Malaysia is a small country in South East Asia, comprising about 127000 square miles of territory in Peninsula Malaysia, and the regions of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. It is a federal republic of 11 states. The population is around 25 million, of which 59% are ethnic Malay, 32% Chinese, and 9% Indian. The time zone is GMT +8. Malaysia has always been a multilingual country, and although the official language is Bahasa Malaysia (Malay), yet Chinese, English, and Tamil are widely spoken. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, which can boast of some impressive skyscraper buildings, and the country achieved its independence from Great Britain in the year 1957. The predominant religion is Islam (53%), but there are significant minorities practising Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Chinese folk religions.
Thus Malaysia is a place of great cultural variety.
Much of the land area of the country is covered in rainforest and mangrove swamp. The climate is tropical, with monsoon conditions and high humidity.
The currency unit is the Malaysian Ringgit (Dollar) which is divided into 100 cents. The country became attractive to investors in the late 19th century with the discovery of tin. Around the same time, rubber trees were introduced from Brazil, and this industry exported many products to Britain and the rest of Europe. Today, Malaysia has thriving industries in electrical goods and components, and of course, tourism.
Historically, it was part of the medieval Srivijaya Empire, and around the 14th century it began to come under Hindu and Muslim influences. From the 16th century, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Britain competed to control the region. Finally, in 1826, Penang, Malacca, and Singapore became the British Colony of the Straits Settlements. Some 70 years later, another five states joined the Federated Malay States, as it became known.
It was invaded and occupied by the Japanese in World War II. The British had been expecting that Japan, with its powerful navy and air force, would attempt to attack the stronghold of Singapore from the sea. They were taken by surprise when the invasion came overland through the peninsular.
The state of Singapore withdrew from the federation in 1965. Today, Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy on the British model, with a bicameral parliament, but with the difference that the Head of State is a Sultan who is elected by his fellow sultans to the office of Monarch, which he holds for a period of five years. In practice, the country is governed by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
