Malaysia
Updated: Sep 29, 2022
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Country Name
Malaysia.
Location
Malaysia is located in southeastern Asia. It is bordered by Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, and the South China Sea. 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 and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam.
Capital
Kuala Lumpur.
Reason for Naming
The name "Malaysia" is a combination of the word "Malay" and the Latin-Greek suffix "-sia"/ which can be translated as "land of the Malays".
The origin of the word 'Melayu' is subject to various theories.
It may derive from the Sanskrit "Himalaya", referring to areas high in the mountains, or "Malaiyur-pura", meaning mountain town.
Another similar theory claims its origin from the Tamil words "malai" and "ur" meaning "mountain" and "city, land", respectively.
A final suggestion is that it comes from a Javanese word meaning "to run", from which a river, the Sungai Melayu ('Melayu river'), was named due to its strong current.
Flag
The current flag of Malaysia was adopted on September 16, 1963. The flag consists of 14 horizontal stripes alternating red and white; On the upper left side, there is a blue square with a yellow crescent and fourteen-point star. The red, white, and blue colors used in the Malaysian flag represent that the country belongs to the Commonwealth. The blue color represents the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow color is the royal color of the Malay rulers, and the white color represents peace and honesty, The red color represents hardiness, bravery, strength & valor. The 14 stripes and 14 points on the star represent the equality of the country’s 14 states. The crescent and star represent Islam as the official religion of the country, the eleven-pointed star itself symbolizes the "unity and cooperation" of member states.
* Flag Facts:
- The flag of Malaysia and the flag of Liberia are similar to the flag of the United States of America, all have the same colors and design but are different in the symbols in the canton.
Language
Malaysian language is the official language spoken in Malaysia. This language is sometimes called Malaysian Malay or simply just Malay or Malaysian. Malay is spoken by the majority of the country and is taught extensively in the country's public education system. English is also very commonly spoken in Malaysian and it is used as a second language. Malaysian Standard English (MySE) also known as Manglish, has roots in British English but is majorly used in education and less in other sectors of the country. Chinese dialects such as Mandarin and Hokkien are also spoken in the country, primarily by those of Chinese ethnic origin. Tamil is also another popular language spoken in the country, primarily spoken by people from India. Many other languages are used in Malaysia, which contains speakers of 137 living languages.
Religion
The official religion in Malaysia is Islam with significant religious minority populations of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, and traditional Chinese religion practitioners. Malaysia's Muslim majority are Sunni Muslims, and the practice of any other version of Islam in the country is prohibited. Hinduism is a dominant religion among the Tamils of Malaysia. The most dominant in Christianity are Anglican, Methodist, and Roman Catholic. Other minority religions in Malaysia include practicing Chinese philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism. A small Sikh community follows Sikhism, and they allow all people to their places of worship, Atheism is significantly discriminated against in Malaysia, and is not authorized to go public with their atheistic beliefs.
Currency
Ringgit (RM) (MYR).
Time Zone
+08:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Federal parliamentary constitutional elective monarchy.