Contents:
    * 1 History
    * 2 Politics
    * 3 Geography
    * 4 Economy
    * 5 Natural resources
    * 6 Transportation and communications
    * 7 Healthcare
    * 8 Education
    * 9 Demographics
    * 10 Religion
    * 11 Culture
    * 12 Citizenship
    * 13 Holidays
          o 13.1 References
          o 13.2 Sources

continuing...

orang asli (lost)
indiginous (lost)
Siam [5saiAm, sai5Am]n.暹罗
proto-“第一, 主要”
originate from 发源于[E5ridVineit]
Java [5dVB:vE]n.爪哇
Ptolemy [`tClImI]托勒密(公元2世纪的古希腊天文学家、地理学家、数学家,地心说的创立者)
chersonese [5kE:sEni:z, -ni:s]n.半岛
Malacca [mE5lAkE]
马六甲海峡(在亚洲东南部马来半岛和印度尼西亚的苏门答腊岛之间,沟通太平洋和印度洋)
refer to  v.查阅, 提到, 谈到
sinus [5sainEs]n.窦, 穴, 湾, 凹处
Sabaricus (lost)
millennium [mi5leniEm]n.太平盛世, 一千年
archipelago [7B:ki5peli^Eu]n.群岛, 多岛海
influence [5influEns]n.影响, 感化
Srivijaya (lost)
CE  (lost)
Pallava or Sanskrit (lost)
direct route 直接航线
invasion[in5veiVEn]n.入侵
trader[5treidE]n.商人, 商船
Rajendra Chola (lost)
Kota Gelanggi (lost)
to heel 紧跟着 [hi:l]n.脚后跟, 踵
successor [sEk5sesE]n.继承者
Vir Rajendra Chola  (lost)
rebellion [ri5beljEn]n.谋反, 叛乱
overthrow[7EuvE5WrEu]n.推翻
majesty [5mAdVisti]n.最高权威, 王权
exert [i^5zE:t]vt.尽(力), 竭尽全力
Ligor (lost)
inscription[in5skripFEn]n.题字, 碑铭
Chronicles[`krCnIklz]n.(旧约圣经)历代记
Mahavamsa (lost)
Sanskrit [5sAnskrit]n.梵语
eventually [I5ventjJElI]adv.最后, 终于
converted 更换信仰的, 修改的
trace [treis]n.痕迹
ritual [5ritjuEl]n.典礼, (宗教)仪式, 礼节
Tamil [5tAmil]n.泰米尔人, 泰米尔语
泰米尔人：一支居住在印度南部和斯里兰卡北部的德拉威人的成员
heap[hi:p]堆, 堆起
Palembang
[7pB:lem5bB:N]
巨港[印度尼西亚苏门答腊岛东南部港市](音译巴邻旁)
巴邻帝，巨港：印度尼西亚的城市，位于苏门答腊岛东南部。在17和18世纪它是印度王国的权力中心，在1617年它成为荷兰的贸易港并且后来紧接着被英国占领。
bloodline[`blQdlaIn]血统, 血族
sultanate [5sQltEnit]n.伊斯兰教君主的领地
Sumatra [su5mB:trE]n.苏门答腊岛(在印尼西部)
苏门答腊岛：印度尼西亚西部一岛屿，位于马来半岛南部、印度洋沿岸。 马可波罗于1292年游访过该岛，17世纪荷兰人控制了该岛，尽管英国人继续宣称是它的领土，但在1949年苏门答腊岛就加入了独立不久的印度尼西亚
sultan [5sQltEn]n苏丹(某些伊斯兰国家最高统治者的称号)
Portugal[5pC:tju^El]n.葡萄牙(欧洲西南部国家)
lease [li:s]租借
Anglo-[5AN^lEJ][前缀]表示“英国”之义
Calcutta [kAl5kQtE]n.加尔各答, 印度东北部的港市
de facto [deI5fAktEJ]adj.事实上的, 实际的

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Main article History of Malaysia
The earliest inhabitants of the Malay peninsula were the orang asli or indiginous people who migrated from Siam around 2500 BC. Proto-Malays originating from Java began arriving between 1500 BC and 500 BC. Ptolemy showed it on his early map with a label that translates as Golden Chersonese, the Straits of Malacca were referred to as Sinus Sabaricus. From the mid to the late first millennium, much of the Peninsula as well as the Malay Archipelago were under the influence of Srivijaya. Originally these were Hindu or Buddhist nations.

There were numerous Malay kingdoms in the 2nd and 3rd century CE, as many as 30 according to Chinese sources. Kedah – known as Kedaram or Kataha, in ancient Pallava or Sanskrit – was in the direct route of invasions of Indian traders and kings. Rajendra Chola, who is now thought to have laid Kota Gelanggi to waste, put Kedah to heel in 1025 but his successor, Vir Rajendra Chola, had to put down a Kedah rebellion to overthrow the invaders. The coming of the Chola reduced the majesty of Srivijaya which had exerted influence over Kedah and Pattani and even as far as Ligor.
The Buddhist kingdom of Ligor took control of Kedah shortly after, and its King Chandrabhanu used it as a base to attack Sri Lanka in the 11th century, an event noted in a stone inscription in Nagapattinum in Tamil Nadu and in the Sri Lankan chronicles, Mahavamsa. During the first millennium, the people of the Malay peninsula adopted Hinduism and Buddhism and the use of the Sanskrit language until they eventually converted to Islam, but not before Hinduism, Buddhism and Sanskrit became embedded into the Malay worldview. Traces of the influences in political ideas, social structure, rituals, language, arts and cultural practices still can be seen to this day.

There are reports of other areas older than Kedah – the ancient kingdom of Ganganegara, around Bruas in Perak, for instance – that pushes Malaysian history even further into antiquity. If that is not enough, a Tamil poem, Pattinapillai, of the second century CE, describes goods from Kadaram heaped in the broad streets of the Chola capital; a seventh century Sanskrit drama, Kaumudhimahotsva, refers to Kedah as Kataha-nagari. The Agnipurana also mentions a territory known Anda-Kataha with one of its boundaries delineated by a peak, which scholars believe is Gunong Jerai. Stories from the Katasaritasagaram describe the elegance of life in Kataha.

In the early 15th century, the Sultanate of Malacca was established under a dynasty founded by Parameswara, a prince from Palembang with bloodline related to the royal home of Srivijaya, who fled from the island Temasek (now Singapore). Parameswara decided to establish his kingdom in Malacca after witnessing an astonishing incident where a white mouse deer kicked one of his hunting dogs. He took it as a sign of good luck and name his kingdom Melaka after the tree he was resting under. At its height, the sultanate controlled the areas which are now Peninsula Malaysia, southern Thailand (Patani), and the eastern coast of Sumatra. It existed for more than a century, and within that time period Islam spread to most of the Malay Archipelago. Malacca was the foremost trading port at the time in Southeast Asia.[9]

The first evidence of Islam in the Malay peninsula dates from the 14th century in Terengganu, but according to the Kedah Annals, the 9th Maharaja Derbar Raja AD) of Sultanate of Kedah converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Muzaffar Shah. Since then there have been 27 Sultans who ruled Kedah. In 1511, Malacca was conquered by Portugal, which established a colony there. The sons of the last sultan of Malacca established two sultanates elsewhere in the peninsula - the Sultanate of Perak to the north, and the Sultanate of Johor (originally a continuation of the old Malacca sultanate) to the south. After the fall of Malacca, three nations struggled for the control of Malacca Strait the Portuguese (in Malacca), the Sultanate of Johor, and the Sultanate of Aceh. This conflict went on till 1641, when the Dutch (allied to the Sultanate of Johor) gained control of Malacca.
Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur houses the High Court of Malaya and the Trade Court. Kuala Lumpur was the capital of the Federated Malay States and is the current Malaysian capital.
Britain established its first colony in the Malay peninsula in 1786, with the lease of the island of Penang to the British East India Company by the Sultan of Kedah. In 1824, the British took control of Malacca following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 which divided the Malaya archipelago between Britain and the Netherlands, with Malaya in the British zone. In 1826, Britain established the crown colony of the Straits Settlements, uniting its three possessions in Malaya Penang, Malacca and Singapore. The Straits Settlements were administered under the East India Company in Calcutta until 1867, when they were transferred to the Colonial Office in London.

During the late 19th century, many Malay states decided to obtain British help in settling their internal conflicts. The commercial importance of tin mining in the Malay states to merchants in the Straits Settlements led to British government intervention in the tin-producing states in the Malay Peninsula. British gunboat diplomacy was employed to bring about a peaceful resolution to civil disturbances caused by Chinese gangsters, and the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 paved the way for the expansion of British influence in Malaya. By the turn of the 20th century, the states of Pahang, Selangor, Perak, and Negeri Sembilan, known together as the Federated Malay States (not to be confused with the Federation of Malaya), were under the de facto control of British Residents appointed to advise the Malay rulers. The British were advisers in name, but in reality they exercised substantial influence over the Malay rulers.

The remaining five states in the peninsula, known as the Unfederated Malay States, while not directly under rule from London, also accepted British advisors around the turn of the 20th century. Of these, the four northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu had previously been under Siamese control.

On the island of Borneo, Sabah was governed as the crown colony of British North Borneo, while Sarawak was acquired from Brunei as the personal kingdom of the Brooke family, who ruled as White Rajahs.

Following the Japanese occupation of Malaya) during World War II, popular support for independence grew.[10] Post-war British plans to unite the administration of Malaya under a single crown colony called the Malayan Union foundered on strong opposition from the Malays, who opposed the emasculation of the Malay rulers and the granting of citizenship to the ethnic Chinese.[11] The Malayan Union, established in 1946 and consisting of all the British possessions in Malaya with the exception of Singapore, was dissolved in 1948 and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the autonomy of the rulers of the Malay states under British protection.

During this time, rebels under the leadership of the Communist Party of Malaya launched guerrilla operations designed to force the British out of Malaya. The Malayan Emergency, as it was known, lasted from 1948 to 1960, and involved a long anti-insurgency campaign by Commonwealth troops in Malaya.[12] Against this backdrop, independence for the Federation within the Commonwealth was granted on 31 August 1957.[13]

In 1963 the Federation was renamed Malaysia with the admission of the then-British crown colonies of Singapore, Sabah (British North Borneo) and Sarawak. The Sultanate of Brunei, though initially expressing interest in joining the Federation, withdrew from the planned merger due to opposition from certain segments of the population as well as arguments over the payment of oil royalties and the status of the Sultan in the planned merger.[14][15]

The childhood of independence were marred by conflict with Indonesia (Konfrontasi) over the formation of Malaysia, Singapore's eventual exit in 1965, and racial strife in the form of racial riots in 1969.[8][16] The Philippines also made an active claim on Sabah in that period based upon the Sultanate of Brunei's cession of its north-east territories to the Sultanate of Sulu in 1704. The claim is still ongoing.[17] After the May 13 racial riots of 1969, the controversial New Economic Policy - intended to increase the share of the economic pie owned by the bumiputras (indigenous people, which includes the majority Malays, but not always the indigenous population) as opposed to other ethnic groups - was launched by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak. Malaysia has since maintained a delicate ethno-political balance, with a system of government that has attempted to combine overall economic development with political and economic policies that favour Bumiputras.[18]

Between the 1980s and the mid 1990s, Malaysia experienced significant economic growth under the premiership of Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad.[19] The period saw a shift from an agriculture-based economy to one based on manufacturing and industry in areas such as computers and consumer electronics. It was during this period, too, that the physical landscape of Malaysia has changed with the emergence of numerous mega-projects. The most notable of these projects are the Petronas Twin Towers (at the time the tallest building in the world), KL International Airport (KLIA), North-South Expressway, the Sepang F1 Circuit, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), the Bakun hydroelectric dam and Putrajaya, a new federal administrative capital.

In the late 1990s, Malaysia was shaken by the Asian financial crisis as well as political unrest caused by the sacking of the deputy prime minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim.[20] In 2003, Dr Mahathir, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, retired in favour of his deputy, Abdullah Badawi.

历史

    主条目：马来西亚历史

自古以来，来往中国，印度及其他更遥远国度的商船穿航马六甲海峡，使马来半岛崛起成为东南亚主要的贸易中心。在托勒密的地图上，马来半岛被称为“黄金半岛”，马六甲海峡则为Sinus Sabaricus。历史上最古老的马来王国在公元10世纪时发展自沿海港口城市，包括吉打州的龍牙犀角國（Langkasuka）及布秧谷（Lembah Bujang），霹雳州的木歪（Beruas）及Gangga Negara，以及吉兰丹州的盘盘。伊斯兰教在14世纪传至登加楼州。15世纪初，拜里米苏拉创立马六甲王朝（滿剌加）但马六甲王朝的繁荣却迎来了葡萄牙在1511年的入侵。之后荷兰与英国相继以马六甲为殖民中心，并控制马六甲海峡。

法蘭西斯·萊特在1786年开拓并发展槟城为军事及商业中心。但很快的槟城就被斯坦福·莱佛士爵士在1819年开拓的新加坡取代。1824年，英国在《英荷条约》簽訂後從荷蘭手中獲得马六甲。1826年，英国设立了归驻在加尔各答的不列颠东印度公司所管辖的海峡殖民地，并渐渐的在马来半岛扩展影响力。初期的海峡殖民地包括槟城、新加坡及马六甲。1867年，设于伦敦的殖民厅接管海峡殖民地。

同时，许多马来州属的统治者为了解决州内的纷争而向英殖民者求助。在殖民厅接管海峡殖民地的十年内，一些马来半岛西海岸的马来州属也同时被英殖民者控制。海峡殖民地的商人都希望英国政府介入马来半岛产锡州属的内政。华侨党派的纷争及内战使英政府采取了有利于商人的炮舰外交。1874年的邦咯条约最终导致英殖民者的权力扩张。在20世纪之前，由彭亨、雪兰莪、霹雳及森美兰州组成的马来联邦（非马来亚联邦）为英总督们所管辖。这些总督听令于驻在新加坡的最高专员兼海峡殖民地总督。最高专员则直接向伦敦的殖民厅报告。

其他的马来半岛的州属被称为马来属邦。虽然他们不直接属于英殖民者，但州内都驻有英国参政司。四个北部州属：玻璃市、吉打、吉兰丹及登加楼曾经被泰国统治。英属北婆罗洲（现为沙巴州）曾被苏禄王朝统治，英籍的布洛克家族则管辖拥有大片森林的砂拉越州。第二次世界大战时日军的统治及战后马来亚共产党的叛乱促使越来越多人支持马来亚的独立。战后英国政府成立马来亚联邦的计划招来了强烈的抗议。马来族群要求一个更有利于他们的制度，并且强力反对新加坡的加入。同时他们也不允许双重国籍制度，因为这将使不少的移民族群持有马来亚及祖国的国籍。马来半岛最终在1957年8月31日成为独立的马来亚联合邦。这个新的国家并不包括新加坡。

一个名为马来西亚的联邦国家在1963年9月16日成立。她纳入了马来亚联合邦，英属新加坡，北婆罗州（改称沙巴）及砂拉越州（后两者处在婆罗洲上）。汶萊苏丹者虽然曾表示有意加入，但最后因为石油利益纠纷而放弃。马来西亚在独立初期所面对的危机包括印度尼西亚欲占有马来西亚的意图，新加坡在1965年的退出及1969年5月13日种族冲突（史稱五一三事件）。菲律宾也曾在这时期声称拥有沙巴州的主权因汶莱苏丹在1704年把其东北的领地让给苏禄苏丹。这个问题尚未全面解决。

1969年之后，第二任首相敦阿都拉萨推展的意在增强土著在经济领域控制的马来西亚新经济政策遭到其他族群的反对。至此以后，马来西亚维持种族政治的均衡并发展其独特的有利于马来民族（称bumiputra “土著”）及中庸伊斯兰教的经济及政治制度。

自1997年开始，在马来西亚承受着亚洲经济危机的同时，马来西亚政府面对一系列的抗议，一些来自民族主义分子及一些提倡更严厉伊斯兰教教规者。

Continuing...

2.Politics

constitutional monarchy n.君主立宪政体
monarchy [5mCnEki]n.君主政体
hereditary[hi5reditEri]adj.世袭的, 遗传的
titular[5titjulE]adj.有名无实的
Westminster [5westminstE]威斯敏斯特(伦敦市的一个行政区, 英国议会所在地) 议会, 议会政治
Mahathir era
Barisan Nasional
Labuan [lE`bU:En, 9lB:bU:`B:n]n.纳闽岛(在马来西亚沙巴州南)
Putrajaya

Politics
Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The federal head of state of Malaysia is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the King of Malaysia. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected to a five-year term among the nine hereditary Sultans of the Malay states; the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the selection.[21]

The system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that of Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. In practice however, more power is vested in the executive branch of government than in the legislative, and the judiciary has been weakened by sustained attacks by the government during the Mahathir era. Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by a multi-party coalition known as the Barisan Nasional (formerly known as the Alliance).[22]

Legislative power is divided between federal and state legislatures. The bicameral parliament consists of the lower house, the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (literally the Chamber of the People) and the upper house, the Senate or Dewan Negara (literally the Chamber of the Nation).[23][24][25] The 219-member House of Representatives are elected from single-member constituencies that are drawn based on population for a maximum term of 5 years. All 70 Senators sit for 3-year terms; 26 are elected by the 13 state assemblies, 2 representing the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, 1 each from federal territories of Labuan and Putrajaya, and 40 are appointed by the king. Besides the Parliament at the federal level, each state has a unicameral state legislative chamber (MalayDewan Undangan Negeri) whose members are elected from single-member constituencies. Parliamentary elections are held at least once every five years, with the last general election being in March 2004.[22] The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of Parliament and is responsible to that body.[26]

State governments are led by chief ministers (Menteri Besar in Malay states or Ketua Menteri in states without hereditary rulers), who is a state assembly member from a majority party in the state assemblies (Dewan Undangan Negeri).[citation needed]

政治

    主条目：马来西亚政治

马来西亚為君主立憲國，其象徵性統治者稱爲馬來西亞國家元首（Yang Di-Pertuan Agong），由七個馬來州屬——柔佛、雪蘭莪、吉打、霹靂、吉蘭丹、彭亨、登加楼的蘇丹，加上森美蘭的嚴端和玻璃市的拉惹中輪流擔任﹐每任為5年。另外四個州屬由象徵性州元首（Yang Di-Pertuan Negeri）統治。

馬來西亞政府制度是類似西敏制，因爲馬來西亞曾爲英国殖民地。實行三權分立，即立法、司法及執法權。但實際上，自1988年司法危機後，立法機構及執法機構，奪取了司法機構的詮釋權，令司法失去獨立性。在馬來西亞憲法下，規定每五年內必須舉行一次全國大選。

立法和執法權主要是操在首相所領導的內閣手中，馬來西亞憲法規定首相必須是马来西亚國會下議院的議員，且其對下議院的控制必須得到最高元首的承認。內閣是在马来西亚国会上議院及马来西亚国会下議院中選出。內閣須向上下議院報告。

國會由上議院及下議院組成。所有69位上議員的任期为三年,只能续任一届。其中26位由13個州議會選出，另外43位則由最高元首委任。219位下議員是在全國各選區中被選出，任期最長五年。聯邦政府及州政府分別擁有立法權。

在執法權上，共分為三個等及，即中央政府、州政府和地方政府。自1965年以來，地方政府的選舉已被取消，而以州政府委任取而代之。州政府由州議會選出的州務大臣或州首席部長領導。州議會的作用是輔助蘇丹或是州元首。

馬來西亞實行議會君主立憲的政治制度。根據1957年7月2日正式宣佈的《馬來亞聯合邦憲法》，馬來亞聯合邦爲議會君主立憲制國家，最高元首爲國家首腦、伊斯蘭教領袖兼武裝部隊統帥，由马来西亚統治者會議選舉産生，任期5年。最高元首擁有立法、司法和行政的最高權力，以及任命首相、拒絕批准和解散國會等權力；最高立法機構爲國會，由下議院和上議院組成；各州設立州政府和州議會，州首腦是蘇丹或州元首（檳榔嶼與馬六甲），各州由州務大臣或首席部長管理行政；兩次大選間隔不超過5年。1963年馬來西亞聯邦成立後，將1957年憲法改名爲馬來西亞聯邦憲法，繼續沿用。憲法的規定，奠定了馬來西亞政治發展的基礎。

馬來西亞現任首相爲阿都拉·巴达威。他於2003年10月從卸任的前首相馬哈迪手中接過了權力，繼任首相。馬哈迪在馬來西亞歷史上曾經長期擔任巫統的主席，五次蟬聯首相，在位長達22年。2002年6月，馬哈迪宣佈將於2003年10月辭去黨政一切職務並交由時任副首相的巴達維接任。高層順利地實現權力的交接和平穩過渡爲馬來西亞長期的政治穩定創造了條件。

馬來西亞從1959年舉行獨立後的第一屆大選開始，至今一共舉行了11屆大選。在以往的歷次大選中，儘管朝野政黨都展開了激烈的競爭，但基本上一直由巫統爲首的政黨聯盟執政。本屆國會於2004年3月第十屆全國大選後組成。下議院有219個議席，議員任期5年。以巫統爲首的國民陣線（國陣）擁有199個議席，占議席總數的90.86%。反對黨擁有20席，其中伊斯蘭教黨6席，民主行動黨12席，人民公正黨1席及独立人士1席。下議院議長是南利·雅,2004年11月上任至今,前议长穆罕默德·紮希爾博士（Tun Dato' Seri Dr. MOHAMMED ZAHIR），1982年6月起担任至2004年11月辞世。上議院有70名議員，其中44名由最高元首任命，另外26名由各州立法議會各推派兩名，任期3年。上議院議長是阿都哈密·巴旺爹，2003年6上任。

馬來西亞最高法院於1985年1月1日正式成立，在這之前馬來西亞案件可上訴到英國的樞密院。在1994年6月最高法院改名爲聯邦法院。同時，聯邦法院之下，也設立了上訴庭，緊接著為高庭，高庭可分為馬來亞高級法院（負責西馬）和婆羅州高級法院（負責東馬），各州設有地方法庭和推事庭。另外還有特別軍事法庭和伊斯蘭教法庭。

馬來西亞根據憲法實行多黨制的政黨制度，但實際實行的卻並非典型的西方多黨制，而是一種由幾個政黨聯合組成政黨聯盟執政的制度。這種政黨聯盟形式最早出現於1955年4月馬來亞聯邦獨立前，當時的巫統、馬華公會和馬印國大黨爲謀求馬來亞的獨立成立了“馬華印聯盟”，1957年馬來亞聯邦獨立後，“馬華印聯盟”即成爲執政黨；1965 年4月，爲壯大力量，馬華印聯盟同東馬兩州的“聯盟黨”結盟，組成了“馬來西亞聯盟黨”；1969年，馬來西亞聯盟黨在大選中失利，後進行調整組建了一個新的政黨聯盟即國民陣線，從此在歷次大選中都穩操勝券，執政至今。國民陣線當初成立時有巫統、馬華公會、印度人國大黨等9個政黨組成，後來政黨的數目偶有增減變動，目前共有14個成員黨。在國民陣線內部，各成員黨保持相對的獨立性，但受各成員党主席組成的國民陣線最高理事會領導，國民陣線的主席一般由巫統主席和署理主席分任。在大選中，各成員黨以共同的政治主張和競選宣言參加競選，加強團結和戰鬥力，這使得國民陣線成爲馬來西亞最強大的執政黨聯盟。

Kinabalu
[7kinEbE5lu:]n.基纳巴卢山(东南亚最高峰,位于马来西亚)
Borneo
[5bC:niEu]n.婆罗洲(一半属马来西亚,一半属印尼)
Tanjung Piai

Geography
Main article Geography of Malaysia

The two distinct parts of Malaysia, separated from each other by the South China Sea, share a largely similar landscape in that both West and East Malaysia feature coastal plains rising to often densely forested hills and mountains, the highest of which is Mount Kinabalu at 4,095.2 metres (13,435.7 ft) on the island of Borneo. The local climate is equatorial and characterised by the annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons.

Tanjung Piai, located in the southern state of Johor, is the southernmost tip of continental Asia.[27][28]

The Strait of Malacca, lying between Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, is arguably the most important shipping lane in the world.[29]

Putrajaya is the newly created administrative capital for the federal government of Malaysia, aimed in part to ease growing congestion within Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur remains the seat of parliament, as well as the commercial and financial capital of the country. Other major cities include Georgetown, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Alor Star, Malacca Town, and Klang.

地理

    主条目：马来西亚地理

马来西亚地图
马来西亚地图

马来西亚主要由中间隔着南中国海的东马来西亚及西马来西亚组成。马来西亚大部分的沿海地区都是平原，中部则是布满茂密热带雨林的高原。最高山峰是处于沙巴州（马来文：Sabah）的京那巴鲁山（马来文：Gunung Kinabalu，山又名“中囯寡婦山”或“神山”，為東南亞最高的山峰），海拔4095米，以每年5毫米的速度长高。马来西亚靠近赤道，气候潮湿炎热，属赤道多雨气候。每年四月至十月间吹西南季候风，十月至二月间吹东北季候风，但季风现象不显著。

布城（Putrajaya）是一个新建立的政府机构中心，建立的目的主要是舒缓马来西亚最大都市吉隆坡的交通阻塞。首相署在1999年开始迁至布城，预料将在2005年搬迁完毕。吉隆坡依然是国会所在地及国家商业及经贸中心。其他主要城市包括槟城，新山及怡保。

馬來西亞位於赤道東部，經度大約介於100度至119度之間，緯度07度，鄰國有北部的泰國和南部的新加坡。馬來西亞是由馬來半島和東馬的婆羅洲上的沙巴、砂勞越兩州所組成，總面積為32萬9750平方公里。婆羅洲上還包括了汶萊和印尼兩個國家。

plantation
[plAn5teiFEn]n.耕地, 种植园, 大农场, 森林, 人造林, 殖民
ringgit
[`rIN^It]
[单复同]n.林吉特(马来西亚货币单位)


Economy
The Malay Peninsula and indeed Southeast Asia has been a centre of trade for centuries. Various items such as porcelain and spice were actively traded even before Malacca and Singapore rose to prominence.

Rubber latex.
In the 17th century, they were found in several Malay states. Later, as the British started to take over as administrators of Malaya, rubber and palm oil trees were introduced for commercial purposes. Over time, Malaya became the world's largest major producer of tin, rubber, and palm oil.[30] These three commodities, along with other raw materials, firmly set Malaysia's economic tempo well into the mid-20th century.

Instead of relying on the local Malays as a source of labour, the British brought in Chinese and Indians to work on the mines and plantations. Although many of them returned to their respective home countries after their agreed tenure ended, some remained in Malaysia and settled permanently.

As Malaya moved towards independence, the government began implementing economic five-year plans, beginning with the First Malayan Five Year Plan in 1955. Upon the establishment of Malaysia, the plans were re-titled and renumbered, beginning with the First Malaysia Plan in 1965.

In 1970s, Malaysia began to imitate Asian Tigers and committed itself to a transition from being reliant on mining and agriculture to an economy that depends more on manufacturing. With Japanese investment, heavy industries flourished and in a matter of years, Malaysian exports became the country's primary growth engine. Malaysia consistently achieved more than 7% GDP growth along with low inflation in the 1980s and the 1990s.

During the same period, the government tried to eradicate poverty with the controversial New Economic Policy (NEP), after the May 13 Incident of racial rioting in 1969. Its main objective was the elimination of the association of race with economic function, and the first five-year plan to begin implementing the NEP was the Second Malaysia Plan. The success or failure of the NEP is the subject of much debate, although it was officially retired in 1990 and replaced by the National Development Policy (NDP).

The rapid economic boom led to a variety of supply problems, however. Labour shortages soon resulted in an influx of millions of foreign workers, many illegal. Cash-rich PLCs and consortiums of banks eager to benefit from increased and rapid development began large infrastructure projects. This all ended when the Asian Financial Crisis hit in the fall of 1997, delivering a massive shock to Malaysia's economy.

As with other countries affected by the crisis, there was speculative short-selling of the Malaysian currency, the ringgit. Foreign direct investment fell at an alarming rate and, as capital flowed out of the country, the value of the ringgit dropped from MYR 2.50 per USD to, at one point, MYR 4.80 per USD. The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange's composite index plummeted from approximately 1300 points to nearly merely 400 points in a matter of weeks. After the controversial sacking of finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, a National Economic Action Council was formed to deal with the monetary crisis. Bank Negara imposed capital controls and pegged the Malaysian ringgit at 3.80 to the US dollar. Malaysia refused economic aid packages from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, however, surprising many analysts.

In March 2005, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published a paper on the sources and pace of Malaysia's recovery, written by Jomo K.S. of the applied economics department, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The paper concluded that the controls imposed by Malaysia's government neither hurt nor helped recovery. The chief factor was an increase in electronics components exports, which was caused by a large increase in the demand for components in the United States, which was caused, in turn, by a fear of the effects of the arrival of the year 2000 (Y2K) upon older computers and other digital devices.

However, the post Y2K slump of 2001 did not affect Malaysia as much as other countries. This may have been clearer evidence that there are other causes and effects that can be more properly attributable for recovery. One possibility is that the currency speculators had run out of finance after failing in their attack on the Hong Kong dollar in August 1998 and after the Russian ruble collapsed. (See George Soros)

Regardless of causeeffect claims, rejuvenation of the economy also coincided with massive government spending and budget deficits in the years that followed the crisis. Later, Malaysia enjoyed faster economic recovery compared to its neighbours. In many ways, however, the country has yet to recover to the levels of the pre-crisis era.

While the pace of development today is not as rapid, it is seen to be more sustainable. Although the controls and economic housekeeping may not have been the principal reason for recovery, there is no doubt that the banking sector has become more resilient to external shocks. The current account has also settled into a structural surplus, providing a cushion to capital flight. Asset prices are now a fraction of their pre-crisis heights.

The fixed exchange rate was abandoned in July 2005 in favour of a managed floating system within an hour of China's announcing of the same move. In the same week, the ringgit strengthened a percent against various major currencies and was expected to appreciate further. As of December 2005, however, expectations of further appreciation were muted as capital flight exceeded USD 10 billion.[31]

In September 2005, Sir Howard J. Davies, director of the London School of Economics, at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, cautioned Malaysian officials that if they want a flexible capital market, they will have to lift the ban on short-selling put into effect during the crisis. In March 2006, Malaysia removed the ban on short selling.[32] Currently, Malaysia is considered a newly industrialized country.

经济

    主条目：马来西亚经济

双峰塔
双峰塔

马来西亚是个中等富裕的国家。在新经济政策下，它在1971年至2000年期间从一个原料出产国转换为一个新兴的多元工业经济。经济成长主要依赖制成品出口，尤其是电子制品。因此全球经济萧条及资讯工艺的衰退对马来西亚带来的打击尤其大。2001年，国内生产总值增长率只有0.3个百分点，主要原因是出口量下降了11个百分点。然而，有效的经济振兴配套让马来西亚得以减轻经济危机的打击。

吉隆坡稳定的宏观经济环境，维持在或低于3百分点的通货膨胀率及失业率，加上其充足的外汇储备及较小的外债使类似1997年亚洲经济危机的经济萧条再次发生在马来西亚的可能性变得非常小。虽然如此，面对着竞争能力不足及高债务等问题的大企业为马来西亚经济远景带来负面影响。

马来西亚主要的股票市场是吉隆坡股票市场及MESDAQ（科技股市）。

現今馬來西亞逐漸發展旅遊行業.馬來西亞匯率不高,而馬來西亞本身擁有取多自國的特色和三大種族連結的文化,來吸引觀光客的旅遊玩樂,賺取外匯提升國家經濟.

meranti tembaga
merawan
sesenduk

Natural resources

Malaysia is well-endowed with natural resources in areas such as agriculture, forestry as well as minerals. In terms of agriculture, Malaysia is the world's primary exporter of natural rubber and palm oil, which together with sawn logs and sawn timber, cocoa, pepper, pineapple and tobacco dominate the growth of the sector. Palm oil is also a major foreign exchange .

Regarding forestry resources, it is noted that logging only began to make a substantial contribution to the economy during the nineteenth century. Today an estimated 59% of Malaysia remains forested. The rapid expansion of the timber industry, particularly after the 1960s, has brought about a serious erosion problem in the country's forest resources. However, in line with the Government's commitment to protect the environment and the ecological system, forestry resources are being managed on a sustainable basis and accordingly the rate of tree felling has been on the decline.

In addition, substantial areas are being silviculturally treated and reforestation of degraded forest land is also being carried out. The Malaysian government provide plans for the enrichment of some 312.30 square kilometres (120.5 sq mi) of land with rattan under natural forest conditions and in rubber plantations as an inter crop. To further enrich forest resources, fast-growing timber species such as meranti tembaga, merawan and sesenduk are also being planted. At the same time, the cultivation of high-value trees like teak and other trees for pulp and paper are also encouraged. Rubber, once the mainstay of the Malaysian economy, has been largely replaced by oil palm as Malaysia's leading agricultural export.

Tin and petroleum are the two main mineral resources that are of major significance in the Malaysian economy. Malaysia was once the world's largest producer of tin until the collapse of the tin market in the early 1980s. In the 19th and 20th century, tin played a predominant role in the Malaysian economy. It was only in 1972 that petroleum and natural gas took over from tin as the mainstay of the mining sector. Meanwhile, the contribution by tin has declined. Petroleum and natural gas which were discovered in oilfields offshore Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu have contributed much to the Malaysian economy particularly in those three states. Other minerals of some importance or significance include copper, gold, bauxite, iron-ore and coal together with industrial minerals like clay, kaolin, silica, limestone, barite, phosphates and dimension stones such as granite as well as marble blocks and slabs. Small quantities of gold are produced.

In 2004, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, revealed that Malaysia's oil reserves stood at 4.84 billion barrels while natural gas reserves increased to 89 trillion cubic feet (2,500 km³). This was an increase of 7.2%.[citation needed]

The government estimates that at current production rates Malaysia will be able to produce oil up to 18 years and gas for 35 years. In 2004 Malaysia is ranked 24th in terms of world oil reserves and 13th for gas. 56% of the oil reserves exist in the Peninsula while 19% exist in East Malaysia. The government collects oil royalties of which 5% are passed to the states and the rest retained by the federal government.[citation needed]

Transportation and communications
Main articles Transportation in Malaysia and Communications in Malaysia
Malaysia has extensive roads that connect all major cities and towns on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The total length of the Malaysian expressway network is 1,192 kilometres (740 miles). The network connects all major cities and conurbations such as Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang to each other. The major expressway, the North-South Expressway spans from the northern and the southern tips of Peninsular Malaysia at Bukit Kayu Hitam and Johor Bahru respectively. It is a part of the Asian Highway Network, which also connects into Thailand and Singapore.

Roads in the East Malaysia and the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia are still relatively undeveloped. Those are highly curved roads passing through mountainous regions and many are still unsealed, gravel roads. This has resulted in the continued use of rivers as the main mode of transportation for interior residents.

Train service in West Malaysia is operated by the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railways) and has extensive railroads that connect all major cities and towns on the peninsular, including Singapore. There is also a short railway in Sabah operated by North Borneo Railway that mainly carries freight.

There are sea ports in Tanjong Kidurong, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuantan, Pasir Gudang, Tanjung Pelepas, Penang, Port Klang, Sandakan and Tawau.

There are also world class airports, such as Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Penang International Airport in Penang, Kuching International Airport and Langkawi International Airport that provide international and domestic destinations. There are also airports in smaller towns as well as small domestic airstrips in rural Sabah and Sarawak. There are daily flight services between West and East Malaysia, which is the only option for passengers traveling between the two parts of the country, as well as regular flight services to international destinations. Malaysia is the home of the first low-cost carrier in the region, Air Asia. It has Kuala Lumpur as its hub and maintains flights around Southeast Asia and China as well. In KL it operates out of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).

The intercity telecommunication service is provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay. International telecommunications are provided through submarine cables and satellite. One of the largest and most significant telecommunication companies in Malaysia is Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), providing products and services from fixed line, mobile as well as dial-up and broadband Internet access service. It has the near-monopoly of fixed line phone service in the country.

In December 2004, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik reported that only 0.85% or 218,004 people in Malaysia used broadband services. However these values are based on subscriber number, whilst household percentage can reflect the situation more accurately. This represented an increase from 0.45% in three quarters. He also stated that the government targeted usage of 5% by 2006 and doubling to 10% by 2008. Lim Keng Yaik had urged local telecommunication companies and service provider to open up the last mile and lower prices to benefit the users.

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