Malaysia

MalaysiaFacts on Malaysia

-Seat of government: Putrajaya

-Head of state: Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia)

-Head of government: Prime Minister

-Form of government: Parliamentary

-Official religion: Islam

-Capital: Kuala Lumpur

MalaysiaEarly History of Malaysia

-Early in its history, Malaysia was heavily influenced byIndia.

-Indian traders introduced Hinduism and Buddhism to theregion.

-People in the region adopted the use of Sanskrit, a form of

writing.

-Later, Islam spread throughout the Malayan islands.

-The Malay language, which eventually became the official

language of Malaysia, was introduced during this time.

MalaysiaColonial History

-During the Age of Exploration, the Portuguese initiallyestablished colonies in the region.

-The Dutch later replaced the Portuguese as the mainpower in the region.

-The British, through the British East India Company, later

came to dominate the region by establishing colonies inPenang and Singapore.

-The British later gained control of North Borneo, which atthat time belonged to the Sultan of Sulu.

MalaysiaColonial History

-The British established their colonial rule and called theregion the “Straits Settlement”

-The other Malay states (Unfederated Malay States) whowere not conquered by the British agreed to have British“advisers” who effectively became rulers of the states.

-During this period, Chinese immigrants arrived fromsouthern China and their population in the colonyincreased.

MalaysiaJapanese Occupation

-The Japanese overran Malaysia and Singapore in WorldWar II.

-The Japanese treated the Chinese harshly, and up to40,000 Chinese were killed during this time.

-After the war, the Communists in Malaysia, who weremostly Chinese, fought against the British, in a periodcalled the Malayan Emergency.

-The Federation of Malaya gained its independence in1957.

MalaysiaDiscussion question:

How is the early and colonial history of Malaysia similar

or

different to that of the Philippines and Indonesia?

In what ways did the Malays influence the early history of

the Philippines?