Portal:Malaysia

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Portal:Malaysia/Intro

Map of Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of 13 states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malaysia. 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 and Indonesia, as well as a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital, the country's largest city, and the seat of the legislative branch of the federal government. Putrajaya is the administrative centre, which represents the seat of both the executive branch (the Cabinet, federal ministries, and federal agencies) and the judicial branch of the federal government. With a population of over 33 million, the country is the world's 43rd-most populous country. Malaysia is tropical and is one of 17 megadiverse countries; it is home to numerous endemic species. Tanjung Piai in the Malaysian state of Johor is the southernmost point of continental Eurasia.

The country has its origins in the Malay kingdoms, which, from the 18th century on, became subject to the British Empire, along with the British Straits Settlements protectorate. During World War Two, British Malaya, along with other nearby British and American colonies, was occupied by the Empire of Japan. Following three years of occupation, Peninsular Malaysia was unified as the Malayan Union in 1946 and then restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948. The country achieved independence on 31 August 1957. On 16 September 1963, independent Malaya united with the then British crown colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore to become Malaysia. In August 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation and became a separate, independent country.

The country is multiethnic and multicultural, which has a significant effect on its politics. About half the population is ethnically Malay, with minorities of Chinese, Indians, and indigenous peoples. The official language is Malaysian Malay, a standard form of the Malay language. English remains an active second language. While recognising Islam as the official religion, the constitution grants freedom of religion to non-Muslims. The government is modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system, and the legal system is based on common law. The head of state is an elected monarch, chosen from among the nine state sultans every five years. The head of government is the prime minister.

After independence, the gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an average rate of 6.5% per year for almost 50 years. The country's economy has traditionally been driven by its natural resources but is expanding into commerce, tourism, and medical tourism. The country has a newly industrialised market economy, and it ranks very high in the Human Development Index. The country is a founding member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Commonwealth, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). (Full article...)

Johor Bahru (Malaysian: [ˈdʒohor ˈbahru]), colloquially referred to as JB, is the core city of Johor Bahru District, and the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia (the second-largest district in the country, by population). It is the second-largest national GDP-contributor among the major cities in Malaysia, and forms a part of Iskandar Malaysia, the nation's largest special economic zone, by investment value. The city has a population of 858,118 people within an area of 391.25 km2.

As the financial centre and logistics hub of southern Peninsular Malaysia, Johor Bahru has been ranked the second-most competitive city in the nation behind the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Geographically, it is located at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, north of the city-state metropolis Singapore. Johor Bahru serves as one of two international border crossings, on the Malaysian side, between the country and Singapore (the other being the Second Link at Iskandar Puteri), making it the busiest international border crossing in the world; its direct land link to Singapore, via the causeway and the RTS Link, is a key economic driver of the border city. Johor Bahru is categorised as Zone A of Iskandar Malaysia, adjacent to Senai International Airport and the 16th-busiest port in the world, Tanjung Pelepas. (Full article...)
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Anwar in 2023

Anwar bin Ibrahim (Jawi: انور بن ابراهيم, IPA: [anwar ɪbrahɪm]; born 10 August 1947) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the tenth Prime Minister of Malaysia since 2022. He served as the 12th and 16th Leader of the Opposition from 2008 to 2015 and again from 2020 to 2022. He has been the chairman of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition since 2020, the second President of the People's Justice Party (PKR) since 2018 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tambun since November 2022. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and in many other Cabinet positions in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from 1982 to his removal in 1998.

A graduate of the University of Malaya, Anwar started his political career as President of student union Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) and one of the founders and 2nd President of youth organisation Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM). After joining the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the major party in the long-time ruling BN coalition, Anwar held several cabinet positions in successive governments in the 1980s and 1990s. He was deputy prime minister and Finance Minister during the 1990s and was prominent in Malaysia's response to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In 1998, he was removed from all posts by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and went on to spearhead the Reformasi movement against the government. Anwar was jailed in April 1999, until his release in 2004 after his conviction was overturned. He made a comeback as Leader of the Opposition from 2008 to 2015 and coalesced opposition parties into the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition, which unsuccessfully contested in the 2008 and 2013 general elections. He disputed the results of the 2013 elections and led a protest in response. (Full article...)
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Melaka Chinese Mosque
Melaka Chinese Mosque
Melaka Chinese Mosque (Malay: Masjid Cina Negeri Melaka) is a Chinese-style mosque in Krubong, Melaka. Completed in April 2014, it is the third Chinese-style mosque in Malaysia. With a total build up area of 2.8 hectares and 2,000 worshipers capacity, the mosque was developed by the Melaka Chinese Muslim Association.
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The following are images from various Malaysia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Wiki Loves Malaysia

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Battle of Labuan
Battle of Labuan
  • ... that the aircraft disaster Double Six Crash killed a total of five cabinet ministers in the Malaysian state of Sabah in 1976?


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Zahir Mosque Square
Zahir Mosque Square
Credit: Chongkian (13 April 2019)
Alor Setar is a city and the capital of Kedah. It is a major transportation hub in northern Peninsular Malaysia. Two of Malaysia's Prime Ministers were born here.


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