Place details
Place nameMalaysia
Other namesFederation of Malaysia, Malaisie, Maleisië, Malasia, Malásia, MYS, MY, ISO458, MY00, Malay States, Federated Malay States, Malaysian
Latitude2.5
Longitude112.5
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Area settled by 4000 BC, had significant Stone & Bronze Age cultures; Indian influence by 2nd cen. BC, Chinese & Islamic from 1400; Portuguese & Dutch arrived 16-17th cen.; invasions from Sumatra & Celebes 17-18th cen.; British & Indian control 19th cen.; official language is Bahasa Malaysia (Malay), though Chinese, English & Tamil are also spoken.