Malaysia is located on both the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. It was formed in 1963 from the union of former British territories. Malaysia has a population of over 24 million people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. The country has a parliamentary democracy and a rapidly developing economy based around manufacturing and resource extraction.

1. Malaysia is the only country of Southeast
Asia situated on both a major island and the
Asian mainland. In the west, Malaysia
occupies the southern half of the Malay
Peninsula, which it shares with Thailand. In
the east, it includes the states of Sabah and
Sarawak on the island of Borneo, the third
largest island in the world. The two sections
are separated by more than 400 miles (645
kilometers) of the South China Sea.
The independent nation of Malaysia was
created in two steps. In 1957, its mainland
portion (then called Malaya) won
independence from Britain. In 1963, Sabah,
Sarawak, and Singapore were added to
Malaya, thus creating the nation of
Malaysia. (Singapore later became an
independent nation).

2. PEOPLE
Most of Malaysia’s 24 million people live on the
Malay Peninsula, chiefly in towns or cities on or
near the western coast. Native Malays make up
the largest single ethnic group (58%), followed by
Chinese (24%) and Indians (8%). There are also a
small number of indigenous people, the Orang
Asli. Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo are inhabited
mainly by Dayaks and peoples of non-Malay origins.
LANGUAGE
Malay (officially called Bahasa Melayu) is the
national language. English is used in business and
government. Chinese is also widely spoken.
RELIGION
The official religion of Malaysia is Islam (the Muslim
religion), but the constitution guarantees freedom
of worship to all. Many ethnic Chinese are
Buddhists or Taoists. Most Indians are Hindus.
Some of the tribal peoples of Sabah and Sarawak are

3. Christians, while others follow the traditional native
religions of their ancestors.
EDUCATION
Children receive nine years of free public
education –six years of primary school and three
years of lower secondary school. Students who
pass a series of examinations may go to upper
secondary school for two years. Institutions of
higher learning include teacher-training colleges,
technical colleges, and several universities. The
largest university is the University of Malaya, in
Kuala Lumpur.
HOUSING
In Malay villages, wooden houses with thatch-palm
roofs are often raised above the ground on pilings to
protect them from dampness. In towns and cities,
many of these traditional houses have been replaced
by modern architecture. The Dayaks in Sarawak
often live in villages made up of longhouses, which
may contain an entire village of fifty families or
more.

4. DRESSES
The traditional national costume of Malay women
is a SARONG tied around the waist, a BAJU (a
loose blouse), and a SELENDANG (a scarf draped
over one shoulder). Malay men wear loose shirts,
trousers, and a SONGKOK (a black velvet cap
with no brim). Indian women wear the pajama like
SAM-FOO or CHEONGSAM (a straight dress
with side slits).Most Indian, Chinese, and Malay
men in towns and cities wear W
estern-style clothes.
FOOD and DRINK
Curry and spices flavor Malay dishes of rice, fish,
vegetables, and meat. Chinese and Indian people
cook their own national dishes. People drink
mostly mineral water, tea, and coffee. Islam
forbids alcoholic beverages.
HOLIDAYS
The country’s most important holidays are the
Hari Raya Puasa (an Islamic holiday, celebrating
the end of the fasting month of Ramadan), Divali
(a Hindu festival of lights), Christmas (a Christian

5. holiday , celebrating the birth of Christ), the
Chinese New Year, and Freedom Day (August 31).
LAND
LAND AND REGIONS
Malaysia is divided into two distinct regions: West (or
Peninsular) Malaysia and East Malaysia (Sabah and
Sarawak on the island of Borneo).
A mountain chain-made up of the Cameron Highlands
and Genting Highlands-runs down the middle of the
Malay Peninsula, rising in places to more than 7,000
feet (2,100 meters). Low plains extend down to both
the eastern and western seacoasts. Low plains extend
down to both the eastern and western seacoasts.
Except for they Pahang River Valley, the land east of
the mountains is under developed and covered by
dense forests. The eastern coasts have only two good
harbors, Kota Baharu and Kuantan. The western coast
has good harbors at George Town, Port Kelang
(formerly Port Swettenham), Telok Anson, and port
weld.

6. About three-quarters of east Malaysia consists of
sparsely populated jungle. The coastline of both Sabah
and Sarawak is made up of alluvial and swampy land.
Farther inland in Sarawak, the rolling country is
intersected by mountain ranges. To the south, the
Kapuas Mountains and Iran Mountains separate
Malaysian Borneo from Indonesian Borneo. To the
north in Sabah, low hills along the coast rise into a
central mountain range that contains Mount Kinabalu,
which at 13,455 feet (4,101 meters) is the nation’s
highest peak.
RIVERS AND COASTAL WATERS
The Pahang River, the longest on the Malay Peninsula,
flows south and east before emptying into the South
China Sea. In the west, the Perak River rises on the
border with Thailand and flows south into the Strait
of Malacca, a narrow waterway separating west
Malaysia from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. There
are Many rivers in Sabah, the longest being the
Kinabatangan, which waters Sabah’s largest plain. In
Sarawak, the Rajang River has the longest navigable
stretch.

7. CLIMATE
Malaysia has two main seasons during which most
precipitation occurs –the northeast monsoon (Nov. to
Mar.) and southwest monsoon (May to Sept.). Annual
rainfall averages from 80-100 inches (2,000-2,500
millimeters). During the southwest monsoon, lines of
thunderstorms called Sumatra’s from along the Strait
of Malacca.
NATURAL RESOURCES
The Malay Peninsula has a vast supply of rubber and
palm oil and a large amount of timber. Tin, iron, ore,
bauxite, and gold are also found. Sarawak has
considerable deposits of bauxite (aluminum ore).
Malaysia’s forest abound in palm, teak, camphor,
sandalwood, and ebony tress. However, in Sarawak
these forests are being cut down. Elephants,
rhinoceros, crocodiles, lizards, wild pigs, and tigers
once roamed through the country’s forests, hills, and
swamplands but are now scarce. There is a great
variety of butterflies, other insects, birds, and reptiles.

8. ECONOMY
Malaysia’s wealth of natural resources and high-technology
industries have greatly helped in the
development of its economy
SERVICES
From banking and real estate to government and local
commerce, services account for nearly 47% of
Malaysia’s economy. Service industries also employ
about half the entire workforce. Industries related to
tourism account for part of this total. Favored
destinations include the less developed regions of
mainland Malaysia, where natural jungle and habitat
abound, and Sarawak on Borneo, where the more
adventuresome travel up the river Skrang to visit
tribes people still living in longhouses.
MANUFACTURING
Malaysia’s manufacturing sector accounts for about 45%
of the economy. Chiefs products include electronics and
electrical goods, textiles, clothing and footwear,
petroleum, wood and metal products, and processed
rubber, traditional Malaysian handicrafts, such as basket

9. ware, jewelry, silverware, and batik cloth, and also
important, particularly in Sarawak.
AGRICULTURE
Farming and fishing account for about 8% of the
country’s wealth. Most Malaysian farmers practice
subsistence agriculture, growing food mainly for their
own use. Rice is the chief food crop. Poultry television
station broadcast throughout west Malaysia and some
parts of east Malaysia. In use is growing rapidly.
Bernama, the national news agency transmits Malaysian
government information around the world. Leading
newspapers include the new straits times and the star.
MAJOR CITIES
Malaysia’s urban centers have grown rapidly, as many
people have moved from the countryside to the cities
and towns.
KUALA LUMPUR
With a population of more than 1 million, is Malaysia’s
capital and largest city. Founded in 1857 as a tin mining
camp on the Kelang River, it developed rapidly during
the period of rule. The city is noted for its Moorish
Islamic architecture as well as the modern Petronas

10. Towers, which at 1,483 feet (452 meters) are among the
world’s tallest skyscrapers. Putrajaya, a new city, was
built nearby to serve as the government’s
administrative capital.
Other major cities on the peninsula are :
Ipoh, George Town, and Johore Baharu. On Borneo,
Kota Kinabalu serves as the capital and major port of
Sabah, while Kuching is the chief city and capital of
Sarawak.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
In Malaysia, art is found mostly in the form of
handicrafts, especially batik textiles. Native to
Malaysia and Indonesia, batik cloth designs are
produced by coating the cloth with wax, cutting
designs out of the wax, and then dyeing the UN waxed
areas.
Malaysia has many museums. Among the most notable
are the National Museum Kuala Lumpur and the
Sarawak State Museum and Kuching, which is noted
for its collection of traditional Malay and Chinese
furniture.

11. Wayang (shadow plays), the traditional theater of
Malaysia, are performed with puppets casting shadows
on a screen. The plays are presented on platforms or in
huts lighted by lanterns, colored lights, or torches.
The Wayang tell traditional stories of the struggle
between good and evil. Malay operas and the
traditional Malay dramas called menorah are also
popular. Indian plays and dances and Chinese musical
plays, puppet shows, and classical dramas are also
performed.
Government
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a
parliamentary from a government. The head of state is
the yang di-pertuan agong (paramount ruler). He is
elected by (and from among) the rajas (rulers) of the
nine original Malay states to serve 5- years term.
Actual executive power is exercised by the prime
minister, who is appointed by the paramount ruler. The
legislature is made up of two houses, the Dewan
Negara (Senate) and the Dewan Rekyat (House of
Representatives). The prime minister must be a member
of the House of Representatives and must have the
support of that body to remain in power. The prime
minister is assisted by a cabinet of ministers. Since

12. independence, the United National Malay
Organization (UNMO) has been the dominant political
power. The prime minister is always Malay and is the
head of the UNMO Party.
Malaysia consists of 13 states and 3 federal territories.
HISTORY OF MALAYSIA
In 1511 the Portuguese captured Malacca. In 1641 the
Dutch took the city from the Portuguese. The British
obtained a foothold on the Malay Peninsula in 1786 by
taking control of the island of Penang, and in 1824 the
Dutch ceded Malacca to Britain.
Meanwhile, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles of the
British settlement at Singapore in 1819. And in 1841 an
Englishman, Sir James Brooke, was installed as rajah of
part of Sarawak. Both Sarawak and British North
Borneo came under Britain’s protection in 1888.
BRITISH RULE
This time, the Malay Peninsula was politically divided
into nine states, which eventually came under British
protection. By the time World War II (1938-45) began,
the British controlled all of Malaysia. During the War,
the Japanese occupied Malaya, but the British

13. recaptured the peninsula in 1945. 3 years later, Britain
brought the nine Malay states together by establishing
the Federation of Malay.
CREATION OF MALAYSIA
In 1959, the British crown colony of Singapore gained self-government
within the Commonwealth of Nations. Then in
1961, the Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman,
conceived the idea of forming a Malaysian federation by
joining the Malayan state with Singapore and the
territories of British Borneo (Brunei Sabah, and Sarawak).
Malaysia officially came in existence on September 16,
1963. Brunei chooses not to join, and Singapore withdrew
from the federation In 1965.
Under Mahathir bin Mohammad, who was first elected
prime minister in 1981, Malaysia experienced nearly 2
decades of rapid economic growth. But in 1997, Malaysia
experience d a serious economic downturn with much of
the rest of Southeast Asia.
In 2002, the World Court awarded Malaysia title to 2
islands in the Celebes Sea Ligitan and Sipadan ending a
long standing dispute with Indonesia. The following year,
Mahathir, Asia’s longest-serving elected leader, retired.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi succeeded him as prime minister.
Abdullah was elected in his own right in 2004.