Located in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy consisting of thirteen states and three federal territories. It has a total land area of 329,847 square kilometers (127,350 square miles) and is separated by the South China Sea into two equally sized regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Malaysia shares land borders with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The federal government's seat is in Putrajaya, while the capital city is Kuala Lumpur. As of 2010, Malaysia had a population of 28.33 million, with 22.6 million residing on the Peninsula. The country is located in the tropics, and Tanjung Piai, the southernmost point of continental Eurasia, is in Malaysia. Malaysia is known for being one of 17 megadiverse countries on earth, with a high number of endemic species.
Malaysia's origins can be traced back to the Malay Kingdoms in the area, which became subject to the British Empire from the 18th century onwards. The Straits Settlements were the first British territories, which were followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first united as the Malayan Union in 1946. Malaya was then restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and gained independence on August 31st, 1957. On September 16th, 1963, Malaya united with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore to form a new country, which was named Malaysia. The word "si" was added to the name to include Singapore.
