Malaysia is the rising star of South-East Asian tourism, a nation looking to the future while cherishing the ways of the past. Centuries of trade have resulted in a vibrant mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous tribal cultures, creating a veritable melting pot of peoples, traditions and religions.

The region now known as Malaysia was first mentioned in Chinese and Sanskrit records of the seventh and eighth centuries. In subsequent centuries the area was under the influence and loose control of various Thai and Indonesian empires, including the great Sumatra-based civilisation of Sri Vijaya. This was followed in the 14th century by the Majapahit Empire based in Java. Sri Vijaya and Majapahit, Buddhist and Hindu respectively, both left a mark on the peninsula. But, even by the 14th century, Islam was steadily spreading eastwards.

In the 16th century, the Portuguese moved in and, after capturing Malacca, established a number of fortified bases in the region. Sultan Mahmud was unable to recapture it immediately but his successors formed an alliance with Dutch arrivals to expel the Portuguese in 1641. Dutch expansion eventually produced the Dutch East Indies, the heart of a prosperous colonial trading operation.

The British were relatively late arrivals to the region in the late 18th century, but they played a key role following the European wars of the 1790s and, in particular, the defeat of The Netherlands by France in 1795. Rather than hand them to the French, the Dutch passed control of some valuable resources to the British. Gradually, during the 19th century, the British took control of the peninsula using economic pressure. The Federated Malay States were created in 1895, and remained under British colonial control until the Japanese invasion of 1942.

After Japanese defeat in 1945, the 11 states were once again incorporated as British Protectorates and, in 1948, became the Federation of Malaya. In the same year, communist guerrillas – the bulk of whom were ethnic Chinese – launched an armed struggle aimed at establishing an independent socialist state. ‘The Emergency’, as colonial authorities dubbed it, lasted formally until 1960.

In 1963, the Federation of Malaya merged with Singapore and the former British colonies of Sarawak and Sabah (North Borneo) to form Malaysia. Singapore seceded to become an independent state in its own right in 1965, leaving Malaysia in its present form.

Such history highlights why Malaysia is so ethnically and culturally diverse. Even better, the magnificent landscape is no less diverse – dense jungles, soaring peaks and lush tropical rainforests harbour an abundant flora and fauna. Tropical island resorts and endless white, sandy beaches offer a taste of paradise, while beneath warm coral seas, world-class dive sites await exploration. Orang-utans, the oldest rainforest in the world, city skyscrapers and majestic mosques and temples plus a gorgeous coastline are enough to tempt even the most jaded visitor.