Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"One portion of Malaysia’s national territory lies on the Asian mainland and the other on one or more islands. The country is a colonial political artifice that combines a pair of decidedly disparate components into a single state: the southern end of the Malay Peninsula and the northern sector of the island of Borneo. These are referred to, respectively, as West Malaysia and East Malaysia (Fig. 10-11). The appellation “Malaysia” came into use in 1963, when the original Federation of Malaya, on the Malay Peninsula, was expanded to incorporate the territories of Sarawak and Sabah in Borneo. When the name Malaya is used, it refers to the peninsular part of the Federation, whereas Malaysia refers to the total political entity. The Malays of the peninsula constitute 50 percent of the country’s population of 30.8 million. They possess a compelling cultural identity expressed in adherence to the Muslim faith, a common language, and a strong sense of territoriality. The Chinese came to the Malay Peninsula as well as to northern Borneo in substantial numbers during the colonial era, and now they account for roughly 23 percent of Malaysia’s population." [Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts, 17th Edition, p. 443-4]