BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT MALAYSIA
MALAYSIA is a multi-ethnic, democratic country which pratices freedom to religion and rich with multi-cultural traditions. There are currently around 22 million Malaysians. The country consist of 13 States and 2 Federal Territories (One in the Klang Valley where the capital Kuala Lumpur is situated and the other is Labuan Island in East Malaysia)
The evolution of mankind in this part of the world shows how this region has been influenced by various culture, traditions, and beliefs. It's rich natural resources and strategic location have attracted merchants from all over the world . The region also had been the subject of conquests by various asian kingdoms and western empires.
The existence of mankind from this part of the world can be traced back to the year 35,000 B.C. Thanks to archeological findings at Gua Niah, Sarawak (reputed to be the biggest cave in the world), this confirmed that mankind had made his settlements here eons ago. This is not surprising as the tropical rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia and in Borneo are among the oldest in the world. Hence, this attracted the animals and the hunter (man). Other early settlements of the Iron Age were found in Kedah, South Johor and West Borneo.
History revealed that this part of the world has been dominated or under the protection of various kingdoms and colonial empires. These foreign influences played significant role in the composition and values of the current society. Among them are as follows:-
1 Century : Hindu Kingdom of Langkasuka (Kedah, Perlis & Patani)
2 Century : Funan Empire of South Indo-China (Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia)
7 Century : Sri Vijaya Hindu Kingdom of East Sumatra
14 Century : Javanese Empire of Majapahit
15 Century : Islamic Empire of Malacca
16 Century (24/8/1511) : The Portuguese Kingdom of Portugal conquered Malacca
16 Century : Islamic Empire of Johor
17 Century (14/1/1641) : The Dutch conquered Malacca from the Portuguese.
11/8/1786 : The British in Penang
1/12/1794 : The British took over power in Malacca from the Dutch
1/7/1896: Selangor, Perak, Pahang & Negeri Sembilan under the Federated Malay States formed by the British.
1923 : British in Kedah
1930 : British in Perlis
December 1941 : Japanese Invasion under WWII
August, 1943 : Japanese returned Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu & Kelantan to Siam (Thailand).
For a time line on Malaysia's history please refer to the visual timeline of Malaysia from the stone age to current post-independence at the following link: Malaysia's History (To Be Continued - Still Under Construction)
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