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the entire island (it is the world’s third largest) was ruled by the Brunei Sultanate. But increasing Dutch, Spanish and British control of the spice trade weakened the Sultan’s grip on power. An English trader, James Brooke, became the “White Rajah” of the southwest of the island, and a British trading company held sway in the northwest. The east of the island fell under Dutch control. Somewhat remarkably, the Brunei Sultanate survived and remains an independent state, albeit as a tiny shadow of its former self.

      Brunei retains close financial ties to Singapore, which joined Malaysia some years after its independence from Britain in 1957 but was then expelled from the union and is now also an independent state. The other two parts of western Borneo are a part of Malaysia, along with eleven states in Peninsular Malaysia.

      Those eleven states consist of the old trading ports of Malacca and Penang and an amazing nine sultanates, which are a reminder of the days when small kingdoms proliferated all over the Malay Archipelago, and there was no overarching central power.

      To avoid renewed rivalries between the nine Sultans, they elect a head of state from amongst their number every five years. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or King, of Malaysia does not hold enormous political power, but is the ceremonial ruler of the nation, and is held in very high regard. The King’s palace in Kuala Lumpur, complete with red-jacketed guards on horseback, is very near my son’s school. He often asks if he can go and play in the lovely gardens, but I tell him that his only hope is to write a very polite letter to the King, because the guards would never let him through the gates. They are defending their King and their independence as a sovereign state, and not even a small boy wanting to climb the fruit trees can go in without an invitation.

      A touch of paradise on Tioman Island, the largest island along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Virgin rainforest, a coastline ringed with bays of white coral sand and clear turquoise waters combine in sheer geographic splendour.

      Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese community makes up around one-third of the population and is particularly noticeable in urban areas. The Chingay Festival in Penang is celebrated at the end of the year with dragon dances, as shown here, stilt walkers, acrobats, and decorated floats taking to the streets to the clashing of cymbals and the beating of gongs and drums.

      Chinese New Year is a big festival in Malaysia and is celebrated with traditional lion dances. The Chinese believe that having a lion dance troupe perform at their homes during Chinese New Year and at newly opened business premises will drive out evil spirits and usher in luck and prosperity. The acrobatics of the agile "lion" as it twists, climbs, hops and jumps from stilt to stilt to the beat of huge Chinese drums, is a memorable and colourful sight.

      Much of the central part of Peninsular Malaysia is a protected reserve called Taman Negara, which stretches over 4343 sq km (1,683 sq miles). This contains some of the world’s oldest jungles and is an excellent spot to experience the rainforest and see some of its diverse flora and fauna. Access is mainly by longboat (left), and attractions include an aerial walkway through the treetops (below right). The very lucky visitor might even spot a Malayan Tiger (below right), which appears on Malaysia’s coat of arms and symbolizes strength and bravery. However, the Malayan Tiger is endangered, with less than a thousand animals left in the wild.

      Divers at Sipidan Island in eastern Sabah. Sipidan is Malaysia’s top dive destination, and one of the world’s best. More than 3,000 species of fish and several hundred coral species have been logged in its ecosystem.

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