Malaysia

Flag

The 14 stripes of the flag of Malaysia in red and white represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal territories (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya). The blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people, while the crescent symbolize Islam. The star that spread out 14 rays of light represent the federation of the 13 states and its unity, and yellow of the crescent and star is the royal color.

Emblem

The coat of arms of Malaysia is comprised of a star and a crescent on the top, an escutcheon in the middle, a ribbon on the bottom, and two tigers, the traditional symbols of the Federation of Malaya, at the sides. The crescent is the symbol of Islam, while the star beaming 14 rays of light represents the federation of the 13 member states and the federal territories. The krises, black, white, red, and yellow squares, trees, small shield, and bird each represent the Malay states. The depicted bunga raya (hibiscus) is the national flower. The ribbon in the royal color yellow reads "Unity is Strength."

Capital : Kuala Lumpur

• Population

  32.39 million
  (2018, IMF)

• Area

  330,252㎢
  (1.5 times larger than the Korean Peninsula)

• Time zone

  GMT+8

• Official name

  Malaysia

• Politics

  Constitutional monarchy

• Governance

  Parliamentary system

• Parliament

  Bicameralism

• National Day

  August 31 (Merdeka Day)

• Independence

  August 31, 1957 (Independence of the Federation of Malaya)

• Ethnic groups

  Malay 62%, Chinese 21%, Indian 6%, Others 1%, Foreigners (10%)

• Climate

  Tropical monsoon climate, high temperature and humidity (25–34℃ throughout the year with an average annual rainfall of 2,410 mm)

  ※ The rainy season is usually from November to March, but may differ per region. Squalls pour almost every day.

• Religion(s)

  Muslim (state religion), Buddhist, Hindu

  ※ Islam is the state religion per the constitution, but guarantees freedom of religion

• Language(s)

  Malay (Bahasa Melayu) is the official language, but the Chinese and Indian population tend to speak their unique languages. English is most commonly used throughout.

Malaysia Timeline

• 1403
  • Foundation of the Sultanate of Malacca
• 1511
  • Portugal seized the Sultanate of Malacca
• 1641
  • The Netherlands seized the Sultanate of Malacca
• 1824
  • British took control of Malacca
• 1874
  • Became a British protectorate (Full control of the Malay Archipelago by the British)
• 1941
  • Japanese occupation
• Apr.1946
  • Formation of the Malayan Union after the re-possession of control by the British; established a military administration
• 1946
  • Foundation of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO)
• Feb.1948
  • Founded the Federation of Malaya in accordance with agreements with the British
    ※ Defence, foreign policy, and finance continued to be administered by the British government
• Jul.1955
  • Rahman inaugurated as the first prime minister
• 1957
  • Independence of the Federation of Malaya in August 31
• 1963
  • Formed Malaysia uniting Singapore and North Borneo on September 16
• Aug.1965
  • Singapore separated as an independent nation
• May.1969
  • Outbreak of race riots between Malays and Chinese (13 May incident )
• Sep.1970
  • Razak inaugurated as the second prime minister; advocated for the New Economic Policy for relief of racial inequality
• Jul.1974
  • Establishment of the Barisan Nasional (BN), a political coalition comprised of nine parties, including UMNO (Malays), MCA (Chinese), and MIC (Indian).
• Jun.1976
  • Succession of Deputy Prime Minister Hussein as the 3rd prime minister after the death of the late Prime Minister Razak
• Jul.1978
  • BN : Barisan National (National Front) Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Hussein Onn swept votes at the general election
    ※ Barisan Nasional (BN): Barisan National (National Front)
• Jul.1981
  • Resignation of Prime Minister Hussein Onn due to health reasons; Mahathir inaugurated as the 4th prime minister
• Apr.1982
  • Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Mahathir swept votes at the general election
• Aug.1986
  • Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Mahathir swept votes at the snap election
• Oct.1989
  • Mahathir quit UMNO after the organization was influenced by the former Minister of International Trade and Industry Razaleigh; founded the Semangat 46 to unite the opposition parties
• Dec.1990
  • Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Mahathir swept votes at the general election
• Nov.1993
  • Finance Minister Anwar defeated Deputy Prime Minister Ghafar Baba for the position of Deputy President at the UMNO General Assembly
• Apr.1995
  • Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Mahathir swept votes at the general election
• Oct.1996
  • Assigned Mahathir as President and Anwar as Deputy President without an election at the UMNO General Assembly
• Sep.1998
  • Dismissal of Deputy President Anwar and prosecuted for abuse of power and homosexuality
• Nov.1999
  • Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Mahathir swept votes at the snap election
• May.2000
  • Assigned Prime Minister Mahathir as President and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah as Deputy President without an election at the UMNO General Assembly
• Oct.2003
  • Mahathir succeeded his position as prime minister to deputy prime minister Abdullah (5th prime minister)
• Mar.2004
  • Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Mahathir swept votes at the 11th general election (took 90% of seats)
• Mar.2008
  • Barisan Nasional took the majority of seats at the 12th general election (occupied 63% of seats, but failed to take 2/3 of seats) and Prime Minister Abdullah was reappointed
• Apr.2009
  • Abdullah succeeded his position as prime minister to deputy prime minister Najib (6th prime minister)
• May.2013
  • Barisan Nasional gained victory occupied 60% of seats at the 13th general election; Reappointment of Prime Minister Abdullah
• May.2018
  • Pakatan Harapan gained victory at the 14th general elections for the first time as an opposition political coalition against the then-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition since independence (obtained 113 seats among 222 seats), Mahathir inaugurated as the 7th prime minister