Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia in two parts divided by the South China Sea: Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia on Borneo. Its 330,803 km2 (127,724 sq mi) border Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei.

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the seat of parliament, while Putrajaya houses the government and the courts. Malaysian Malay is the official language, and English remains in active use as a second language. Traders and settlers from India and China arrived as early as the 1st century AD, and from the 7th to the 13th century much of the southern peninsula belonged to the sea empire of Srivijaya. In the early 15th century Parameswara founded the Malacca Sultanate, which grew into a major trading center. Portugal took Malacca in 1511 and the Dutch in 1641, while Britain leased Penang in 1786 and gained Malacca in 1824. The Federation of Malaya, formed in 1948, became independent on 31 August 1957, and on 16 September 1963 it united with North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore as Malaysia; Singapore left in 1965.

Made up of 13 states and three federal territories, the country is a constitutional monarchy: its king is chosen every five years from among the nine state rulers, and a prime minister leads a government on the Westminster model. Services and manufacturing now drive an economy once built on farming and raw materials, petroleum is a major export, and much trade moves through the Strait of Malacca. The country was once the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil, and it has become a center of Islamic banking. Mount Kinabalu in Sabah rises to 4,095 m (13,435 ft).

Batik and songket cloth, court silverwork and the ornamental kris dagger are traditional arts, and Malay music is built around the gendang drum. The cuisine draws on Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Javanese and Sumatran cooking, and sambal belacan, a shrimp paste, appears in many kitchens. Hari Raya Puasa, Chinese New Year and the main festivals of other groups are public holidays. Badminton draws large crowds, and Malaysia is one of just four countries that have held the Thomas Cup, the world team title of men's badminton.