Malaysia and its location
Tea plantations at Cameron Highlands, Pahang
Geographically, Malaysia, which is situated in the heart of Southeast Asia, consists of West Malaysia (the Malay Peninsula) and East Malaysia (the northern quarter of Borneo Island). Formerly known as Malaya, Malaysia gained its independence from the British on 31 August 1957. In 1963, Malaysia was formed and comprised eleven states in the Malay Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak states in the northern Borneo and Singapore. However, Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965.
Malaysia has a tropical climate with heavy rainfall and warm sunshine throughout the year. It has a population of 22.2 million (1998) comprising the Malays 51%, Chinese 35%, Indians 10% with the remaining 4% being formed by other ethnic groups such as the Dayaks, Kadazans, Thais, Eurasians, Filipinos, Indonesians and Arabs. Some of its major cities are Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the country, Georgetown, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Malacca.
The government follows the parliamentary democratic system with a Prime Minister as the Head of the Government and with an elected Yang di Pertuan Agong (King), chosen from the country's nine Sultans who services a five-year term as the Supreme Head of State. Although Islam is the official religion of the country, freedom of worship is enjoyed by all ethnic communities.