Malaysia was first given the name in 1963 after the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore formed a federation comprising 14 states. At that time other names were considered too, among them was Langkasuka which was the name of a historic kingdom in the same area.
In the year 1511 the Portuguese took over the port of Malacca which lies on the east coast of Malaysia. There was however, constant turmoil about the port from both the Sultanate of Aceh and the Sultanate of Johor. Finally in 1641 control of the port was taken over by the Dutch who sided with the Sultanate of Johor against the Portuguese.
Jumping forward to 1963, the Federation of Malaysia was formed. The Sultanate of Brunei had also wished to join the Federation but due to issues with their politics and with disagreements regarding oil royalties they backed out.
Troubles continued in the early years of the Federation and independence. President Sukarno of Indonesia tried to lay claim to Sarawak, but this "undeclared war" was quelled by the British. Then in 1965, just 2 years after the formation, Singapore pulled out due to some disagreements.
Then the Philippines laid a claim for the state of Sabah, although up till now this claim has not been recognized. Further problems have continued to vent due to the multi racial population of Malaysia.
Malaysia is now made up of 13 states, 2 of these are in Malaysian Borneo - Sarawak and Sabah, and 3 federal territories. The states are subdivided into districts, which are individually referred to as mukim. Governance over the country is divided between both federal and state governments.
The governmental system is somewhat similar to the British style in that the power is held both federally and state by state. The government is made up of a multi party coalition which is named Barisan Nasional. In all 13 states now make up Malaysia, which includes the largest of them - Sarawak, and there are also 3 federal territories. The states are subdivided into districts.
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