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The
Malaysian peninsula is a melting pot for the vibrant Malay, Chinese
and Indian cultures that have come together through centuries
of trade. Malaysia’s provinces on Borneo – Sabah and Sarawak
have a rich indigenous tribal culture. The landscape is
just as diverse as the peoples with dense jungles, soaring peaks and
lush tropical rainforests. The tropical Langkawi islands
have endless white beaches and warm coral seas.
Kuala
Lumpur, the capital, is a dramatic contrast from the exotic Penang Island
and the wild Sabah and Sarawak. With well over a million
people, Kuala Lumpur has gleaming skyscrapers as well as colonial buildings,
a Chinatown and a Little India. The skyline is dominated
by the twin Petronas Towers – the tallest building in the world.
Penang Island is the oldest British settlement in Malaysia
with a Chinese flavour. Fort Cornwallis is a stone fort built by the
first Briton to set foot on the island.
| Joined
Commonwealth |
1957 |
| Capital |
Kuala
Lumpur |
| Population |
22,662,365
(July 2002) |
| Age
structure (15-64 years) |
61.6%
(male: 6,995,451; female: 6,969,435) |
| Youth
Population (15-24) |
4,192,212
(2000) |
| Youth
Population (15-24) in % |
18.8%
(2000) |
| HIV/AIDS
(adult prevalence rate) |
0.42%
(1999) |
| HIV/AIDS
(people living with HIV/AIDS) |
49,000
(1999) |
| HIV/AIDS
deaths |
1,900
(1999) |
| Literacy
(age 15 and over can read and write) |
83.5%
(male: 89.1%; female: 78.1%) (1995) |
| Total
Unemployment in % |
2.8%
(1995) |
| GDP
p.c. growth |
4.4%
p.a. 1990-2000 |
| Currency |
ringgit
or Malaysian dollar (M$) |
| Official
language |
Malay |
| Time |
GMT
plus 8 hours |
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| History |
Settlers
from China arrived in Malaysia in the second century BC
and then Indian traders began settling on its west
coast in the first century AD. The port of Malacca was founded
in the 15th century and the rulers embraced Islam,
replacing Hinduism and Buddhism. The Portuguese took over
in 1511 but the Dutch drove them out later in
alliance with the Sultan of Johor. In 1976, the British
East India Company began using the island as a trading
post and soon the British had taken over. Reaction
to colonial rule began in the 20th century. By 1937- 38,
anti- colonial nationalism began among the Malay
community, with the formation of the Union of Young
Malays. The Japanese occupied
the country in 1941-45. The Federation of Malaya, comprising
11 peninsular states, was established
in 1948.
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Malaysia is a parliamentary democracy with a federal
constitutional monarch as head of state. This monarch is
chosen for a five-year term from among their own number
by the nine hereditary rulers of Peninsular Malaysia.
The federal parliament consists of two houses,
Dewan Negara (upper house) and Dewan Rakyat (lower house)
also called House of Representatives. The head of
state appoints the prime minister and, on the prime minister’s
advice, the cabinet.
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