During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965.
Country profile: Malaysia
Malaysia boasts one of south-east Asia's most vibrant economies, the fruit of decades of industrial growth and political stability.
Its multi-ethnic, multi-religious society encompasses a majority Muslim population in most of its states and an economically-powerful Chinese community.
Consisting of two regions separated by some 640 miles of the South China Sea, Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories. It is one of the region's key tourist destinations, offering excellent beaches and brilliant scenery. Dense rainforests in the eastern states of Sarawak and Sabah, on the island of Borneo, are a refuge for wildlife and tribal traditions.
Ethnic Malays comprise some 60% of the population. Chinese constitute around 26%; Indians and indigenous peoples make up the rest. The communities coexist in relative harmony, although there is little racial interaction.
Although since 1971 Malays have benefited from positive discrimination in business, education and the civil service, ethnic Chinese continue to hold economic power and are the wealthiest community. The Malays remain the dominant group in politics while the Indians are among the poorest.
Malaysia's economic prospects remain healthy, although it faces fierce competition from its neighbours, and from China and India. Free trade talks with the US are under way.
The country is among the world's biggest producers of computer disk drives, palm oil, rubber and timber. It has a state-owned car maker, Proton, and tourism has considerable room for expansion.
But it also faces serious challenges - politically, in the form of sustaining stability in the face of religious differences and the ethnic wealth gap, and, environmentally, in preserving its valuable forests.
Malaysia's human rights record has come in for international criticism. Internal security laws allow suspects to be detained without charge or trial.
- Full name: Federation of Malaysia
- Population: 25.3 million (UN, 2005)
- Capital: Kuala Lumpur
- Area: 329,847 sq km (127,355 sq miles)
- Major languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam
- Major religions: Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism
- Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 75 years (women)
- Monetary unit: 1 ringgit = 100 sen
- Main exports: Electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, chemicals, palm oil, wood and wood products, rubber, textiles
- GNI per capita: US $4,960 (World Bank, 2006)
- Internet domain: .my
- International dialling code: +60
Head of state: Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin was installed as Malaysia's 13th king in December 2006.
The sultan is a former ruler of oil-rich Terengganu state. He was 44 when he was sworn in.
The king's role is largely ceremonial, although he is nominal head of the armed forces and all laws and the appointment of every cabinet minister require his assent.
Under Malaysia's constitutional monarchy, the position of king is rotated every five years between each of the nine hereditary state rulers.
Malaysia's first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, himself a prince, devised the system after independence in 1957 to spread power among the sultans and rajas who had ruled over fiefdoms on the Malay peninsula for hundreds of years.
Prime minister: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Mr Abdullah began a new, five-year term in March 2004 after his coalition government won a landslide victory in parliamentary and regional elections.
Correspondents said the victory boosted his chances of pushing through reforms, including a promise to stamp out corruption. But his critics say the pace of change has been slow.
In 2006 his government unveiled a multi-billion-dollar plan intended to tackle rural poverty and promote growth. Its goal is to help Malaysia achieve developed nation status by 2020.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi succeeded Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in October 2003, when Asia's longest-serving elected leader retired after 22 years in power.
He is a former deputy premier who held defence, foreign affairs and education portfolios under Dr Mahathir.
On taking office he faced a strong political challenge from opposition Islamic fundamentalists and inherited the task of overseeing one of the region's most vibrant economies.
In contrast to his predecessor, Mr Abdullah has been described as self-effacing. He has been called the "Mr Nice Guy" of Malaysian politics.
Mr Abdullah was born in 1939 in Penang. His father was a founding member of United Malays National Organisation (Umno), Malaysia's ruling party. After gaining a degree in Islamic studies he worked in the civil service before being elected to parliament in 1978.
Malaysia has been ruled by a coalition, the National Front, since independence. Umno is the biggest grouping in the alliance, which includes Chinese and Indian parties.
Malaysia has some of the toughest censorship laws in the world. The authorities exert substantial control over the media and restrictions may be imposed in the name of national security.
The government is keen to insulate the largely-Muslim population from what it considers harmful foreign influences on TV. News is subject to censorship, entertainment shows and music videos regularly fall foul of the censors, and scenes featuring swearing and kissing are routinely removed from TV programmes and films.
The TV sector comprises commercial networks and pay-TV operations. Around a quarter of TV households subscribe to the Astro multichannel service. Two more pay-TV operators, MiTV and Fine TV, entered the market in 2005. TV3 is a leading national private, terrestrial broadcaster.
State-owned Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) operates two TV networks and many of the country's radio services. Private stations are on the air, broadcasting in Malay, Tamil, Chinese and English.
Newspapers must renew their publication licences annually, and the home minister can suspend or revoke publishing permits.
Some web sites, such as Laman Reformasi, close to former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, freeMalaysia and Malaysiakini, have attracted official criticism.
The press
Television
Radio
News agency
Malaysia, a middle-income country, transformed itself from 1971 through the late 1990s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. Growth was almost exclusively driven by exports - particularly of electronics. As a result, Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic downturn and the slump in the information technology (IT) sector in 2001 and 2002. GDP in 2001 grew only 0.5% because of an estimated 11% contraction in exports, but a substantial fiscal stimulus package equal to US $1.9 billion mitigated the worst of the recession, and the economy rebounded in 2002 with a 4.1% increase. The economy grew 4.9% in 2003, notwithstanding a difficult first half, when external pressures from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Iraq War led to caution in the business community. Growth topped 7% in 2004 and 5% in 2005. As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited from higher world energy prices, although the cost of government subsidies for domestic gasoline and diesel fuel has risen and offset some of the benefit. Malaysia "unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in 2005, but so far there has been little movement in the exchange rate. Healthy foreign exchange reserves, low inflation, and a small external debt are all strengths that make it unlikely that Malaysia will experience a financial crisis over the near term similar to the one in 1997. The economy remains dependent on continued growth in the US, China, and Japan - top export destinations and key sources of foreign investment.
Malaysian natural resources include tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite
strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea
Malaysian religion is Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia.
Natural hazards in Malaysia include flooding, landslides, forest fires.
Travel Advice on Malaysia
SUMMARY
- Malaysia shares with the rest of South East Asia a threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate and against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.
- We believe that terrorists and criminal elements are continuing with plans to kidnap foreign tourists from the islands and coastal areas of Eastern Sabah. Action taken by the Philippines Armed Forces in January 2007 against terrorist groups in the southern Philippines may heighten this risk. Boats travelling to and from offshore islands and dive sites are possible targets. If you wish to visit resorts on, and islands off, Eastern Sabah, you should exercise extreme caution.
- If you plan to travel over the border to Thailand you should be aware that there has been a resurgence of terrorism in southern Thailand, particularly in the far southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla. We recommend against all but essential travel to these Thai provinces.
- You should not become involved with drugs of any kind: possession of even very small quantities can lead to imprisonment or the death penalty.
- Heavy rains in December 2006 and January 2007 have caused extensive flooding in Johor. You should take local advice before travelling around rural areas of Johor. The main rail and road links from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore are currently still operating. See the Natural Disasters section for more details.
- Around 240,000 British nationals visit Malaysia each year. Most visits are trouble-free. The majority of incidents for which British nationals require consular assistance are for bag snatches, gambling scams and drink spiking.
- Malaysia is a multicultural but predominantly Muslim country, and as such you should respect local social conventions at all times. See the Local Laws and Customs section for more details.
- We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. Please see: Travel Insurance.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
LOCAL LAWS AND CUSTOMS
Muslim tourists should be aware that they may be subject to local Shari’a law.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
HEALTH
Some tropical illnesses are prevalent in Malaysia. Tuberculosis and Hepatitis A and B are common.
There are periodic outbreaks of Dengue Fever for which there is no vaccination or immunisation. You should be aware of the risk and take preventive measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, which transmit the dengue virus. If you suffer from a fever whilst (or shortly after) visiting Malaysia, you should consult a doctor urgently.
You should seek medical advice before travelling and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up to date. For further information on health, check the DoH website at: www.dh.gov.uk.
NATURAL DISASTERS
Heavy seasonal rains have caused extensive flooding in mainly rural parts of Johor. This has resulted in the evacuation of some areas. Some roads and communications have been affected. Travellers should seek local advice before travelling in Johor, especially in rural areas. The main rail and road links from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore are currently still operating. You should call (60) (1) 800 88 0000 for further information on Malaysian Highways and (60) (3) 2267 1200 for further information on travel by rail.
Between the months of October to February Malaysia is affected by seasonal storms, which occasionally result in heavy flooding.
GENERAL
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