Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia occupying parts of the Malay
Peninsula
and the island of Borneo.
It's known for its beaches, rainforests and amazing geographical features such as the Malacca
Straits and
Sarawak Chamber. The capital city, Kuala Lumpur, is home to colonial buildings, busy shopping
districts such
as Bukit Bintang and skyscrapers such as the iconic, 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers. Malaysia is
also the
melting pot of different cultures and ethics which also makes it a culinary haven.
The origin of the Malays
Malay, any member of an ethnic group of the Malay Peninsula and portions of adjacent islands of
Southeast
Asia, including the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and smaller islands that lie between
these
areas. The Malays speak various dialects belonging to the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) family of
languages.The Malays were once probably a people of coastal Borneo who expanded into Sumatra and the
Malay
Peninsula as a result of their trading and seafaring way of life. That this expansion occurred only
in the
last 1,500 years or so is indicated by the fact that the languages of the Malay group are all still
very much
alike though very divergent from the languages of other peoples of Sumatra, Borneo, and other
neighbouring
lands. In the early 21st century the Malays constituted about half of the population of Peninsular
Malaysia
(West Malaysia) and about one-eighth of the population of East Malaysia (Sarawak and Sabah).
The origin of the Chinese
Ethnically known as Orang Cina or Kaum Cina in Malaysia, the Malaysian Chinese are the descendants
of
Chinese who arrived between the 14th and mid-20th centuries. The first wave of Chinese emigrants in
the 14th
century were mostly merchants, who were partly attracted to the economic potential of the country
and partly
fleeing from the persecution of the Ching government of Chung Kuok (China). The latter waves were
mostly
poverty-stricken peasants who hoped for a better livelihood for themselves and their families. It
was only in
the 19th century, particularly after the 1820s, that a great number of Chinese migrated to Malaya.
Th is was
due to colonial occupation, which caused rapid economic and land development in the region. This
development
included the opening up of large tracts of land, which created opportunities for mercantile
expansion, which
in turn attracted emigrants from China. Most of these emigrants were from rural villages and small
towns of
the southeastern provinces of Fujian and Gaungdong. Upon arrival in Malaya many worked as indentured
laborers
known as coolies.
The origin of the Indians
Indian traders came to Malaya as early as the 14th century. Through trading, they introduced Islam
to the
locals, particularly to the Malays. This was also done by marrying into the various royal families,
consequently achieving positions of great influence. It was only in the latter half of the 19th
century that
an influx of Indian immigrants came to Malaya, due to its rapid economic development. The largest
annual flow
into Malaya occurred during the period of 1911-30, when more than 90,000 persons landed each year.
They were
recruited and solicited by the British, mostly as indentured laborers to work on rubber plantations.
A large
number of clerical workers were also brought in from Ceylon, while a number of professionals,
doctors, and
teachers were brought in from India, particularly after World War I. Almost every Indian ethnic
subgroup is
represented in Malaysia. This includes the Tamils, Gujaratis, Malayalis, Punjabi, Sindhis, Pathans,
Telegus,
Kannarese, and the Sri Lankan Tamil and Singhalese. They came from many parts of India and belonged
to
different faiths. Nevertheless, Malaysian Indians are mostly Tamils, forming 87.6 per cent of the
population
in Malaysia.
