Malaysia

Malaysia ( i/mle/ m-LAY-zh or i/mlesi/ m-LAY-see-; Malaysian

pronunciation: [mlejsi]) is a federal constitutional monarchy located
in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal
territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres
(127,350 sq mi) separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized
regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo).
Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and
maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. East Malaysia
shares land and maritime borders with Brunei andIndonesia and a maritime
border with the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur,
while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. By 2015, with a
population of over 30 million, Malaysia became the 43rd most populous
country in the world. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia, Tanjung
Piai, is in Malaysia, located in the tropics. It is one of 17 megadiverse
countries on earth, with large numbers of endemic species.
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, whose establishment was
followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The
territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in
1946. Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and
achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with North
Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963. Less than two years
later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation

Etymology
The name "Malaysia" is a combination of the word "Malay" and the LatinGreek suffix "-sia"/-.[18] The word "melayu" in Malay may derive from
the Tamil words "malai" and "ur" meaning "mountain" and "city, land",
respectively.[19][20][21] "Malayadvipa" was the word used by ancient Indian
traders when referring to the Malay Peninsula.[22][23][24][25][26] Whether or not it
originated from these roots, the word "melayu" or "mlayu" may have been
used in early Malay/Javanese to mean to steadily accelerate or run. This term
was applied to describe the strong current of the river Melayu in Sumatra.
[27]
The name was later adopted by the Melayu Kingdom that existed in the
seventh century on Sumatra.[28][29]

History
Evidence of modern human habitation in Malaysia dates back 40,000 years.
[41]
In the Malay Peninsular, the first inhabitants are thought to beNegritos.
[42]
Traders and settlers from India and China arrived as early as the first
century AD, establishing trading ports and coastal towns in the second and
third centuries. Their presence resulted in strong Indian and Chinese
influences on the local cultures, and the people of the Malay Peninsula
adopted the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Sanskrit inscriptions
appear as early as the fourth or fifth century.[43] The Kingdom

of Langkasuka arose around the second century in the northern area of the
Malay Peninsula, lasting until about the 15th century.[37]Between the 7th and
13th centuries, much of the southern Malay Peninsula was part of the
maritime Srivijaya Empire. After the fall of Srivijaya, the Majapahit Empire
had influence over most of Peninsular Malaysia and the Malay Archipelago.
[44]
Islam began to spread among Malays in the 14th century via Arabs,
Central Asian, Indian traders.[7] In the early 15th century, Sultan Iskandar
Shah, a runaway king of the formerKingdom of Singapura, founded
the Malacca Sultanate, commonly considered the first independent state in
the peninsula area.[45] Malacca was an important commercial centre during
this time, attracting trade from around the region

Government and politics

Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy, and the only
federation in Southeast Asia. The system of government is closely modelled
on that of the Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial
rule.[61] The head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to
as the King. The King is elected to a five-year term by and from among the
nine hereditary rulersof the Malay states; the other four states, which have
titular Governors, do not participate in the selection. By informal agreement
the position is systematically rotated among the nine,[61] and has been held
by Abdul Halim of Kedah since December 2011.[62] The King's role has been
largely ceremonial since changes to the constitution in 1994, picking
ministers and members of the upper house.[63]

Foreign relations and military

A founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
[79]
and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),[80] the country
participates in many international organisations such as the United Nations,
[81]
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation,[82] theDeveloping 8 Countries,
[83]
and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).[84] It has chaired ASEAN, the OIC,
and the NAM in the past.[7] A former British colony, it is also a member of
the Commonwealth of Nations.[85] Kuala Lumpur was the site of the first East
Asia Summit in 2005.[86]
Malaysia's foreign policy is officially based on the principle of neutrality and
maintaining peaceful relations with all countries, regardless of their political
system.[87] The government attaches a high priority to the security and
stability of Southeast Asia,[86] and seeks to further develop relations with
other countries in the region. Historically the government has tried to portray
Malaysia as a progressive Islamic nation[87] while strengthening relations with
other Islamic states.[86] A strong tenet of Malaysia's policy is national
sovereignty and the right of a country to control its domestic affairs. [63]

Location

Located in the continent of Asia, Malaysia covers 328,657 square kilometers

of land and 1,190 square kilometers of water, making it the 67th largest
nation in the world with a total area of 329,847 square kilometers.
Malaysia became an independent state in 1957, after gaining its sovereignty
from The United Kingdom. The population of Malaysia is 29,179,952 (2012)
and the nation has a density of 89 people per square kilometer.
The currency of Malaysia is the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). As well, the people
of Malaysia are refered to as Malaysian.
The dialing code for the country is 60 and the top level internet domain for
Malaysian sites is .my.
Malaysia shares land borders with 3 countries: Thailand, Brunei
Darussalam, Indonesia.

City
Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. Over 8 million people live within the
greater KL area which is clearly noticeable by the huge and vast amounts of
traffic that goes into the city every morning, and slowly leaves the city in the
evening. Kuala Lumpur has many interesting attractions; like Merdeka
Square, Chinatown, Petronas Twin Towers and much more. KL is also known
as a shoppers paradise; there are are numerous huge shopping malls where
you can literally shop til you drop

Malaysia Tourist Places:- Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin
Towers (Malay: Menara Petronas, or Menara Berkembar Petronas),
are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the Council on
Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)'s official definition and ranking,
they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain
the tallest twin towers in the world. The buildings are a landmark of Kuala
Lumpur, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.
The towers were designed by Argentine architect Csar Pelli. They chose a
distinctive postmodern style to create a 21st-century icon for Kuala Lumpur.
Planning on the Petronas Towers started on 1 January 1992 and included
rigorous tests and simulations of wind and structural loads on the design.
Seven years of construction followed at the former site of the
original Selangor Turf Club, beginning on 1 March 1993 with excavation,
which involved moving 500 truckloads of earth every night to dig down 30
metres (98 ft) below the surface.

The construction of the superstructure commenced on 1 April 1994. Interiors

with furniture were completed on 1 January 1996, the spires of Tower 1 and
Tower 2 were completed on 1 March 1996, and the first batch
of Petronas personnel moved into the building on 1 January 1997.