by the “3a” button.
Indeed, the number four is pronounced the same as the word “death” in Chinese. And the Chinese are one of the largest communities in the country.
7. IT IS COMMON TO Call on a shaman before a football game IN MALAYSIA
A bomoh is a Malay shaman.
Very popular in Malaysia, they are invited onto the pitch before a football match to smoke players’ shoes, distribute amulets and sometimes even bury talismans next to goals.
8. KUALA LUMPUR RECENTLY BUILT THE 2ND LARGEST TOWER IN THE WORLD!
The Merdeka 118, is the second tallest skyscraper in the world after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It already rises above Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia.
At the top of the building points a tall spire that rises towards the sky. The Merdeka 118 is 680m high. With its 118 floors, it is the second tallest building in the world, behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (828 m) but ahead of the Shanghai Tower, China (632m).
9. HUGE MONITOR LIZARDS CAN BE SEEN EVERYWHERE!
You can come across monitor lizards everywhere, even in big cities! They live in drains and feed on waste.
They do not attack humans, so no worries. However, it’s always astonishing to come across such huge lizards in least-expected places!
10. MALAYSIA IS HOME TO THE LARGEST FLOWERS IN THE WORLD!
Malaysia is home to over 14,500 species of flowering plants and trees, including the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia, which is found only in Sabah.
The flower can reach over 1m in diameter and weigh up to 10kg! Impressive.
11. TAKE-AWAY DRINKS ARE SERVED IN PLASTIC BAGS
Who needs cups? If you’re ordering a take-out drink, don’t be surprised if they come packaged in a plastic bag!
In Malaysia, it’s common for street food stalls and street restaurants, known to locals as ‘mamaks’, to throw your frozen drink into a plastic bag, tie it at one end and add a straw to push the other.
Don’t drop your drink though!
12. The largest roundabout in the world is in Malaysia
It is located in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia. The diameter of this crossroads is around 3.5 km. (location)
13. IN MALAYSIA THERE IS A TEA-MAKING COMPETITION
Malaysia’s favorite drink is teh tarik.
It is a milk tea that is transferred from one container to another.
Its taste will only get better if the two containers are as far apart as possible (literally, teh tarik means “pulled tea”). Experts do it so spectacularly that brewing tea sometimes turns into a competition.
14. THE SMALLEST BEAR IN THE WORLD CAN BE FOUND IN MALAYSIA
The sun bear (or coconut bear) weighs only 45 kg and measures at most 1.5 m.
Unlike its Nordic counterpart, its fur is short, hard and smooth. The coconut bear feeds mainly on insects and roots. But sometimes he hunts lizards and rodents.
Malaysia is also home to the binturong which is mistakenly called the “cat-bear” due to its resemblance to both species. Often, binturongs break into homes in search of leftover food.
They are not aggressive, on the contrary, they can even be tamed. But they could not be fully domesticated as they defect everywhere.
15. MALAYSIA HAS THE LARGEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD!
Is the largest hotel in the world in China? In the USA? No sorry, you got it all wrong. The largest hotel in the world is in Malaysia.
It is listed in the Guinness World Records. The World First Hotel Genting is currently the largest in the world. The hotel has 7,351 rooms and is said to have received over 50 million visitors!
READ: BEST THINGS TO DO IN GENTING HIGHLANDS
We hope that you enjoyed these Fun Facts about Malaysia! If you know more interesting facts, please add them in the comment box below. We will keep on adding new facts in this post.
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