d system of colonies and protectorates that gave rise to the equally complex, far flung Malaysian Federation" (De Blij & Muller 2003, p. 309). The former Straits Settlements, the nine protectorates on the Malay Peninsula, the British dependence of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo, and numerous islands in the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea were included in the Federation. The original Federation was created in 1963 but Singapore left in 1965 to become a sovereign city-state and the remaining units were restructured into peninsular Malaysia and on Borneo, Sarawak and Sabah. The term Malaysia identifies the politico-geographical entity of which Kuala Lumpur is the capital. As De Blij and Muller (2003, p. 310) point out, "centuries of colonial rule have left strong cultural imprints. In their urban landscapes, their education systems, their civil service, and countless other ways, this realm still carries the marks of its colonial past."
Shortly after independence, the United Malays National
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