Our Travel Guide Malaysia will show you some of the things that have placed Malaysia on the map: its biodiverse landscape and the Peranakan people. You will also learn about the largest flower in the world called Rafflesia and the world’s largest underground chamber, the Sarawak Chamber underground cave system. From our Travel Guide Malaysia, travelers can learn about the biodiverse landscape in Malaysia, as well as the interesting history of the Peranakans.

Malaysia’s biodiverse landscape

Malaysia ranks as the 66th largest country in the world, with a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometers or 127,355 square miles. Two major islands, the Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo and thousands of smaller islands make up the whole of Malaysia, with the biggest islands divided by the South China Sea. This gives Malaysia both biodiverse corals and lush forests. The waters of Malaysia fall under the Coral Triangle, which is a hotspot of biodiversity and which in turn makes Malaysia a megadiverse country.

Both the Peninsular side as well as Eastern Borneo is resplendent with flora and fauna. Malaysia is blessed with many coastal plains, as well as hills and mountains, which are heavily forested. Mount Kinabalu is the tallest mountain in the country, measuring 4,095 meters or 13,436 feet tall. The Mount Kinabalu National Park has the distinction of being a World Heritage Site.

The Main Range, also known as the Banjaran Titiwangsa is the biggest continuous forest tract in the peninsular side of Malaysia. It measures 500 kilometers and provides up to 90% of the freshwater needs of the country as it serves as a natural water reserve.

The mountain ranges that serve as the Malaysian and Indonesian border is where the Mulu Caves in Sarawak, Borneo are located. The Mulu caves are the largest in the world and are touted as the world’s most spectacular caves. These are located in the Gunung Mulu National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The extensive chamber of limestone caves is the largest in the world, while the Sarawak Chamber is the largest natural underground chamber in the world. The limestone in the caves dates back to 17 to 40 million years old, placing it sometime between the Late Eocene to Early Miocene period.

The Sarawak Chamber, part of the Gua Nasib Bagus or Good Luck Cave, measures 165,000 square meters or a volume of about 9.5 million cubic meters. It’s 70 meters high, 700 meters long and 400 meters wide, making the chamber thrice the size of the Big Room that is located in the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico in the United States. It was discovered by English cave explorers only in 1980. Accurate measurements using 3D laser scanners in 2011 revealed that the Sarawak Chamber is indeed the largest in the world. Two other large underground chambers in Asia are found in China but are far smaller in area size and volume than the Sarawak Chamber. To give you an idea of the vastness of the Sarawak Chamber, an estimated 40 Boeing 747 jet planes could fit inside it.

If you are from England, you’ll find that five times the size of St. Paul’s Cathedral will fit inside the vast cave. Deer Cave is estimated to be the largest cave passage in the world. Locally it is called Gua Rusa or Gua Payau and got its name from the deer that go inside the caves to lick the salt rocks. It is 1.4 kilometers long, with the northern section measured to have a 148-meter ceiling and width measuring 142 meters. The southern section is wider at 169 meters and has a ceiling height of 125 meters. Deer Cave is connected to the smallest of the show caves in the Park, Lang Cave. This cave allows visitors to closely observe its inhabitants such as swiftlets and bats. On the other hand, Deer Cave is home to about 30 species of bats. It has a section with a hole in the roof allowing for sunshine and rain to fall inside and cause the growth of vegetation. There is a rock formation around here that resembles the profile of former US President Abraham Lincoln.

Other show caves in the Gunung Mulu National Park include Clearwater Cave and Wind Cave. Clearwater Cave or Gua Air Jernih is part of the largest underground river systems in the world and Southeast Asia’s longest cave system. It’s very popular for the very clear water in the underground stream. Before you reach the Clearwater Cave you will pass by the Wind Cave, known for the cool draft of air blowing through the cave. The most popular feature of this cave is the section called the King’s Room where huge stalactites and stalagmites come in all shapes and sizes.

These caves and the surrounding mountains are the home to a number of endemic species, including various species of bats and eight varieties of hornbills, including the Rhinoceros Hornbill, the state bird of Sarawak. A number of mammals can also be found on Mulu, such as the bearded pig, moonrat, shrews, the Bornean Tarsier, macaques, gibbons, different types of deer, squirrels and the Malaysian Sun bear.

Most of the land or two thirds of the country is covered by forests. In fact, the world’s oldest rainforests are in Malaysia, dating back to over 130 million years. These forests are home to about 20% of the animal species of the world. Scientists have identified 210 different mammal species in the country. Malaysia is also home to over 620 different types of birds, aside from 250 different reptiles, 150 snake species, 150 different types of frogs and 80 types of lizards. The wildlife in Malaysia includes elephants, tigers, leopards, tapirs, rhinos, sun bears, orangutans, different monkeys and a diverse number of avian species. The mountain peacock pheasant and the Malayan whistling thrush are native to Peninsular Malaysia.

These forests are also home to 14,500 different types of flora or flowering plants and trees. There are over 2,000 different types of trees found in the forests of Malaysia, as well as over 850 different types of orchids. At the same time, over 8,500 different vascular plants and 8,000 flowering plants can be found in the forests of Peninsular Malaysia, while there are over 15,000 plant species found on the eastern portion of the country. It is estimated that every hectare of forest in Malaysia contains as many as 240 different species of trees.

The largest flower in the world can also be found in Malaysia, the Rafflesia. This flower has a diameter that can measure up to a meter wide, or three feet. This parasitic plant can weigh as much as 11 kilos or 22 pounds. The five-petaled flower has no stems, leaves or roots and smells like rotten meat. Its scent is necessary to attract insects for pollination. It takes six to nine months for the budding period to be completed, only to decompose after less than three or five days of blooming. Its only viable host is the Tetrastigma vine. This flower is unique only to certain portions of Southeast Asia, especially on the eastern slopes of Mount Kinabalu, in the far-flung interior of Sabah and Cameron Highlands in Peninsular Malaysia, although it regularly blooms at the Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak. Some of the reasons for the rare blooms include early rotting of buds and their collection by the locals to be used as natural medicine. Rafflesia is named after Singapore’s founder, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who in 1818 discovered the flower during an expedition in Borneo.

Aside from the rainforests found in Malaysia, the country has over 1,425 square kilometers or 550 square miles of mangroves. The forests are also rich in a variety of trees, such as oaks, rhododendrons, chestnuts and dipterocarps. One other giant flower that grows in the wild in Sarawak is the Titan Arum or Amorphophallus Titanium.

While Rafflesia is sometimes mislabeled as the “corpse flower,” the real and rare bloom that actually holds that moniker is the Titan Arum. It is the world’s largest unbranched cluster of flowers in one stem (inflorescence) and technically larger than Rafflesia although it is less dense and lighter. On record it is the largest flower in the world and also one of the rarest plants on earth. The Titan Arum starts as a big tuberous root called a corm that stores energy for up to ten years. From there it will grow a central spike at the rate of about six inches each day and will continue to grow until it is around 9 feet high.

From there the growth will be about an inch a day, which signals that the flower is ready to bloom. Its colorful flower looks like a gigantic upturned bell with an enormous and long clapper. The lips of the flower are frilly, belying its acrid stench, caused by the sulfur compounds the flower contains. It usually opens at night and self-produces heat that if you ever witness its rare blooming process you can see steam rising around it. Insects attracted to its rotten smell cause pollination and from the fertilization the central spike produces hundreds of red olive-sized fruits. After three days the flower dies and the single leaf from the corm grows to a tree-like plant that can reach a height of 20 feet.

Aside from the biodiverse land of Malaysia, the waters of the country are also home to a number of coral species and fish species. The waters of Sipadan Island have been deemed as one of the most biodiverse in the entire world. The Sulu Sea also contains over 600 different coral species, as well as over 1,200 different types of fish.

Malaysia is an attractive destination for travelers who are looking for eco-tourism because the rainforests have been transformed to national parks to preserve the ecosystem and at the same time attract tourists.

However, the increasing degradation of the natural landscape of the country is a growing concern. Scientists estimate that as much as 80% of the rainforest in Sarawak has been cut down. On the Peninsular side, as much as 60% of the forests have been cleared. These increased deforestation rates to make room for plantations have severely affected the ecosystem of Malaysia. Massive floods and landslides have affected the country. If the current rate of deforestation isn’t curtailed, the rainforests of Malaysia may be extinct as early as 2020.

The country’s government therefore has taken strides to continue to preserve its forests as national parks, while at the same time balancing the need for economic growth. Most of the remaining rainforests have been classified as national parks, resulting in a total of 28 national parks in the country. The government is also attempting to minimize logging by as much as 10% annually.

The oceans of Malaysia face problems because of illegal fishing. The use of dynamites and poison have damaged many coral reefs and affected the marine population of the country. On land, illegal animal trafficking is being curtailed through stricter anti-trafficking laws.

There are many tours and expeditions that travelers can sign up for to explore the rainforests of Malaysia. The lowland forests are easily accessible, such as the Sungai Buloh Reserve, Kanching Forest Reserve and the Ampang Forest Reserve. The medicinal value of the plants in Malaysia, the contribution to tourism, as well as the importance of the biodiversity to the overall ecosystem of the country have been recognized, so concrete steps are being taken to preserve the country’s natural landscape.

The Peranakans of Malaysia

Chinese immigrants play a large role in the history, culture and economy of Malaysia. The Peranakans are people of Malaysia that intermarried with the Chinese immigrants. This group of people is also known as “Straits Chinese” because they are the Chinese that settled along the British Straits and the Straits of Malacca.

It is estimated that there are about 7,000,000 Peranakans in Malaysia today. They speak different Chinese languages, as well as Malay and Indonesian. They practice Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and even Christianity. This is in contrast with the rest of the Malaysian majority who are practicing Muslims.

The males are called “Babas” while the females are called “Nyonya.” The Chinese that intermarried with the Malays are said to be of the Hokkien ancestry. These Chinese people settled in what is now Melacca and Penang, which is why Penang has a strong Chinese vibe out of all the Malaysian cities.

The Chinese immigrants moved to Melaka or Malacca in the 15th and 16th centuries during the colonial era of Malaysia. It is said that the Peranakans emerged when the Chinese Emperor’s daughter, Princess Hang Li Po was betrothed to the Sultan of Malacca during the Ming dynasty. This was done as a diplomatic gesture to encourage further trade between China and the valuable trading port of Malacca.

When the princess arrived at Malacca, she brought with her a 500-person entourage composed of some of the most elite families from her country. These were highly educated people and considered an elite class, as they were mostly traders and businessmen or sons of noblemen and ministers. They also brought with them their servants.

Upon their arrival at Bukit China or China Hill, these Chinese immigrants interacted and later married local Malay women. The product of the intermarriage between the Malays and the Chinese were called Peranakan. It is the men that married the local Malay women, while Chinese daughters were sent back to Mainland China to marry Chinese husbands.

The term Peranakan literally translates to “descendant.” As these elite families settled in Penang and other parts of Malaysia, they assimilated the local culture and at the same time lent a Chinese influence to the local people. This resulted in a culture that has Chinese, Malay, Indonesian and European influences.

The Peranakans successfully retained their cultural identity, with the women opting to wear their version of baju kurong, the “baju panjang” or long dress over a batik sarong. Their feet are encased inbeaded slippers, which are called “kasot manek.” They arehandmade with glass beads imported from the Czech Republic. They celebrate Lunar New Year as well as an elaborate Lantern Festival. Even the Peranakan marriage rituals and customs are largely of Chinese origin, such as ancestor worship and the passing out of red envelopes as presents to the bride and groom.

The Peranakans developed their own cuisine, which is Chinese cooking using Malay spices. Chicken Kapitan (chicken curry), Inchi Kabin (friend chicken Nyonya) and Pindang Bandeng (fish soup) are just some of the dishes popularized by the Nyonyas. Nyonya Laksa as well as Kueh Lapis (multi-layered cake) are Peranakan dishes that have found their way to the Malaysian dining table.

At the same time, the Peranakans also adopted some of the culture of the European conquerors such as the Portuguese, Dutch and British. At the time of their migration, the Peranakans were regarded as King’s Chinese, since their loyalty was with the British protectors instead of their homeland China. Their ability to speak fluent English also allowed them to work as middlemen between the British and the Chinese, further adding to their influence and affluence.

The successful settlement of Chinese in Malacca further encouraged further migration to the area. The local Malays treated the Peranakans with high regard.

Peranakans speak Baba Malay, which is a combination of Hokkien words with Malay. Today’s Peranakans speak mostly English. Unfortunately, Baba Malay is a dialect that is slowly dying, since the younger generation no longer speaks it as often or as fluently as the older generations. All Malaysians are taught Bahasa Malay, leading to the loss of the unique Baba Malay language.

In Malaysia, a famous Peranakan is Tun Dato Sri Tan Cheng Lock, who became the founder and very first president of the Malaysian Chinese Association. The MCA’s third president is Tun Tan Siew Sin, also a Peranakan. Malaysian novelist Nyonya Chuah Guat Eng is also Peranakan.

Travelers can learn about the Peranakans of Malaysia by visiting the many museums devoted to the Peranakan culture and history. Heeren Street and Jonker Street in Malacca are just some of the places travelers can visit. In Penang, there is also the Pinang Peranakan Mansion.