|
Facts & Maps for Langkawi, Malaysia and surrounding region. |
 |
 |
Malaysia
is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country in Southeast Asia
and one of the wealthiest and most developed countries in the
region. A former British colony from the late 1780s to 1946, Malaysia gained
its independence
in 1957. The democratically elected government is
closely modeled after the British Westminster parliamentary system.
|
Total Population: 25.5 million.
Capital: Kuala Lumpur (Metropolitan population 6.9 million).
Ethnic Groups: Malay
50%, Chinese 24%, Indigenous 11.0%, Indian 7% and others 7%.
Languages: Malay, Cantonese,
Hokkien, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil. English is widely
spoken.
Religions: Islam (60%), Buddhism (20%), Christianity
(10%), Hinduism (6%),Confucianism (2.6%), Animism (1%), others
(including Taoism, Sikhism, Baha'i faith). Literacy:
A high
94%.
Economy: The country
experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development in
the late 1900s and today is rich in minerals, oils, petroleum,
natural gas, manufacturing and tourism.
Currency:
Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) in units of 100 cents = 1 MYR
(conversions on other pages)
At 1, 482 feet, the
Petronas Twin Towers (seen at right) are the
tallest twin buildings in the world. |
 |
 |
Langkawi:
is situated in the north-west of
Malaysia, next
to the border of Thailand. One of the charter
options is to
spend several days sailing to some islands in Thai
waters.
The Langkawi charter base is a
30 minute scenic drive from
the airport. The island is easily accessed by direct
flights
of less than 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore,
where international flights land each day.
If travelling by land
within Malaysia, there are
ferries that do
the 25 mile, 1 hour trip,
several times every day from Kuala
Perlis and Kuala
Kedah, or a 60 mile 3 hour journey from
Penang.
Also ferries from Satun, Thailand take only 1 hour,
several times a day, for the 25 mile trip.
Population: The small population of 55,000 people enjoy
living
and working at a
leisurely pace on this laidback island.
Entry Visas are not required by tourists from most
countries,
for a stay of up to 90 days.
Passports should have minimum
of six months remaining, before date of expiry. |
|
Weather: The North-East wind season, from November to April, is
mostly fine and clear.
The South-West season, May to October, has occasional rain between long
sunny periods.
Temperatures: Highs 30c (85F). Lows 24c (75F)
Tidal Range: varies from 2 - 3 metres.
Royal Langkawi Yacht Club Position:
Latitude
6.30.35N
Longitude:
99.85.17E
At
just 390 miles north of the Equator, Langkawi is within a
relatively settled weather belt.
There are NO TROPICAL
STORMS/CYCLONES or HURRICANES at any time of year. |
 |
 |
Safety: The Langkawi area is known as an extremely safe
destination on both land
and
water. There has never been an incident of piracy in
surrounding regions in modern times.
Being part of the Andaman Sea, which is regularly patrolled
by the Navy,
Coast Guard
and Water Police, it should not be confused with occasional trouble spots
in the South
China Sea and Sulu Sea, over 2,000 miles away, between Borneo and
the Philippines. |
Base Facilities:
Showers/toilets • Bars/restaurants • Pool/sauna •
Telephones • Internet
Nearby are: Supermarket • Shopping mall •
Bakery • Banks & ATM • Market • Car rental
Water
and electricity are available on the berths at the base, also
WI-FI for laptops/internet.
Transfers: Between the
airport and base can be arranged after the charter booking is
made.
Provisioning: Either do your own or
complete a shopping list in advance & staff buy for you. |
 |
 |
Features: Langkawi is a Duty Free island. There are no
taxes on buying/selling/chartering a yacht. All goods,
including vehicles, alcohol, cigarettes and electronics are
totally duty free. Also, there are fabulous beaches, fine
hotels, great shopping, excellent restaurants and bars. There are no
traffic jams, no road rage, next to no crime rate and very
friendly, helpful locals.
All this adds up to the perfect
paradise - to buy or charter a yacht and go sailing in
the sun. |
Langkawi to Phuket: There are 100's of islands, bays/lagoons with
crystal clear water,
full of tropical fish and beautiful coral, plus many deserted beaches
with clean white sand.
The cruising area of 6,000 square miles has many secluded anchorages to
choose from. Having so many
pristine, uncluttered destinations to explore and safe waters to
navigate all year long, it certainly makes this one of the most idyllic
cruising grounds on the planet.
Whether your interest is
finding a yacht to buy or charter, this is the place to enjoy
sailing |
 |
|
|