Portal:Malaysia

Portal:Malaysia/Intro

Map of Malaysia

Malaysia (/məˈlziə, -ʒə/ (listen) mə-LAY-zee-ə, -zhə; Malay: [məlejsiə]) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen 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, and 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 center, which represents the seat of both the executive branch (the Cabinet, federal ministries, and agencies) and the judicial branch of the federal government. With a population of over 32 million, Malaysia is the world's 45th-most populous country. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia is in Tanjung Piai. Located in the tropics, Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries, home to numerous endemic species.

Malaysia 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. The independent Malaya united with the then British crown colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963 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 country's official language is Malaysian Malay, a standard form of the Malay language. English remains an active second language. While recognising Islam as the country's established 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 Malaysian GDP grew at an average rate of 6.5% per annum for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its natural resources but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism. Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy, ranked third-largest in Southeast Asia and 36th-largest in the world. It is a founding member of ASEAN, EAS, and OIC and a member of APEC, the Commonwealth, and the Non-Aligned Movement. (Full article...)

Selected article -

Kangar (Northern Malay: Kangaq; Jawi: كڠار) is the state capital and the largest town in Perlis, Malaysia. It has a population of 48,898 and an area of 2,619.4 ha. It is located next to the Thailand border, in the northernmost point of Peninsular Malaysia. It is situated by the Perlis River.

The town is also a gathering centre for the paddy rice production of the surrounding district. Its municipal government is unified with that of the neighbouring communities of Arau and Kaki Bukit. The centre of Kangar is Sena Province. The town is the smallest state capital in Malaysia and its inhabitants are mostly farmers and civil servants. Its industries include cement, saw milling, rubber, paper, and processing of sugar and prawns. (Full article...)
List of selected articles

Selected biography -

Gary Chaw performing on 15 March 2009
Gary Chaw (Chinese: 曹格; Jyutping: Cou4 Gaak3; born 9 July 1979 in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia), also known as Gary Cao or Cao Ge or by his alter ego Cao Xiaoge, is a Malaysian Chinese singer-songwriter based in Taiwan, who has had achieved success in Taiwan, Mainland China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He is renowned for his stage presence, wide vocal range, and rich voice. In addition, he composes for himself and other singers. (Full article...)
List of selected biographies

Selected picture -

The rhinoceros hornbill is the state bird of Sarawak, a state of Malaysia.
The rhinoceros hornbill is the state bird of Sarawak, a state of Malaysia.
The rhinoceros hornbill is the state bird of Sarawak, a state of Malaysia.


General images -

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:

Categories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories
Malaysia
Malaysia-related lists
Buildings and structures in Malaysia
Malaysian culture
Economy of Malaysia
Education in Malaysia
Environment of Malaysia
Geography of Malaysia
Government of Malaysia
Health in Malaysia
History of Malaysia
Organisations based in Malaysia
Malaysian people
Politics of Malaysia
Society of Malaysia
Malaysia portal
Malaysia stubs

WikiProjects

WikiProject Malaysia

Malaysia Topics Notice Board • Malaysian Wikipedians • Wikipedians in Malaysia • WikiProject Malaysia Facebook PageMalay Language Wikipedia

Did you know -

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor


In this month

Things you can do

Here are some things you can help with Malaysia articles:
  • Start one of the requested articles at the WikiProject Malaysia To do page
  • Contribute to the Malaysia articles
  • Assess or add WP:MY template at Malaysia articles talk pages
  • Improve this portal
  • Join WikiProject Malaysia and start collaborating
  • See also: WikiProject Malaysia General Tasks

Selected panorama -

Mahkota Square
Mahkota Square
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.


Topics

News

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Discover Wikipedia using portals
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.