What is the Difference Between Malaysia and Indonesia?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚Malaysia and Indonesia are neighboring countries in Southeast Asia that share many similarities but also have distinct differences. Some of the main differences between the two countries include:
- Colonial History: Malaysia was a former British colony, while Indonesia was a former Dutch colony. This has influenced the languages, cultures, and economic development of the two countries.
- Language: Bahasa Malaysia is the official language of Malaysia, while Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of Indonesia. Both languages are standardized varieties of the Malay language, but they have differences in spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. The relationship between the two languages is more distant than that between British and American English but closer than that between Spanish and Portuguese.
- Loanwords: Due to their colonial history, Malaysia tends to have more English loanwords, while Indonesia has more Dutch loanwords. For example, the word "towel" in Malay is "tuala," borrowed from the English word, while in Indonesian, "towel" is "handuk," borrowed from the Dutch word "handdoek".
- Geography: Malaysia is a slightly larger country compared to Indonesia. Malaysia's land area is slightly larger than New Mexico and slightly less than three times the size of Texas. Indonesia, on the other hand, is an archipelago with a vast number of islands, making it the largest archipelagic state in the world.
- Economy: Malaysia has successfully diversified its economy from dependence on raw material exports to services and tourism. Indonesia, while also having a diverse economy, has a stronger focus on natural resources and agriculture.
- Cultural Differences: Despite sharing common cultural traits, there are differences in religious demographics, customs, and traditions between the two countries.
- Regional Languages: In Indonesia, "Malay" is considered a regional language alongside other languages such as Javanese, Sundanese, Buginese, Balinese, and Batak. In Malaysia, Malay is the official language, and the term "Malay" is more often associated with the Malaysian variety of Malay.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Malaysia and Indonesia? Comparative Table: Malaysia vs Indonesia
Comparative Table: Malaysia vs Indonesia
Here is a table comparing the differences between Malaysia and Indonesia:
Feature | Malaysia | Indonesia |
---|---|---|
Political System | Constitutional Monarchy with Parliamentary Democracy | Republic with Presidential System |
Colonial History | Former British Colony | Former Dutch Colony |
Language | Malaysian Malay, which has more English loanwords | Indonesian, which has more loanwords from other languages |
Population | Approximately 27 million (Malaysia and Singapore) | Approximately 110 million |
Traditional Occupation | Traders, Fishermen, and Farmers | Farmers and Craftsmen |
Family Structure | Patri and Matrilocal | Patri and Matrilocal |
Personality | Extraverted and Oral | Introvert and Visual |
Religious and Cultural Worldview | Islamic | Dharmic-Abrahamic |
Please note that these differences are generalizations and may not apply to every individual or situation.
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- India vs Pakistan
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- India vs China
- Australia vs New Zealand
- Ghana vs Mali
- Tamil vs Malayalam
- India vs England
- Australia vs America
- India vs America
- Hong Kong vs China
- Netherlands vs Holland
- Afghanistan vs Pakistan
- Bengal vs Bangladesh
- North India vs South India
- Archipelago vs Island
- Polynesia, Melanesia vs Micronesia