a country in south-east Asia. It consists of the area to the south of Thailand formerly known as Malaya, and the states of Sarawak and Sabah in the north-west of the island of Borneo. Its capital city is Kuala Lumpur and its official language is Malay. It was formed in 1963 from former British colonies in the area and is now a part of the Commonwealth . Its main exports are oil, gas, electronic equipment and chemicals. Singapore was a part of Malaysia until 1965.
► Malaysian adj , n .