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Malaysia, federation of 13 states forming
a constitutional monarchy in South East Asia, comprising two
distinct regions separated by some 650 km (400 mi) of the
South China Sea. Malaysia is a member of the Commonwealth
of Nations. Peninsular Malaysia comprises 11 states occupying
the southern half of the Malay Peninsula, bordered on the
north by Thailand, on the south by Singapore, on the west
by the Strait of Malacca, and on the east by the South China
Sea. The states of Sabah and Sarawak occupy the northern third
of the island of Borneo, and are bordered on the north and
west by the South China Sea, on the east by the Sula and Celebes
seas, and on the south by the Indonesian province of Kalimantan.
The island of Labuan, formerly part of Sabah, was made a federal
territory in 1984. The sultanate of Brunei forms a coastal
enclave in northern Sarawak.
Population - 21,300,000
Ethnic Groups - 47% Malay, 32% Chinese, 9%
Indigenous people from Borneo, 9% Indian
Religions - 53% Islam, 25% Chinese folk religion,
7% Hinduism, 6% Buddhism, 6% Christianity, 3% Other
Time Zone - 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean
Time (+8 GMT)
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