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Malay peoples

Malays
Orang Melayu
اورڠ ملايو
Malay couple.jpg
A Malay couple in traditional attire after their akad nikah (marriage solemnisation) ceremony. The groom is wearing a baju melayu paired with songkok and songket, while the bride wears baju kurung with a tudong.
Total population
(c. 24 million)
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia Malaysia: 14,749,378
Brunei Brunei: 261,902
Native area .
Indonesia Indonesia 5,365,399
Thailand Thailand 1,964,384
Singapore Singapore 653,449
Myanmar Myanmar ~27,000
Diaspora .
South Africa South Africa ~200,000
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 40,189
Australia Australia 33,183
United Kingdom United Kingdom ~33,000
Languages
Official: Dialects: Others:
Religion

Star and Crescent.svg Sunni Islam

A minority practicing Shia Islam as well as Christianity, Buddhism, Animism, Irreligion and Atheism.

^ note: Highly naturalised population of mixed origins, but using the 'Malay' identity

Star and Crescent.svg Sunni Islam

Malays (Malay: Orang Melayu, Jawi: اورڠ ملايو) are an ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, eastern Sumatra and coastal Borneo, as well as the smaller islands which lie between these locations — areas that are collectively known as the Malay world. These locations today are part of the modern nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and southern Thailand.

There is considerable genetic, linguistic, cultural, and social diversity among the many Malay subgroups, mainly due to hundreds of years of immigration and assimilation of various regional ethnicity and tribes within Maritime Southeast Asia. Historically, the Malay population is descended primarily from the earlier Malayic-speaking Austronesians and Austroasiatic tribes who founded several ancient maritime trading states and kingdoms, notably Brunei, Kedah, Langkasuka, Gangga Negara, Chi Tu, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pahang, Melayu and Srivijaya.


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