Malaysia

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This article is about Malaysia. For the Malesia biogeographical region, see Malesia.

Malaysia
Flag
Motto: "Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu" "Unity Is Strength" [1]
Anthem: Negaraku (My Country)
Malaysia in       ASEAN
Capital		Kuala Lumpur[a] Putrajaya (administrative centre) 3°08′N 101°42′E / 3.133°N 101.7°E / 3.133; 101.7
Largest city		Kuala Lumpur
Official language(s)		Bahasa Malaysia[b]
Ethnic groups		50.4% Malay 23.7% Chinese  7.1% Indian 11.0% Indigenous  7.8% Other [2]
Demonym		Malaysian
Government		Federal constitutional elective monarchy and parliamentary democracy
-	Yang di-Pertuan Agong	Mizan Zainal Abidin
-	Prime Minister	Najib Tun Razak
-	Deputy Prime Minister	Muhyiddin Yassin
Independence
-	From the United Kingdom (Malaya only)	31 August 1957
-	Federation (with Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore[c]	16 September 1963
Area
-	Total	329,845 km2 (66th) 127,354 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.3
Population
-	2009 estimate	28,310,000[3] (43rd)
-	2000 census	24,821,286
-	Density	85.8/km2 (114th) 222.3/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2010 estimate
-	Total	$403.042 billion[4]
-	Per capita	$14,275.371[4]
GDP (nominal)		2010 estimate
-	Total	$213.065 billion[4]
-	Per capita	$7,546.559[4]
Gini (2004)		40.3
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.829[5] (high) (66th)
Currency		Ringgit (RM) (MYR)
Time zone		MST (UTC+8)
-	Summer (DST)	Not observed (UTC+8)
Date formats		dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the		Left
Internet TLD		.my
Calling code		+60
^ a. Kuala Lumpur is the capital city and is home to the legislative branch of the Federal government. Putrajaya is the primary seat of the federal government where the executive and judicial branches are located. ^ b. The current terminology as per government policy is Bahasa Malaysia (literally Malaysian language)[6] but legislation continues to refer to the official language as Bahasa Melayu (literally Malay language). English may continue to be used for some official purposes under the National Language Act 1967. ^ c. Singapore became an independent country on 9 August 1965.

Malaysia (pronounced ⁱ /məˈleɪʒə/ mə-LAY-zhə or ⁱ /məˈleɪziə/ mə-LAY-zee-ə) is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,845 square kilometres (127,354 sq mi).^[2][7] The country is separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo (also known as West and East Malaysia respectively).^[2] Malaysia shares land borders with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei^[2] and has maritime boundaries with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines.^[8] The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population as of 2009 stood at over 28 million.^[3]
Malaysia has its origins in the Malay Kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements. Peninsular Malaysia, then known as Malaya, was first unified under the commonwealth in 1946, before becoming the Federation of Malaya in 1948. In 1963, Malaya unified with Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore. In 1965, Singapore opted out of the federation and became an independent city state. Since its independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6.5% for the first 50 years of independence.^[9] The economy of the country has, traditionally, been fuelled by its natural resources, but is now also expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.
Malaysia's head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, conventionally referred to as "the Head" or "the Agong". The Agong is an elected monarch chosen from one of the sultans from the 9 Malay states. The head of government is the Prime Minister.^[10][11] The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system ^[12] and the legal system is based on English Common Law.
Malaysia, which, in Tanjung Piai, can claim the southernmost point of continental Eurasia, is located near the equator and has a tropical climate.^[2] It has a biodiverse range of flora and fauna, and is considered one of the 17 megadiverse countries.^[13] It is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, and a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement.