Clouded Leopard - Malaysia

The Strait of Malacca is a narrow passageway extending for 805 kilometers between the island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. It connects the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and is considered one of the most vital shipping routes. Approximately 1/4 of the world’s commerce passes through the Strait of Malacca.

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Leo nebulosa - The clouded leopard is a small cat, but has upper canines proportionately larger than those of any other cat. It prefers hunting in trees by catching small mammals and birds. Dedicating itself to an arboreal lifestyle has made the clouded leopard a skillful climber, the best within the cat family. Despite being distributed through a wide path across Central Asia, the population of the clouded leopard has declined sharply in recent years as a direct result of hunting, deforestation, and human encroachment.

Gambier - Malaysia

Uncaria gambir - Gambier, referred to as “kachu” in Malaysia, is one of about forty species of flowering shrubs within the uncaria genus. The plants are distributed throughout the tropics, most species being native to Southeast Asia. Gambier is used locally for tanning and dying purposes. The leaves are also made into a paste, spread on betel leaves, and chewed to produce a mild narcotic effect. Lozenges made from gambier had been produced in Malaysia as early as the 17th century.

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The Malacca Sultanate flourished in Southeast Asia from 1400 to 1511. It was centered in the present day Malaysian state of Malacca. At the height of power, it had spread into parts of Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Being situated along the heavily used trade route connecting Europe to Asia brought enormous wealth and prosperity to the Malacca Sultanate. Under Sultan Mansur Shah, reigning from 1459 to 1477, Malacca reached its apex. The Sultanate fell to the Portuguese in 1511.

Cities in Asia

Bangkok began as a small trading post  situated on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in the emerging Ayutthaya Kingdom. Prosperity for the Ayutthaya Kingdom came through trade with the nearby Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indians, as well as the distant French, Portuguese, and Dutch. This lucrative international trade transformed Krung Thep, as it is known in Thai, into a leading Asian metropolis.

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Kuala Lumpur  was founded in the 1850’s to serve the needs of the local tin miners. The town barely survived floods, fires, gang warfare, and various outbreaks of diseases. Yap Ah Loy was installed by the British as the chieftain of the area during the 1870’s in an attempt to bring a degree of stability to the region. Under his leadership, Kuala Lumpur began to grow rapidly and emerged as Malaysia’s leading city.

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Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Central Asia. It was known as Marakanda when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BC. Samarkand served as the capital for Timur when he ruled over the Timurid Empire in the 14th century and serves as his burial site. Samarkand was also one of the key cities along the Silk Road and through this position, grew into a prosperous trading city.