malaysia

• country located on the southeastern tip of asia and on the northern coast of the island of borneo
the federation of malaysia is a country in south-east asia. it includes the malay peninsula and sarawak and sabah on the island of borneo. malaya became a british colony in the 19th century. it was occupied by japan from 1941 until 1945. communist insurgents fought a guerrilla war against the british colonial administration from 1948 until the mid-1950s. malaysia became independent in 1957 and in 1963 the federation of malaysia (consisting of malaya, sarawak, sabah, and singapore) was established. singapore left the federation in 1965. the federation is made up of several ethnic communities, primarily malay and chinese. tension between the communities led to civil disorder in 1969. malaysia has a constitutional monarchy, with the king elected for a five-year term from among the ranks of the hereditary sultans. ja'afar ibni abdul rahman became head of state in 1994. dato' sri dr mahathir mohamad, of the new united malays national organization (umno baru), became prime minister in 1981. malaysia is a member of the commonwealth and the association of south east asian nations. it exports manufactured goods, oil, rubber, and gas. it is the world's largest producer of palm oil. tourism is an important industry.