Malaysia & Singapore Map Pack (including Kuala Lumpur)

The Malayan Peninsula and the formerly-British protectorates of Borneo form a natural unity except for one little detail. It is impossible to combine the degree of detail necessary to cover all aspects of four diverse entities on one sheet and provide sufficient detail to do justice to Singapore Island or the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur at the same time as the vast extent of Sarawak or Brunei. However, all these entities form a cohesive whole. Singapore is a major point of entry, and both as a city and an island country is vibrant and exciting. I like to say it shows Asia as it should be and hopefully will be one day, full of modern buildings, industrious people, clean streets, and democratic government. Singapore is the shining beacon showing the rest of Asia how to progress while respecting the rights of its citizens. The map covers the urbanized part of Singapore from the Little India tourism centre in the east to the amusement area of Sentosa Island in the west, with a large inset of the island itself and its connecting causeway to Malaysia.

Malaysia itself is shown on a double-sided sheet with the peninsula area shown at 1:750,000 scale and the Borneo segment shown at 1:1,100,000. As a bonus, the independent country of Brunei, one of the richest countries in the world, is included. The Peninsula side shows what used to be Malaya and its several former principalities leading up to the Thai border. My own favourite part of the country is the northern island of Penang, with its colonial-enriched city of Georgetown. The island is now joined to the mainland by a modern bridge; regretfully, the colourful ferry to mainland Butterworth is now just a memory. The peninsula divides into natural regional segments, more or less based on traditional boundaries. The highland areas of Perak in the north and Pahang further south remain mountainous retreats for visitors and local people when the coastal heat becomes too high for comfort. The more southerly provinces of Johor and Melaka (formerly the fabled Malacca) provide the main agricultural exports for the country and a growing industrial base due to its proximity to Singapore.

The third map in this Map Pack is the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. This modern, bustling city has the twin Petronas towers, the tallest such buildings in the world. KL also has one of the world's longest monorails, with 11 stations, as well as two other elevated rapid transit lines and an express train to the airport. The railway station provides excellent air-conditioned service to all parts of the country. The Colonial District in the city centre is now largely the administrative centre for what is developing into one of Asia's powerhouses. Nearby Chinatown contains the bulk of the visitor accommodations, and the Little India and Chow Kit shopping areas just to the north complete the scene.

All three maps, a value at $35 are being offered as a package for the bargain price of $20.95.