Malaysia, federation of 13 states forming a constitutional monarchy in South East Asia, comprising two distinct regions separated by some 650 km (400 mi) of the South China Sea. Malaysia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The regions are Peninsular Malaysia, formerly known as West Malaysia; and Sarawak and Sabah, formerly known as East Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia comprises 11 states occupying the southern half of the Malay Peninsula, bordered on the north by Thailand, on the south by Singapore, on the west by the Strait of Malacca, and on the east by the South China Sea. The states of Sabah and Sarawak occupy the northern third of the island of Borneo, and are bordered on the north and west by the South China Sea, on the east by the Sula and Celebes seas, and on the south by the Indonesian province of Kalimantan. The island of Labuan, formerly part of Sabah, was made a federal territory in 1984. The sultanate of Brunei forms a coastal enclave in northern Sarawak.

Population
        21,300,000
        (1996 estimate)
Population Density
        64 people/sq km
        (167 people/sq mi)
        (1996 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
        46% Urban
        54% Rural
Largest Cities
        Kuala Lumpur1,145,075
        Ipoh382,633
        Johor Baharu328,646
        (1991 census)
Ethnic Groups
        47% Malay
        32% Chinese
         9% Indigenous people from Borneo
         9% Indian
Languages
Official Language
        Bahasa Malaysia
Other Languages
        English, Chinese, Tamil, Iban, 
Religions
        53% Islam
        25% Chinese folk religion
        7%  Hinduism
        6%  Buddhism
        6%  Christianity
        3%  Other