GOOGLE celebrates Malaysia’s 63rd independence day today with a doodle or logo featuring an orangutan, the great ape native to the country.

The species is found in the rainforests of Borneo, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Sumatra.

It is the second animal chosen by the search engine, which, for the past 20 years, has crafted special doodles to celebrate various occasions across the world.

As for Malaysia, the search engine has used a few Malaysian icons to mark past Merdeka Days, including the Malayan tigers, teh tarik and wau bulan, an intricately designed Malaysian moon kite.

But, most of the time, the national bunga raya flower (hibiscus) is featured.

August 31 is the official independence day of Malaysia. It marks the Federation of Malaya’s Declaration of Independence and sovereignty from the British rule on August 31, 1957.

The federation of Malaya merged with Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963. However, on August 9, 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent state. – Bernama, August 31, 2020.