Interesting facts about Malaysia

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Do you know that the cave with the largest chamber is the Malaysian cave Gua Nasib Bagus? It is located in Gunung Mulu National Park. The chamber is named Sarawak Chambter. Sarawak Chamber is 2,300 feet (about 700 m) long, 1,300 feet (about 396 m) wide, and around 230 feet (about 70 m) high. This cave can easily accommodate a Boeing 747-200.

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The Penang Free School is purportedly the oldest English school in Southeast Asia. It is founded by Rev. Sparke Hutchings in 1816. The first headmaster was Mr. James Cox 1816-1821. The school's original premises on Farquhar Street first housed the Hutchings School, but it is now the Penang State Museum. In 1928, the school moved to its current location on Jalan Masjid Negeri (also known as Green Lane).

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The world's largest flower is called Rafflesia. It can have a diameter of up to one meter and it can weigh up to 10 kilograms.

It also smells like rotting flesh. Discovery News tells us that its genetic roots have been uncovered and that this plant that smells so bad is related to delicate flowers such as poinsettias or violets. 

Do you also know that the Bintangor trees belongs to the family Guttifarae, which includes the mangosteen. There are over 50 species of Bintangor found mostly in western Sarawak. Of this number, two are now known to have medicinal value.

To the local population the Bintangor is known mostly as a timber tree of good quality, with an attractively grained wood. However, what is interesting is that there is a possibility that the medicinal value of these trees is that it can be used to treat aids symptoms. Studies have been conducted by scientist from Harvard University and The University Of Illinois, Chicago, and a drug called Calanolide has been developed but like most things pharmaceutical, it is expensive.