Malaysia

Tugu Negara Malaysia Monument
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
​Credit: Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / CC-BY-SA-3.0

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia, divided between Peninsular Malaysia, which shares a land border with Thailand, and Eastern Malaysia, which shares a land border with Indonesia and Brunei on the island of Borneo. To the west of Peninsular Malaysia is the Malacca Strait, which connects the South China Sea to the Andaman Sea, and thus the Pacific with the Indian Oceans. Mtaylasia shares maritime borders with Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Brunei. 

Malaysia is a tropical, megadiverse country with a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic population and a rich history stretching back tens of thousands of years, although not always within its current borders. In the early 19th century, the region fell under the subjugation of the British Empire, then called Malaya. The colonies fell to the Japanese in December 1941; their occupation was brutal, with some 12,000 people being killed, most of them of Chinese nationality.

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Following the end of the Second World War, Britain took back control. Conflict soon followed and in 1948, the 'Malayan Emergency' broke out, with the British fighting the Chinese-backed Malayan Communist Party. In 1957, Malaysia was created an independent country in the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1963, the country added the British colonies of Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore. Singapore left the federation in 1965 year and became its own independent country. ​

Since its independence, Malaysia has become an important player in the region, and across the Pacific.Its capital, Kuala Lumpur is one of the great cities of Asia. The history of Malaysia is beautifully told in its many museums and cultural sites. Cities like Penang and Putrajaya should not be missed when visiting here.