Malaysia became a British colony and protectorate in the 18th and 19th
centuries. After World War II, a period of Japanese occupation, Britain
once again took control over Malaysia. The freedom movement led by the
United Malays National Organization (UMNO) finally resulted in
independence in 1957.
Malaysia was officially established in
1963, when Singapore, as well as two states in Borneo (Sabah and
Sarawek) came together to form the Federation of Malaysia. The country
comprises two regions separated by some 640 miles of the South China
Sea. Malaysia is made up of 13 states and three federal territories. In
its initial years, independent Malaysia experienced a Communist
insurgency, confrontation with Indonesia, Singapore's secession and the
Philippine’s claims to Sabah.
Malays make up almost 60 percent
of the population, followed by Chinese (26 percent). The rest of the
ethnic groups are Indians and other indigenous peoples. Ethnic Chinese
control the economy, while the Malays remain the major political force.
The Indians are the poorest. The groups coexist in the country,
maintaining harmony, but interacting little.
Malaysian prime minister is Najib Abdul Razak. In March 2009, Razak was named the leader of UMNO, which guaranteed he'd be prime minister. Though Razak has promised sweeping reforms and
wishes to close widening ethnic and religious gaps, his rise to
political power has been marked by a governmental repression of the
opposing resurgence. This crackdown allegedly employed strong-arm
tactics used to quash political dissent.
Malaysia is one of Asia’s most vibrant economies, although it faces competition from its neighbors.
faces other challenges -- especially maintaining political stability --
given the religious differences of its population and the economic gaps
between the major ethnic groups. Malaysia has often been criticized by
the international community for its human rights abuses. These include
security laws that allow suspects to be detained without any official
charges or trials.
Sources: BBC, The Economist, International Crisis Group, CIA World Factbook.
Federation of Malaysia
Form of Government:
Year of Independence:
1957 (from Britain)
Muslim 60.4%; Buddhist 19.2%; Christian 9.1%; Hindu and Sikhism 6.3%; Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%; other or unknown 1.5%; none 0.8% (2000 census)
329,847 sq km (127,355 sq miles)
Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Thai (note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan)
71 years (men), 76 years (women)
1 ringgit = 100 sen
Electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, chemicals, palm oil, wood and wood products, rubber, textiles,
GDP - Per Capita (PPP):
$15,300 (2008 est.)
International Dialing Code: