Malaysia

Malaysia (ⁱ/məˈleɪʒə/ mə-lay-zhə or ⁱ/məˈleɪsiə/ mə-lay-see-ə) is a federal constitutional monarchy 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 Malaysian Borneo. Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. In 2010 the population exceeded 27.5 million, with over 20 million living on the Peninsula.
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 Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963, with si being added to give the new country the name Malaysia. However, less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. Since independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6.5% for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its natural resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.
The head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states every five years. The head of government is the Prime Minister. The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system and the legal system is based on English Common Law. The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, which plays a large role in politics. The secular constitution declares Islam the state religion while protecting freedom of religion.
Malaysia contains the southernmost point of continental Eurasia, Tanjung Piai. Located in the tropics, it is a megadiverse country, with large numbers of endemic flora and fauna. It is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Capital (and largest city)		Kuala Lumpur[a] Putrajaya (administrative centre) 3°08′N 101°42′E
Official language(s)		Bahasa Malaysia[b]
Official script		Latin alphabet[c]
Used for some purposes		English[d]
Ethnic groups		50.4% Malay 23.7% Chinese 11.0% Indigenous  7.1% Indian  7.8% Other[2]
Demonym		Malaysian[3]
Government		Federal constitutional elective monarchy and Federal parliamentary democracy
-	Yang di-Pertuan Agong	Abdul Halim
-	Prime Minister	Najib Tun Razak
-	Deputy Prime Minister	Muhyiddin Yassin
Independence
-	From the United Kingdom (Malaya only)	31 August 1957
-	Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore[e]	16 September 1963
Area
-	Total	329,847 km2 (67th) 127,355 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.3
Population
-	2010[4] census	28,334,135
-	Density	86/km2 (114th) 216.45/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$442.010 billion[5]
-	Per capita	$15,384[5]
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$247.781 billion[5]
-	Per capita	$8,624[5]
Gini (2002[2])		46.1 (36)
HDI (2010)		0.744[6] (high) (57th)
Currency		Ringgit (RM) (MYR)
Time zone		MST (UTC+8)
-	Summer (DST)	Not observed (UTC+8)
Date formats		dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the		Left
ISO 3166 code		MY
Internet TLD		.my
Calling code		+60
^ a. Kuala Lumpur is the capital city and is home to the legislative branch of the Federal government. Putrajaya is the primary seat of the federal government where the executive and judicial branches are located. ^ b. The terminology as per government policy is Bahasa Malaysia (literally Malaysian language)[7] but legislation continues to refer to the official language as Bahasa Melayu (literally Malay language).[8] ^ c. Under the National Language Act 1967: "The script of the national language shall be the Rumi [Latin] script: provided that this shall not prohibit the use of the Malay script, more commonly known as the Jawi script, of the national language."[9] ^ d. English may be used for some purposes under the National Language Act 1967. ^ e. Singapore became an independent country on 9 August 1965.[10]