Destination

Area : 342,000 sq.km (132,000 sq.miles) comprising Penisular Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo Island.

Situation : North of the equator, with the penisular bordered by Singapore in the south and Thailand in the north. Sabah and Sarawak border Indonesia (Kalimantan).

Time Zone : Malaysia's standard time is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Population : 25 milion.

Language : The official language is Bahasa Malaysia (Malay), but English is the language of business and technology. The Chinese also use Mandarin and various Chinese dialects, while the Indians use Tamil and other Indian languages. The indigenous people retain their own languages but also have knowlegde in English prior to the exposure of English language during their earlier education.

Currency : Ringgit and sen.

RM1=100 sen. Coins come in denominations of 5,10, 20, and 50 sen , and Rm1, and notes in Rm1, RM2, RM5, RM10, RM50, and RM100.

Weights and Measures : Malaysia follows the metric system, but people in rural areas might still use miles (batu) rather than kilometres for distance.

Electricity : 220 volts, 50 cycles. America products do not work here, but most supermarkets stock adapters. Major hotels can supply an adapter for 110-120 volt, 60 Hz appliances.

International Dialling Code : To call Malaysia from abroad, dial 00 60 followed by the local code, omitting the initial zero, then the number you want.