Full country name:Republic of Singapore
Area: 692.7 sq km
Population: 4,492,150
CapitalCity: Singapore
People: 77% Chinese, 14% Malay, 8% Indian, 1% other
Language: Mandarin, English, Malay, Hokkien
Religion: 42% Buddhist, 15% Muslim, 8% Taoist, 4% Hindu, 5% Catholic, 10% Christian, 15% none
Government: Parliamentary Republic
Head of State: Sellapan Rama NathanCulture: Legend has it that when a Sumatran prince came to the island he saw a beast that looked like a lion resulting in the name Singapore which came from the word “Lion City” or “Singapura”. The lion head is the national symbol of excellence, courage and strength. Singapore had its independence from Malaysian Federation August 9 1965 

Environment: Singapore has several ethnic neighbourhoods, including Little India and Chinatown. These were formed under the Raffles Plan to originally segregate the immigrants, but now have a diverse patronage whose main intentions are to either eat or buy something specific to that culture. Many places of worship were also constructed during the colonial era, a practice encouraged by the British to promote religious tolerance. Sri Mariamman Temple, the Masjid Jamae Mosque and the Church of Gregory the Illuminator are among those that were built during the colonial period. Work is now underway to preserve these religious sites as National Monuments of Singapore.
Since the 1990s, the government has been striving to promote Singapore as a centre for arts and culture, including theatre and music, and to transform the country into a cosmopolitan and diverse community at the ‘gateway between the East and West’. The highlight of these efforts was the construction of Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, a centre for performing arts that opened in October 2002.
 
Full country name:Republic of Indonesia
Area: 1,919,440 sq km
Population: 245,452,739
CapitalCity:Jakarta (pop 9.3 million)
People: There are around 300 ethnic and tribal groups. The principal ones are Acehnese, Bataks, Minangkabaus (Sumatra); Javanese, Sundanese (Java); Balinese (Bali); Sasaks (Lombok); and Dani (Papua)
Language: Indonesian, English, Javanese, Sundanese
Religion: 88% Muslim, 8% Christian, 2% Hindu
Government: republic
Head of State: President Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoCulture: Indonesia comprises a range of diverse societies and cultures. However, mass education, mass media and a policy of government-orchestrated nationalism have created a definite Indonesian national culture, with Bahasa Indonesia as its medium. Its distinctive cuisine and handcrafts have made the leap into an international forum.
Batik, the art of applying wax to cloth and then tie-dying in colourful and dramatic designs, is produced throughout Indonesia, and the centre of this activity is Yogyakarta in Java. Other craft forms include: ikat, which is a type of weaving with tie-dyed threads; songket, a silk cloth with gold or silver threads woven into it; and kris, artwork often decorated with jewels. Javanese wayang (puppet) plays and gamelan (hypnotic music composed mostly of percussive instruments) are also popular artistic forms.
Environment: Many Indonesian dishes are Chinese-influenced, but some, such as Padang food from Sumatra, are distinctly home-grown. Wherever you travel in Indonesia you’ll see vendors selling snacks such as potatoes, sweet nuts, biscuits or fruit. Rice is the basis of each meal, eaten as a soup or with an assortment of hot and spicy side dishes, salad and pickles. Nasi goreng (fried rice) is the most common dish, while sate (skewered meats with a spicy peanut sauce), gado-gado (bean sprouts and vegies in peanut sauce) and seafood are also popular. The variety of tropical fruits grown would make a greengrocer swoon. They include custard apples, durians, guavas, jackfruits, mangoes, papayas, starfruits and rambutans.
Indonesia’s rich natural environment encourages a diversity of flora and fauna. The archipelago is home to elephants, tigers, leopards and orangutans. Sea turtles are found in the waters around Bali and the world’s largest flowers - Rafflesia arnoldii - grow in Sumatra. The islands of Papua, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Sumatra have national parks, while other parks protect special areas such as Komodo, home to the Komodo dragon. Rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate, especially in Kalimantan where the mighty dipterocarp forests are being logged ferociously for their durable tropical hardwoods.
The Indonesian archipelago comprises more than 17,000 islands - 6000 of which are inhabited - and shares borders with Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Stretching like a backbone down the western coast of Sumatra is a line of active and extinct volcanoes. These continue through Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, and then loop through the BandaIslands of Maluku to northeastern Sulawesi. Less than 10% of the total land area is suitable for farming, while two-thirds consists of woodland, forests and mangrove swamp (mostly found in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua).

Draped over the equator, Indonesia tends to have a fairly uniform climate - hot. It’s hot and wet during the wet season (October to April) and hot and dry during the dry season (May to September). Temperatures climb to about 31°C (88°F) in coastal regions, dropping further inland.

 
 
Full country name: Federation of Malaysia                                                                                                    
Area: 329,750 sq km
Population: 24,385,858
CapitalCity: Kuala Lumpur
People: 50% Malay, 23% Chinese, 11% Indigenous, 8% Indian, plus indigenous tribes such as Orang Asli and Iban
Language: English, Tamil, Chinese, Malay
Religion: 52% Muslim, 17% Buddhist, 12% Taoist, 8% Christian, 8% Hindu, 2% tribal
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State: Yang di-pertuan agong (King) Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail
Head of Government: Prime Minister Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi
Culture: Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living side by side. The Malays are the largest community. The music, art, food, dance, architecture and general day to day living are influenced by all three to some degree, creating some of Asia’s most fascinating sounds, sights and tastes.
Environment: Malaysia is divided into two distinct parts: Peninsular Malaysia and the East Malaysian provinces of Sabah and
Sarawak in North Borneo. The two regions are 650km (403mi) apart, separated by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia shares borders with Thailand and Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak border Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), and Sarawak surrounds the tiny enclave of Brunei. The AndamanSea is on the west coast of the peninsula. The east coast of the peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak all adjoin the South China Sea.
Peninsular Malaysia accounts for 40% of the country’s land mass. Several mountain ranges run north-south along the spine of the peninsula. There is a wide, fertile plain on the west coast, and a narrow coastal plain on the east. Sabah and Sarawak are covered by dense jungles and have large river systems. Mt Kinabalu (4101m/13,450ft), in Sabah, is one of the highest peaks in Southeast Asia.
More than 60 per cent of the country is still rainforest, but a government plan to build a huge hydroelectric dam in Sarawak is expected to decimate 27,600ha (69,000ac) of forest, which does not augur well for the future. There are 8000 species of flowering plants in Peninsular Malaysia alone, including 2000 tree species, 800 different orchids and 200 types of palm.
Fauna includes elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards, tapirs, sun bears, orangutans and gibbons. East Malaysia has one of the most abundant and varied bird populations in the world.