15 interesting facts about Malaysia

1. Malaysia shares with Qatar the world's lowest death rate of respiratory diseases, at 7.5 death per annum per 100 000 people.
2. Sabah is home to the Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world.
3. Malaysia has 65,877 km of highway. This is more than the Earth's circumference of 40,075 km.
4. Cinema came to Malaya in 1933 with the screening of Laila Majnum, based in a Sanskrit play of two ill-fated loves, directed by B.S. Rajhans and produced by the Singapore-bsed Motilal Chemical Company.
5. The largest insect egg in Malaysia comes from the 15 cm Malaysian Stick Insect (Heteopteryx dilitata), which lays eggs that measure 1.3 cm, making them larger than a peanut.
6. Malaysia produces a meagre 15 feature films annually but churns out 300 to 400 television dramas and serials. There are 250 movie theatres and cineplexes nationwide.
7. The life expectancy of Malaysian men and women is 71 for men and 74 for women.
8. Malaysia is home to 14,500 species of flowering plants and trees, more than 200 species of mammals, 600 species of birds, 140 species of snakes and 60 species of lizards.
9. Malaysia has 18 ports : Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Kudat, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, George Town, Port Dickson, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung Kidurong and Tawau.
10. The first railroad in Malaya was between Port Weld (now Kuala Sepetang) and Taiping, built by the British in 1885 and covering a distance of 13.6 km.
11. Many global brands are produced in Malaysia, including Intel Pentium chips and Brooks Brother's shirts.
12. Bank Negara (Malaysia's Central Bank) has been managed by six governors since its establishment in 1959.
13. The Penang Bridge is the third longest in Asia at 13.7 km
14. The word ringgit means "jagged" in Malay, and originally referred to the separated edges of Spanish silver dollars widely circulated in the region.
15. The Mapping and Survey Department has been maintaining the Sultan Abdul Samad Clock Tower for 108 years.