Malaysia consists of the southern part of the Malay Peninsula, with Thailand to its north, plus Sarawak and Sabah in the northern Borneo. Like Singapore, which lies at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, it has had an impressive record of economic growth in recent times.
In the 15th century a part of Malaysia was famous as the Kingdom of Malacca (now Melaka), a state that became powerful through its control of local sea routes and shipping. In 1414 the ruler of Malacca adopted Islam, which is the religion of Malaysia today. Seized by the Portuguese as a base for the spice trade in 1511, and held by the Dutch from 1641, Malacca was captured by the British in 1795. The British took control of Singapore in 1819 and in 1867 they established the straits settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore as a crown colony.
During WWII the country was occupied by the Japanese. In 1948 it received its independence from the British. A communist led guerrilla war lasting four years was defeated and Malaysia evolved into the modern state it is today.
Ethnic tensions exist between Malays who are most numerous, and the Chinese who are considerably more prosperous. There are also a number of unresolved territorial disputes with neighbouring states – Sabah in Borneo, for example, being claimed by the Philippines.
Several chains of mountains dominate the Malay Peninsula, dividing the narrow eastern coastal belt from the fertile alluvial plains to the west. About 2000km east of the peninsula, northern Borneo has a mangrove fringed coastal plain about 65km wide. Rising behind through hill country to the mountainous main interior range, and the highest peak in Southeast Asia – the granite peak of Gunung Kinabalu (4,101m). Dense rainforest in Sarawak and Sabah support a great diversity of plants and animals.
Malaysia in the world’s biggest producer of palm oil and tin. Other important industry are rice, rubber, smelting, logging and timber processing. Increasingly, light industry and electronics plays a larger role in the economy. Malaysia is now the world’s largest producer of disk drives. Bet you didn’t know that! |
