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Fact
Sheet :
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Area :
329,750 sq km
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Population : 24,821,286 (July 2007 est.)
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Capital : Kuala
Lumpur
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Languages :
Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects
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Currency : ringgit
(MYR)
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Government type : constitutional
monarchy
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Elements of History :
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia
was formed in 1963 through a federation of the former British
colonies of Malaya and Singapore, including the East Malaysian
states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo.
The first several years of the country's history were marred
by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims
to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the federation in
1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials, to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism.
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Climate :
tropical;
annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October
to February) monsoons
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