Map Data for
Malaysia

Situated in Southeast Asia, Malaysia comprises two regions, separated by around 640 miles of the South China Sea. The regions are Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo’s East Malaysia. Borders are shared with Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia. The capital and largest city is Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy and comprises thirteen states and three federal territories. The head of state is an elected monarch, chosen every five years from the nine state Sultans. The political power is held by the majority Muslim ethnic Malay, but the economic powerbase is held by the minority ethnic Chinese Malay. In the eighteenth-century various Malay kingdoms came under British colonial rule, until Japanese invasion in WWII, and subsequent formation of the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. In 1963, the Federation of Malaya joined with North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore, to form Malaysia, which then separated from Singapore in 1965.
Boasting one of southeast Asia’s most vibrant economies, Malaysia has benefitted from a growth in manufacturing. The service sector dominates, especially with tourism. It has a very well-developed infrastructure and industries include electronics, palm oil and oil and gas. There is, however, a conflict between Malaysia’s environmental tourism and the amount of continued deforestation by some industries.
Malaysia is strongly multicultural with influences from indigenous people, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Arabic, Persian and British. These influences remain apparent in the arts, music, architecture and cuisine. There is a very strong oral tradition within Malaysian literature. The government strongly encourages architectural programmes, from the world’s tallest pair of towers to the garden city of Putrajaya.
On the world stage, Malaysia is a member of the United Nations, ASEAN and the Commonwealth.