ASIAN STUDIES — MDL 3

• Malaysia, is one of the country of Southeast Asia, lying just north of the Equator, that is composed of two non-contiguous regions: Peninsular Malaysia (Semenanjung Malaysia), also called West Malaysia (Malaysia Barat), which is on the Malay Peninsula, and East Malaysia (Malaysia Timur), which is on the island of Borneo

  
• The Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, lies in the western part of the peninsula, about 25 miles (40 km) from the coast; Putrajaya, the administrative centre is located about 16 miles (25 km) south of the capital
• Malaysia, a member of the Commonwealth, represents the political marriage of territories that were formerly under British rule
• When it was established on September 16, 1963, Malaysia comprised the territories of Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia), the island of Singapore, and the colonies of Sarawak and Sabah in northern Borneo
• In August 1965 Singapore seceded from the federation and became an independent republic
• Peninsular Malaysia


  • Occupies most of the southern segment of the Malay Peninsula
  • Bordered by Thailand to the north
  • Connected to Singapore to the south by a causeway and a separate bridge
  • Separated from Sumatra in Indonesia by the Strait of Malacca
• East Malaysia


  • Consists of the country's two largest states, Sarawak and Sabah
  • Separated from Peninsular Malaysia by some 400 miles (640 km) of the South China Sea
  • Shares a land boundary with the Indonesian portion (Kalimantan) of the island of Borneo
• Of the country's total area, which includes about 265 square miles (690 square km) of inland water, Peninsular Malaysia constitutes about 40 percent and East Malaysia about 60 percent
• Peninsular Malaysia


  • Dominated by its mountainous core, which consists of a number of roughly parallel mountain ranges aligned north-south
  • The most prominent of these is the Main Range, which is about 300 miles (480 km) long and has peaks exceeding 7,000 feet (2,100 metres)
  • Karst landscapes are distinctive landmarks in central and northern Peninsular Malaysia
• East Malaysia


  • An elongated strip of land approximately 700 miles (1,125 km) long with a maximum width of about 170 miles (275 km)
  • The coastline of 1,400 miles (2,250 km) is paralleled inland by a 900-mile (l,450-km) boundary with Kalimantan
  • Mount Kinabalu towers above this mountain complex; at 13,455 feet (4,101 metres), it is the highest peak in Malaysia and in the Southeast Asian archipelago as a whole

  
• Climate


  • High temperatures and humidities
  • Heavy rainfall
  • Climatic year patterned around the northeast and southwest monsoons
• Ethnic groups in Peninsular Malaysia


  • Orang Asli ("Original People") aboriginal peoples
  • Malays
  • Chinese
  • South Asians
  • Europeans, Americans, Eurasians, Arabs, and Thai
• Main ethnic groups in Sarawak

  • Iban (Sea Dayak)
  • Chinese
  • Malays
  • Bidayuh (Land Dayak)
  • Melanau
  • Orang Ulu ("Upriver People")
• Main ethnic groups in Sabah

  • Kadazan (also called Dusun or Kadazan Dusun)
  • Bajau
  • Malay
  • Murut, Kedayan, Orang Sungei, and Bisaya
  • Chinese, Europeans, Eurasians, Indonesians, Filipinos, and South Asians
• Religions in Malaysia


  • Islam (followed by about three-fifths of the population)
  • Buddhism or Daoism (followed by Chinese)
  • Hinduism (followed by most of the Indians and Sri Lankans)
  • Sikhism (followed by the Sikhs)
• Resources and power


  • Rich in mineral resources, including tin, bauxite (aluminum), copper, and iron
  • Self-sufficient in energy production, with petroleum resources as the major energy source for power generation
• Cultural festivals in Malaysia


  • Hari Merdeka or Independence Day
  • Labour Day
  • Malaysia Day
  • Hari Raya Puasa
  • Maulidur Rasul
  • Islamic New Year or Awal Muharram
  • Chinese New Year
  • Diwali
  • Thaipusam
  • Wesak
• Malaysian cuisine


  • Influenced by Indian, Thai, Sumatran, Malay, Chinese, Javanese and other cuisines
  • Rice is the staple food
  • Chilli peppers and belacan (shrimp paste) are essential ingredients
  • Coconut is an important ingredient
• Malaysian arts and crafts


  • Weaving
  • Carving
  • Silversmithing
  • Handwoven baskets
  • Woven batik
  • Songket (luxurious textiles)
  • Kris
  • Wooden masks
  • Beetle nut sets
  • Earthenware
• Traditional Malaysian sports


  • Wau (kite flying)
  • Sepak takraw (kick volleyball)
  • Dragon dancing
  • Dragon boat racing
• Marriage in Malaysia


  • All religious communities with the exception of Muslims have no restrictions on their marriage
  • Malaysian Muslims who marry non-Muslims risk government sanctions
  • Marriage is usually celebrated by a feast, known as kenduri
• Family in Malaysia


  • The family is considered the center of the social structure
  • There is a great emphasis on unity, loyalty and respect for the elderly
  • The family provides emotional and financial support to its members
• Muhyiddin Yassin is the current Prime Minister of Malaysia, appointed on February 29, 2020 after Mahathir Mohamad's resignation
• Constitutional framework


  • Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy with a ceremonial head of state
  • The monarch, called the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is elected from among nine hereditary state rulers for a five-year term
  • The Malaysian constitution provides for a bicameral federal legislature, consisting of the Senate (Dewan Negara) as the upper house and the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat) as the lower
• Local government


  • Malaysia comprises 13 states and 3 federal territories
  • All states are subdivided into districts, which in Sarawak and Sabah are grouped into larger administrative units called divisions
  • The village, headed by a tua kampung ("village leader"), is the smallest unit of government
• Justice


  • The constitution of Malaysia provides that the judicial power of the federation shall be vested in two High Courts—one in Peninsular Malaysia, called the High Court in Malaya, and the other in East Malaysia, called the High Court in Sarawak and Sabah—and also in subordinate courts
• Political process


  • Malaysia has a multiparty political system
  • The country has held free elections and generally has changed prime ministers peacefully
  • All citizens who are at least 21 years old are permitted to vote
• History of Malaysia


  1. The Portuguese were the first to occupy Malacca

  2. The Dutch seized power in Malacca in 1641

  3. The British didn't have a significant presence in Malaysia until later
• Malaysia has a multiparty political system; the country has held free elections and generally has changed prime ministers peacefully
• All citizens who are at least 21 years old are permitted to vote
• Malaysia itself is divided between the two regions; the history of the country can be understood only within a broad geographic context
• From 1500 on the trade in Southeast Asia increased enormously. The European superpowers of that time acquired interest in the local resources, the era of trade over sea had started and Malaysia would play a big part in it
• Malaysia under British ruling


  1. The Portuguese were the first to occupy Malacca

  2. During the VOC-era (later the Dutch East Indies era) the Dutch seized power in Malacca in 1641

  3. The British took over command of the Dutch in Malacca in 1795

  4. The British Crown Colony (also referred to as the Straits Settlements) was established in 1826

  5. The British first colonized the peninsula and after that, between 1840 and 1882, also annexed east-Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) into the British Crown Colony

  6. The British invited many Indian people to Malaysia, to fill up the shortage of workers
• Federation of Malaysia


  1. In 1957 the British surrendered their sovereignty over Malaysia and the peninsula became independent that year with the name 'Federation of Malaysia'

  2. A new federation with the name Malaysia was established on September 16th 1963 by the unity of Malaysia, Singapore and the east-Malaysian states Sabah and Sarawak on the north coast of Borneo

  3. In 1965 Singapore separated from the federation and became an independent state
• Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. Located, north of Australia and south of the Philippines and Southeast Asia

  
• Satellite imagery analysis done in the early 2000s, revealed that it had 18,108 islands, more than 1,000 islands than previously thought, at high tide. There are even more at low tide
• Indonesia is the 15th largest country in the world. Straddling the equator and located where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet, it covers an area of 1,904,569 square kilometers (about 741,000 square miles), which is roughly the size of Mexico or three times the area of Texas

  
• Indonesia stretches 5,120 kilometers (3,575 miles) along the equator, across three times zones from Malaysia in the west to Papua New Guinea in the east, and 1,760 kilometers 1,100) miles from north to south, from northern Kalimantan in Borneo in the north to a small group of islands south of Timor in the south

  
• Indonesia's total area 1,811,569 square kilometers is land and 93,000 square kilometers is inlands seas (straits, bays, and other bodies of water)

  
• The government, however, also claims an exclusive economic zone, which brings the total to about 7.9 million square kilometers. The country has 54,716 kilometers of coastline