Located in Southeastern Asia, Malaysia is bordered by Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei. During the 18th century, that region came under the control of the British Empire, and the first territories controlled by the British Empire were called Straits Settlements. These were part of the British East India Company, an international corporation.
On this day August 31st, in 1957, Malaysia gains its independence from the British Empire. Malaysia would then reform itself as a Federal Constitutional Monarchy. Malaysia is now made up of 13 states, and the country is actually in two halves: West Malaysia and East Malaysia.
Malaysia has an immense amount of biodiversity and is ranked as mega diverse country. Almost two-thirds of it is covered by forests believed to be millions of years old. Kuala Lumpur is the largest city with 1.6 million people; its broader metropolitan area is estimated as having 7.2 million people. The population of Malaysia as a whole is over 27.5 million, with a majority living on the peninsula.