The population of Malaysia is estimated at 24 385 858 residents (2004), which corresponds to a low population density (around 72.64 residents/km 2 ), given the fact that much of the territory is covered with forest and presents mountainous relief. It is estimated that in 2025, the Malaysian population will reach 32 million residents.
The birth and death rates are respectively 22.86% and 5.05%. Average life expectancy is 72.5 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.790 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.784 (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the population will be 33 065 000 residents. The main ethnic groups are Malays (58%), Chinese (25%) and Indians (7%).
The most followed religious confessions in Malaysia are Muslim (53%), Buddhist (17%) and traditional Chinese beliefs (12%). The official language is Malay.
History
The ancestors of the Malays are from southern China and came to the peninsula about 2000 years ago. C. Arab merchants converted Malaysians to Islam in the 15th century. The Portuguese (1509) and the Dutch (1641) successively occupied Malacca, on the southwest coast. In 1824 the British took over the region and a century later took over the entire Malaysian Peninsula, although the territories of East Malaysia did not formally come under British domination until after World War II. During the 1920s and 1930s, colonialist movements arose in the Malaysian Peninsula influenced by pressures that were felt in India to achieve independence. During World War II, Malaysia and Borneo were occupied by Japan. After the war, groups of communist guerrillas took refuge in the jungle, launching a campaign, called “emergency”, against the British that lasted between 1948 and 1960, when the rebels were eventually defeated. The problem was not only solved by military means; in 1957, the Malaysian Peninsula became the Federation of Malaysia, but tensions did not end, leading to the removal of Singapore and the Federation thus lost its main port and industrial center. Nine of Malaysia’s 13 states have a hereditary sultan or head of state; the remaining four have governors appointed by the king. In 1969, racial conflicts between Chinese and Malaysians led to unrest and Malaysian parties lost votes in the elections that followed. Restrictions on individual freedoms continue to exist, such as the ban on public discussion. For Malaysia democracy and rights, please check homeagerly.
A natural catastrophe shook the country on December 26, 2004. On that day, there was the biggest earthquake in recent times (8.9 degrees on the Richter scale) with an epicenter off the Indonesian island of Samatra. This earthquake originated earthquakes that hit the coast of several Southeast Asian countries, such as Sri Lanka, the most affected, followed by Indonesia itself, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives and Bangladesh, causing thousands of deaths and displaced people.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Malaysia, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Malaysia. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Malaysia
Reveals the political and shaded relief maps of Malaysia, a southeastern Asian peninsula, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam.
