This is the 29th week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.
This week's country is...
Malaysia
Malaysia is located on the Asian continent and consists of two regions. It covers roughly the same size in land area as the US state of New Mexico.
Borneo is the third largest island in the world, after Greenland and New Guinea. Three countries share the island: the Independent Sultanate of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Malaysia is the only country in the world to have actually won the war against Communism. The 12-year guerrilla war conducted by the Communist forces came to end in 1960. This period is known to many as the Malayan Emergency.
Putrajaya in Malaysia has the biggest roundabout in the world with a diameter of 2.2 miles.
Malaysia’s total highway length is longer than the Earth’s circumference.
Malaysia is reported to have more than 1,000 species of plants that have medicinal properties that are used for treating ailments from headaches to malaria and cholera.
One of the indigenous fruits found in Malaysia is the pomelo (Citrus maxima), which is the largest citrus fruit in the world. It can reach the size of a small football and weighs from 2.2–6.7 lbs.
The English word “ketchup” is thought to be derived from the Hokkien word ke-tsiap, which describes a fermented dish sauce brought by Chinese traders to Melaka, Malaysia, where it was first encountered by Europeans.
The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were the world’s tallest buildings from 1998–2004. They are still regarded as the world’s tallest “twin” buildings.
In 1997 , the Malaysian state of Kelantan decreed that the lights would be kept on in all movie cinemas in order to deter people from kissing and cuddling.
Caning is a common punishment under Malaysian law. The maximum number of strokes that can be ordered is 24. Women can never be caned, nor can boys under the age of 10 or men over 50, except for rape.
According to a survey in 2010, Malaysians had the highest number of Facebook friends, with an average of 233. The Japanese were the pickiest with only 29 friends.
Malay brides wear their engagement rings on the fourth finger of their right hand. The ring is placed there by a senior female relative of the groom, instead of the groom himself.
Traditionally, pregnant Malaysian women may not kill, tie, or mangle anything, for this may result in birth marks or a deformed baby. They also may not carry fire or water behind their backs or look at anything ugly or frightening.
In Malaysia, a heart bypass surgery can be done for approximately US$9,000. The same operation costs around $130,000 in the U.S.
Malaysia can boast some 2,900 miles of coastline – the sort of impressive figure you would expect of a country which is built on a quarter of Borneo and a long peninsula. This means it has more seafront than the likes of Cuba, Thailand, Sweden and Colombia. That’s a lot of seafront.
Malaysia’s Taman Negara (literally, “national park”) is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth. At 130,000 million years, it is older than the tropical rainforests of the Amazon and the Congo Basins. It supports more than 10,000 species of plants, 1,000 types of butterflies, 140 types of animals, 350 bird species, 100 kinds of snakes, and 150,000 kinds of insects.
The Sarawak Cave Chamber in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia is the largest cave chamber in the world by area. It is said that it can easily accommodate a Boeing 747.
In Malaysia, it is generally considered rude to point at people or things with the index finger. A bent index finger or thumb is used to point—or, rather, to knuckle—in the right direction.
I decided to let this Malaysia fact be the inspiration for this week's card... The Japanese invaded Malaysia on December 6, 1941, the same day they bombed Pearl Harbor. They landed at Khota Baru and stole bicycles in every town they took on their way to Singapore, making the trip in 45 days.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Stamps: Penny Black Easy Rider and Stamplorations Enjoy the Ride stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers
Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Groovy Guava CS and DP from my scrap file
Dies: Nestabilites Circles
Embellishments: Brads from an unknown vendor
Malaysia is the only country that includes territory both on the mainland of Southeast Asia and in the islands that stretch between the Asian continental mass and Oceania.
Borneo is the third largest island in the world, after Greenland and New Guinea. Three countries share the island: the Independent Sultanate of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Malaysia is the only country in the world to have actually won the war against Communism. The 12-year guerrilla war conducted by the Communist forces came to end in 1960. This period is known to many as the Malayan Emergency.
Malaysia’s total highway length is longer than the Earth’s circumference.
Malaysia is reported to have more than 1,000 species of plants that have medicinal properties that are used for treating ailments from headaches to malaria and cholera.
One of the indigenous fruits found in Malaysia is the pomelo (Citrus maxima), which is the largest citrus fruit in the world. It can reach the size of a small football and weighs from 2.2–6.7 lbs.
The English word “ketchup” is thought to be derived from the Hokkien word ke-tsiap, which describes a fermented dish sauce brought by Chinese traders to Melaka, Malaysia, where it was first encountered by Europeans.
In 1997 , the Malaysian state of Kelantan decreed that the lights would be kept on in all movie cinemas in order to deter people from kissing and cuddling.
Caning is a common punishment under Malaysian law. The maximum number of strokes that can be ordered is 24. Women can never be caned, nor can boys under the age of 10 or men over 50, except for rape.
According to a survey in 2010, Malaysians had the highest number of Facebook friends, with an average of 233. The Japanese were the pickiest with only 29 friends.
Malay brides wear their engagement rings on the fourth finger of their right hand. The ring is placed there by a senior female relative of the groom, instead of the groom himself.
Traditionally, pregnant Malaysian women may not kill, tie, or mangle anything, for this may result in birth marks or a deformed baby. They also may not carry fire or water behind their backs or look at anything ugly or frightening.
In Malaysia, a heart bypass surgery can be done for approximately US$9,000. The same operation costs around $130,000 in the U.S.
Malaysia’s Taman Negara (literally, “national park”) is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth. At 130,000 million years, it is older than the tropical rainforests of the Amazon and the Congo Basins. It supports more than 10,000 species of plants, 1,000 types of butterflies, 140 types of animals, 350 bird species, 100 kinds of snakes, and 150,000 kinds of insects.
In Malaysia, it is generally considered rude to point at people or things with the index finger. A bent index finger or thumb is used to point—or, rather, to knuckle—in the right direction.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Groovy Guava CS and DP from my scrap file
Dies: Nestabilites Circles
Embellishments: Brads from an unknown vendor
Another post full of fascinating facts Jeanette - I am so enjoying your trip around the world!
ReplyDeleteLove your card - that is one sweet image, and you have coloured her beautifully
Blessings
Maxine
Classic Mary and Martha!! I need to slow down and enjoy the ride for sure!!
ReplyDelete