Malaysia at a Glance
History
The history of Malaysia started in the early 15th century with the establishment of the Melaka Sultanate. The country achieved independence on 31 August 1957 as the Federation of Malaya. Malaysia was formed in 1963 with the entry of Sabah and Sarawak.
Area and Climate
With an area of approximately 329,847 square kilometres, and warm tropical climate with temperatures ranging from 23°C to 32°C.
People
Based on statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the country’s population in 2023 is estimated at 33.4 million people. The Bumiputera (Malays and Orang Asli or indigenous peoples) comprises 69.9 percent of the population, the Chinese (22.8 percent), and Indians (6.6 percent), while others (0.7 percent).
Geography
Malaysia is located in the center of Southeast Asia. 11 states of the Peninsula Malaysia border Thailand in the north and Singapore in the south. East Malaysia is located north of Borneo, covering the two states of Sabah and Sarawak and bordering Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Malaysia is formed by 13 states, i.e., Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Pulau Pinang, Kedah, Perlis, Sabah and Sarawak; and three Federal Territories, i.e., Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan.