Portal:Malaysia

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Portal:Malaysia/Intro

Map of Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of 13 states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia, as well as a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital, the country's largest city, and the seat of the legislative branch of the federal government. Putrajaya is the administrative centre, which represents the seat of both the executive branch (the Cabinet, federal ministries, and federal agencies) and the judicial branch of the federal government. With a population of over 33 million, the country is the world's 43rd-most populous country. Malaysia is tropical and is one of 17 megadiverse countries; it is home to numerous endemic species. Tanjung Piai in the Malaysian state of Johor is the southernmost point of continental Eurasia.

The country has its origins in the Malay kingdoms, which, from the 18th century on, became subject to the British Empire, along with the British Straits Settlements protectorate. During World War Two, British Malaya, along with other nearby British and American colonies, was occupied by the Empire of Japan. Following three years of occupation, Peninsular Malaysia was unified as the Malayan Union in 1946 and then restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948. The country achieved independence on 31 August 1957. On 16 September 1963, independent Malaya united with the then British crown colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore to become Malaysia. In August 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation and became a separate, independent country.

The country is multiethnic and multicultural, which has a significant effect on its politics. About half the population is ethnically Malay, with minorities of Chinese, Indians, and indigenous peoples. The official language is Malaysian Malay, a standard form of the Malay language. English remains an active second language. While recognising Islam as the official religion, the constitution grants freedom of religion to non-Muslims. The government is modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system, and the legal system is based on common law. The head of state is an elected monarch, chosen from among the nine state sultans every five years. The head of government is the prime minister.

After independence, the gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an average rate of 6.5% per year for almost 50 years. The country's economy has traditionally been driven by its natural resources but is expanding into commerce, tourism, and medical tourism. The country has a newly industrialised market economy, and it ranks very high in the Human Development Index. The country is a founding member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Commonwealth, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). (Full article...)

Terengganu (Malay pronunciation: [tərəŋɡanu]; Terengganu Malay: Tranung, Jawi: ترڠݢانو‎), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Dāru l-Īmān ("Abode of Faith"). The coastal city of Kuala Terengganu, which stands at the mouth of the broad Terengganu River, is both the state and royal capital as well as the most populous city in Terengganu. Other major cities and towns includes Jerteh, Kuala Dungun, Chukai, Kuala Berang, Marang, and Permaisuri. At 13,035 square kilometres in size and a population of over 1.2 million people in 2023, Terengganu is Malaysia's 7th largest state by area and 10th largest in population. Terengganu, along with Kelantan, Perlis and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya is one of the most homogeneous states/territories in the country of which 95% of the population are ethnic Malay-Muslims with its own distinct language/dialect, culture, history and tradition.

Located on the East Coast region of Peninsular Malaysia, Terengganu borders with the state of Kelantan to the north and Pahang to the west and south while to the east of Terengganu is the South China Sea. Terengganu is geographically divided into sparsely populated and mountainous inland (known as Terengganu Highlands of which the highest point is Mount Lawit at 1,519 metres) that spans from the border with Kelantan to Kemaman district and largely flat coastal plains of which most of the state's 1.1 million people are concentrated. The state is known for having the longest coastline in East Malaysia and achieved the Malaysian Book of Records for having the cleanest beach in the country. Many of the most popular islands in Malaysia are located in the state of Terengganu such as Perhentian, Kapas and Redang islands as well as Bidong Island which was once a refuge to tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s. (Full article...)
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Tun Abdul Ghafar bin Baba (Jawi: عبدالغفار بن باب; 18 February 1925 – 23 April 2006) was a Malaysian politician who served as 6th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1986 to 1993. (Full article...)
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A food court in George Town, Penang Island, Malaysia with a plethora of Malaysian cuisine
A food court in George Town, Penang Island, Malaysia with a plethora of Malaysian cuisine
A food court in George Town, Penang Island, Malaysia with a plethora of Malaysian cuisine
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The following are images from various Malaysia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Wiki Loves Malaysia

  • For more images from Malaysia, see the following categories at Wikimedia Commons:

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  • ... that part of the Malaysian tropical forest reserve Bukit Gasing has been protected from development, while another part has been sold to building contractors?
  • ... that Chinese entrepreneur Frank Tsao co-founded the national shipping lines of both Malaysia and Thailand, and was awarded the nobility title Tan Sri by the king of Malaysia?


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Mahkota Square
Mahkota Square
Credit: Chongkian (4 January 2016)
Kota Iskandar is the administrative centre of Johor Launched in 2009, it was named after the Sultan Iskandar of Johor. It houses all of the main buildings of the Government of Johor.


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