1. People
Malaysia is a small country with a land area of approximately 330 thousand square kilometers and a population of 23 million people comprising Malay, Chinese, Indian and other minority groups.

2. Religion
The official religion of Malaysia is Islam but Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism and other religions are practiced freely by the people.

3. Languages
Malay is the national language of the country and is spoken by all Malaysians. Chinese and Tamil as well as other languages are also spoken by the people. English is widely spoken by most of the people in cities and big towns.

4. Food
Malaysia offers excellent Malay, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, American, Italian, Portuguese and French cuisine and French food is available in all the cities and big towns.

5. Cost of Living
The cost of living in Malaysian cities is moderate. It costs about RM 800.00 to RM1,000.00 (US$210.00 to US$260.00) per month.

6. Money and Currency
Currency in Malaysia is expressed in Malaysian Ringgit (RM) and Sen. One RM is equal to 100 Sen. The exchange rate of the RM had been fixed at RM3.00 to US$1.00. Visa, Master Card American Express credit cards are accepted by all hotels, departmental stores, supermarkets, travel agencies and restaurants.

7. Banking
All the banks are open from Mondays to Saturdays and remains closed on Sundays and Public Holidays. The banking hours of most of the banks on weekdays are from 9.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m, and on Saturdays, the banks are open from 9.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon. All the banks are closed on the first and the third Saturdays of every month. You may open either a Current Account or a Savings Account in one of the banks. You will receive an ATM card from the bank, which will allow you to withdraw money as per your convenience, anytime from the ATM.

8. Electricity
The electric current is 220-240 volts AC at 50 cycles per second. The plugs used for most of the electrical appliances are either the “B” pattern 2 round pins type or the “C” pattern 3 regular prongs type.

9. Postal Services
Post offices are open from 8.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays and on Saturdays, from 8.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon, but are closed on Sundays and Public Holidays. The post offices also offer telegram, telex and fax services and charges a nominal rate for mailing any item.

10. Telephone Services
The Telephone booths situated in every nook and corner of the streets allows you to make calls at a reasonable rate to any country. You can also buy prepaid phone cards that provide discounted rates for international calls.

11. Internet Services
The students can use the University College?s computer lab to access the Internet free of charge. If you wish to access the Internet at the convenience of your room, all you need are a PC, a telephone line and an Internet account. You can also make use of the Internet facilities at the Cyber-cafe which are found in abundance in all the towns of the country.

12. Public Transport
It is best to avail the local transport to travel across the country. Domestic flights, trains and taxis provide regular services between all the towns of Malaysia. Public transport system (LRT – Light Rail Transit, public buses and taxis) between Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur is very effective. Petaling Jaya also offers frequent taxi services. If you are traveling within the town, you need to pay the taxi driver according to the fare displayed on the meter and you are not required to pay him any tips.

13. Medical Services
Malaysia provides excellent medical and healthcare services and our doctors and specialists, who are well – qualified, offer their services either in government organizations or or private clinics.

14. Dentists
Dental services are provided by qualified dental surgeons, who are either associated with government hospitals or private dental clinics.