Malaysia and Singapore used to be part of one British colony called Malaya, but after independence, Malaysia and Singapore became separate countries in 1965. Malaysia divides into two halves, the Peninsular and the states of Sabah and Sarawak, East Malaysia which are part of the island known as Borneo.

Because of its wealth of natural resources, Malaysia continues to be a major exporter of primary goods like rubber, palm oil and timber but it is also one of a group of fast developing countries known as 'Newly Industrialised Countries' or NIC's. NIC's like Malaysia have managed to develop their own manufacturing industries and now take a much larger share in world trade.

 

Q. How did Malaysia become a Newly Industrialised Country? Click here to find out more.

Employment Structure (%)

Piechart of the Malaysia Employment Structure Malaysia  
13.2% Agriculture
43.6% Industry
43.4% Services

Q. How does this compare to the UK? Click here to find out.

Population Pyramid of Malaysia 2000

Population Pyradmid of Malaysia 2000
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Click here to reveal Malaysia's likely population structure in 2025 and 2050.


 

Click here to reveal the UK's population structure in 2000.

 

Map of Malaysia in relation to Great Britain
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map of Malaysia Borneo
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Click on the photos for a larger image.

© Jon Spaull/Panos Pictures
Rubber tapping is still one of Malaysia's important industries. Rubber tree seeds were originally brought over from Brazil by the British.

 

© Paul Quayle/Panos Pictures
At 450 metres high and with 88 storeys, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur is one of the world's tallest buildings.