States and federal territories of Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation of thirteen states and three federal territories, which form the primary administrative divisions of the country. Eleven states and two federal territories are located in Peninsular Malaysia, while two states and one federal territory are located in East Malaysia. Nine of the states in Peninsular Malaysia have monarchies, with the other four having appointed governors. State governments are led by chief ministers, who are appointed by the monarch or governor, provided they have the support of a majority in the state legislative assembly. The federal territories are directly governed by the federal government.

Malaysia was formed through the union of various territories ruled by the United Kingdom in British Malaya and British Borneo. The federal system was created to preserve the status of the Malay rulers, who governed the British protectorates in the Malay Peninsula. The Federation of Malaya was created in 1948, uniting these protectorates with two directly ruled British colonies. Malaya became independent in 1957. In 1963, Sabah and Sarawak, along with Singapore, joined with Malaya to form Malaysia, although Singapore was expelled in 1965. The three federal territories—Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya—were created later from land separated from existing states.

Under the national constitution, the national government wields unusually expansive powers for a federal system, including control over economic development and internal security. Decades of uninterrupted rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition led to a further centralisation of power. State law must align with federal law, and the national government has various ways to exert formal and informal control over state governments. With limited means to generate revenue, states remain heavily dependent on federal funding. Federal institutions with overlapping mandates allow the national government to influence areas constitutionally reserved for the states, and the national government controls the civil services of most state governments.

Sabah and Sarawak differ significantly from the other states, being geographically separate and having distinct demographics, economies, and politics. Both have more extensive autonomy than the other states, which was negotiated as part of the federation process and set out in the Malaysia Agreement. Both states thus maintain control over a number of competencies that in Peninsular Malaysia are assumed by the national government. They also have greater fiscal powers, independent legal and judicial systems, and their own immigration regimes.