MALAYSIA - Malaysian Federation / Persekutuan Malaysia

 

Malaysia  is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital and largest city while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. With a population of over 30 million, Malaysia is the world's 44th most populous country. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia is in Tanjung Piai. In the tropics, Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries, home to a number of endemic species. Malaysia has its origins in the Malay kingdoms which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire, along with the British Straits Settlements protectorate. Peninsular Malaysia was unified as the Malayan Union in 1946. Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963 to become Malaysia. In 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation.

Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories. These are divided between two regions, with 11 states and two federal territories on Peninsular Malaysia and the other two states and one federal territory in East Malaysia. Each state is divided into districts, which are then divided into mukim. In Sabah and Sarawak districts are grouped into divisions. They are : Johor Darul Ta'zim, Kedah Darul Aman, Kelantan Darul Naim, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus, Pahang Darul Makmur, Penang, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Perlis Indera Kayangan, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor Darul Ehsan and Terengganu Darul Iman. Federal Territories are, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.  Singapore was a Malaysian state from the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 until it was expelled from the Federation on 9 August 1965. During its time as a state of Malaysia, Singapore had autonomy in the areas of education and labour. Brunei was invited to join the Federation but decided not to at the end due to several issues, such as the status of the Sultan within Malaysia, division of Bruneian oil royalties, and pressure from opposition groups which amounted to the Brunei Revolt.

The country is megadiverse with a high number of species and high levels of endemism. It is estimated to contain 20 per cent of the world's animal species. High levels of endemism are found on the diverse forests of Borneo's mountains, as species are isolated from each other by lowland forest. There are about 210 mammal species in the country. Over 620 species of birds have been recorded in Peninsular Malaysia, with many endemic to the mountains there. A high number of endemic bird species are also found in Malaysian Borneo. 250 reptile species have been recorded in the country, with about 150 species of snakes and 80 species of lizards. There are about 150 species of frogs, and thousands of insect species. The Exclusive economic zone of Malaysia is 334,671 km² (129,217 sq mi) and 1.5 times larger than its land area. It is mainly in the South China Sea. Some of its waters are in the Coral Triangle, a biodiversity hotspot. The waters around Sipadan island are the most biodiverse in the world. Bordering East Malaysia, the Sulu Sea is a biodiversity hotspot, with around 600 coral species and 1200 fish species.  The unique biodiversity of Malaysian Caves always attracts lovers of ecotourism from all over the world.

About two thirds of Malaysia was covered in forest as of 2007, with some forests believed to be 130 million years old. The forests are dominated by dipterocarps. Lowland forest covers areas below 760 m (2,490 ft), and formerly East Malaysia was covered in such rainforest, which is supported by its hot wet climate. There are around 14,500 species of flowering plants and trees. Besides rainforests, there are over 1,425 km² (550 sq mi) of mangroves in Malaysia, and a large amount of peat forest. At higher altitudes, oaks, chestnuts, and rhododendrons replace dipterocarps. There are an estimated 8,500 species of vascular plants in Peninsular Malaysia, with another 15,000 in the East. The forests of East Malaysia are estimated to be the habitat of around 2,000 tree species, and are one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, with 240 different species of trees every hectare. These forests host many members of the Rafflesia genus, the largest flowers in the world, with a maximum diameter of 1 m (3 ft 3 in).

The history of postage stamps and postal history of Malaysia, a state in Southeast Asia that occupies the south of the Malay peninsula and Sarawak and Sabah in the north Borneo, includes the development of postal services in these periods: the sultanates as British protectorates (1874-1941, 1948-1957), Japanese occupation during the Second World War (1941-1945), British military administration (1945-1948) and independence of the state (since 1957).. Malaysia has been issuing stamps after independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, first as the Federation of Malaya, then as Malaysia after 1963. The national postal operator is Pos Malaysia. Postal history in Malaya tracked from the 19th century, initially postal services for the Malay colonies were provided by the post offices of British India. In 1854, stamps of British India were used. In 1867, the first stamps of the Straits Settlements colony were issued, which were stamps of British India overprinted with a crown and new values in local currency. In December 1867, the first definitives were issued. Subsequently, the individual Malay states issued stamps, starting with Johor in 1876. Perak and Selangor followed in 1878 and 1881, then Pahang in 1889 and Negri Sembilan in 1891. Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah, which were ceded by Thailand in 1909, started issuing stamps from 1910 onwards. 

In 1896, the Federated Malay States were formed. The first stamps of the Federated Malay States began in 1900, when the stamps of Negri-Sembilan and Perak were overprinted "Federated Malay States". In 1935, the Malayan Postal Union was created, which included the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States. Only postage due stamps were issued with the inscription "Malayan postal union", which were used in the colony and the individual states. Similar postage due stamps were used in Malayasia until 1966 and in Singapore until 1968 . After the occupation of Malaya by the Japanese forces, in 1942, stamps of the Straits Settlements were handstamped "Post of the Military in Malaya" in Japanese. Later issues were overprinted "Dai Nippon 2602 Malaya" or "Japanese post" in Japanese inscriptions. The same overprints were also applied to stamps of the individual states. In October 1945, stamps of the Straits Settlements were overprinted B.M.A. MALAYA by the British Military Administration. These were available throughout Malaya, and used till regular postage stamps were produced for each state after the formation of the Malaya Federation in 1948, the last being Kelantan in 1951. 

The Malaya Federation began issuing stamps on May 5, 1957 in preparation for independence from Great Britain in the same year. The four stamps of the first series were inscribed "Federation of Malaya" and depicted the coat of arms, and map of the state.  Only commemorative stamps were issued by the Federation. Definitive stamps were issued by the individual states of the Federation. During 1965 Malaysia issued its first definitive stamps. The stamps featured orchids for the State low values and birds for the Malaysia high values. Each State had its own set, identical with the exception of the State name and Rulers portrait or State crest as applicable. The eight high values were printed in portrait format, featuring Malaysian birds, and had 'MALAYSIA' printed on them in place of State names.