Malaysia

Travel, Enjoy, Respect

Overview of Malaysia

History

Long before European colonial powers dreamed of occupying Southeast Asia, modern day Malaysia was ruled by several empires, the Srivijaya and Majapahit kingdoms, followed by the Melaka Sultanate. The earlier reigns saw the spread of Hindu influences across the peninsula and archipelago. Islam, the primary religion today, was introduced by Arab traders during the height of the Melaka Sultanate.

In the 16th century, the Portuguese were the first country to establish settlements throughout the Malay Peninsula, primarily around Malacca. However, the Dutch took control soon after, which spread their stronghold of Southeast Asia even further. In 1786, British forces set up a colony on the island of Penang, and eventually obtained many other parts of the Malay region, including Singapore by 1819. The Dutch eventually ceded much of the area the British. In response, British forces ceded all colonies in Sumatra (Indonesia) to the Dutch, which was the agreement forged in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. As a result, a line was drawn between British Malay colonies and the Dutch East Indies. Malaysia saw a huge influx of Chinese and Indian laborers when Britain took charge.

Before WWII, the regions of Malaysia were mostly governed by Britain, including the Federated and Unfederated Malay States, Northern Borneo, Kingdom of Sarawak and Brunei. However, some of these were actually protectorates instead of crown colonies, like Brunei. During WWII, British forces quickly fell to the technologically advanced Japanese armies, and lost the region until the Japanese surrendered in 1945, when Britain took back control of the Malay states. The Malayan Union was formed in 1946, which limited the states sultans’ powers, creating local upheaval. Eventually, some control was returned to the former state leaders in 1948, and the Malayan Union once again changed its title to the Federation of Malaya.

Malaysia first gained independence from Britain in 1957, just 12 years after WWII. For the first six years, the country was known as Malaya. However, this changed in 1963, as the nation of Malaysia as born, adopting states like Sabah, Singapore, and Sarawak. Just two years following though, Singapore was expelled as a result of large ethic riots due to the growing threat of Chinese influences on the land and Singapore became an independent nation.

Travelers can learn more about the ancient and modern history of Malaysia at the National Museum (Jalan Damansara, City Center, Kuala Lumpur). Penang’s War Museum (Mukin 12, Batu Maung, Penang) is a great place to explore British colonial war tactics and influences. Information about the British settlement in Penang is also available at the Penang State Museum (Lebuh Farquhar, Pulau Pinang, Penang).

Geography

Malaysia is located in the southeast of the Asian continent; therefore this region is often referred to as Southeast Asia. There are over 28 million inhabitants in the country (January 2012). Malaysia consists out two parts: Peninsular Malaysia, located between Thailand in the north and Singapore in the south, and the two provinces Sabah and Sarawak, located on Borneo. We also talk about Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Peninsular Malaysia is located just above the equator and Borneo just beneath it. The large island Borneo is shared with Indonesia (they call this island Kalimantan) and Brunei. To the north it borders the Philippines (that still has claims on parts of Borneo) via sea. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, a metropolis with over 1.6 million inhabitants in the city center (suburbs like Subang, Petaling Jaya, Ampang Jaya, Alor Setar and Klang are not included).

"Malaysia- Country Quick-facts''

Population: 32 million people +977 14511001

Capital: Kuala Lumpur with more than 7 million inhabitants, the administrative capital, however, is Putrajaya with less than 100,000 inhabitants!

Name: Malaysia

Motto: 'Unity is Strength'

Government: Constitutional monarchy. Federation of 13 states and three territories. The country also has a king who is elected every five years.

Language: Malay (Bahasa Malaysia)

Religion: mainly Islam (60%). There are also Buddhists (20%), Christians (9%) and Hindu (6%)

Currency: 1 Ringgit = 100 sen

History: Signs of human settlements on the Malay Peninsula date back more than 40,000 years. The first settlers arrived from China and India around the first century AD. In the 15th century Portuguese conquered port towns such as Melaka, after this the Dutch established their rule. In the late 17th century the British ruled in the area with main settlements in Melaka, Penang and Singapore. During the second world war the Japanese invaded the country and occupied the area for three years. Malaysia gained independence in 1963.

National Day: 31 August

National Symbols: Malayan tiger (national animal), hibiscus (national flower)

National Anthem: 'My Country'

Malaysia visa

Featured snippet from the web

Visitors to Malaysia must obtain a visa from one of the Malaysian diplomatic missions unless they are a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries. All visitors must hold a passport valid for at least 6 months.