Malaysia

Malaysia is a nation in Southeast Asia separated by the South China Sea into two regions, one on the Malay Peninsula and one comprising part of the island of Borneo. Malaysia shares borders with Thailand and Singapore on the Malay Peninsula, and Indonesia and Brunei on Borneo. Aside from the South China Sea, Malaysia has shores on the Malacca Strait, the Sulu Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, and the Celebes Sea.

During the 18th and 19th Century, what is today Malaysia was under the control of the British. During World War II, Japan invaded Malaysia to access oil reserves and when the war ended, Malaysia began to move towards independence. Malaysia became an independent nation in 1963, as part of the unification of the former British colonies of Singapore on the Malay Peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo. In 1965, the city of Singapore and its immediate outskirts seceded from Malaysia and have remained an independent entity ever since. Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, with over 60% over its population professing Islam.

Johor | Kedah | Kelantan | Malacca | Negeri Sembilan | Pahang | Perak | Perlis | Penang | Sabah | Sarawak | Selangor | Terengganu

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  Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"

• Wikipedia: Geography of Malaysia

• Maps of World.com: Malaysia