Malaysia
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : none
Country name - conventional short form : Malaysia
Country name - local long form : none
Country name - local short form : Malaysia
Country name - former : Federation of Malaya
Capital - name : Kuala Lumpur
Capital - time difference : UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)
Population : 25,274,132 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Malaysian(s)
Nationality - adjective : Malaysian
Currency (code) : ringgit (MYR)
Currency code : MYR
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : high
Major infectious diseases - note : highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Malaysia is located Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam. The climate is tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons. The terrain is coastal plains rising to hills and mountains.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : 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 a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism.
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