While some who came to do spice trading, returned home with their goods, others chose to settle down and marry the locals. Towards the middle of the 18th till the early 19th century, more people started coming from China for thin mining and from India to work in rubber eatates.

Today, the main races of are made up of the Malays, followed by Chinese and Indians. The states of Sabah and Sarawak have a large Kadazan and Iban population.

There are also many other ethnic groups in the country, including those from mixed ancestries such as Melaka-Portuguese, and the indigenous people that include the Orang Asli, Melanau, Bajau and Rungus people.

Malay

Half of the population of today are the Malays, originating from the Malayo-Polynesian group of races who first reached the peninsula around 2000BC from Yunnan, China. The various influence from Jawa, Sumatra, the Indian sub-continent, China, the Middle East and the West, have left their impact on the culture and traditions of the Malays from the peninsula.

The unifying factore among the Malays the and now is the religion of Islam, which is professed by all Malaysian Malays. However Hindu influence still linger, leaving an imprint on some of their customs, rituals and traditional beliefs. Among the ceremonies that demonstrate the extraordinary cultural merging are the Malay wedding ceremony and the piercing of earlobes, both of which incorporate elements of Hindu tradition.

Prominent festivals celebrated include Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Aidil Adha, Awal Muharram and Maulud Nabi. The Malays, along with the indigenous people, from a group called Bumiputera, a Bahasa term, which literally means "sons of the soil", allowing them special privilages as enshrined " son of the soil ", allowing them special privilages as enshrined in the Constitution.

Chinese

It was in the 15 th century Melaka when Chinese first came to Malaysia. The famous entourage of Ming Princess Hang Li Po established a community that is known today as the Babas and Nyonyas.

But it was not until the 19th century that Chinese had the biggest impact on the social and religious landscape of this nation, as migrants from southern China came in droves to seek their fortune in the tin mines of Perak and Selangor.

At first, the Chinese immigrants made their livelihood as labourers, but soon many ventured into trade and industry, thriving in former Straits Settlements and Singapore, showing an almost natural head for business.

Today, the Chinese form about 35% of the population. Many still have ties with their ancestral homeland but proudly retain their Malaysian title.

Festivals and special occasions that the community celebrates include the Lantern Festival, Cheng Beng and of course, Chinese New Year, the time when the streets come to alive with spectacular sights like the lion dance.

Indian

In Malaysia, the smallest of the three main ethnic groups are the Indians who form 8% of the country's population. Most of the Indians of are Tamils in origin while there are small number of Malayalees and Punjabis.

Many Indians, especially the Tamils arrived in in the 19th centurywhen India was under British rule. They were brought in to work in sugar cane and coffee plantations and later in the rubber and oil palm estates. Some of the also came to work on the construction of buildings, roads and bridges.

The Indians who came to brought with them the Hindu culture - its unique temples, delicious cuisine and colourful garments. Hindu traditions remains strong until todayin the Indian community of Malaysia. The main languages spoken by them are Tamil, Malayalam, Telegu and some Hindi.

There's also the Chitty community in Melaka - similar to the Babas and Nyonyas. It is the result of the intergration between the Indian immigrants and local culture. Though they remain Hindus, the Chitties speak Bahasa and their women dress in sarong kebayas instead of sarees.

Baba Nyonya / Peranakan

The Baba Nyonya or 'Peranakan'are terms used for the descendents of the early Chinese immigrants of Melaka on the Malay Peninsular. The word Peranakan is also used to describe Indonesian Chinese. In both Malay and Bahasa Indonesia, Pearanakan means 'descendants'. Babas refer to the male descendants and Nyonyas the female. Most Peranakan are of Hokkien ancestry, with few of Teochew or Cantonese descent.

By the middle of the 20th century, most Peranakans were English educated, as a result of British colonisation of Malaya and administrative and civil service posts were often filled by prominent Straits Chinese. The Peranakan community became very influential in Melaka and Singapore and were as merchants, traders, and general intermediaries between China and the West.

The women (Nyonyas) wear the baju kebaya (a Malay costume, seen most notably as the uniform of Malaysian Airlines' female flight attendents). Most Peranakan practice ancestral worship of the Chinese, although some have now converted to Christianity. The wedding ceremony of the Peranakan is similar to a Chinese ceremony but with more elaborate costumes.

Their language, Baba Malay, is a dialect of the Malay language now spoken by a few from the older generation.

The Orang Asli

The term translates to ' original people ' or ' first people '. They are the indigenous minority people of Peninsular Malaysia. The Orang Asli, however, is not a homogenous group. Each has its own language and culture, and percieves itself as different from others.

Some of the northern Orang Asli groups (especially the Senoi and Negrito groups) speak language - now termed Aslian languages - which suggest a historical link with the indigenous people of Burma, Thailand and Indo-China.

The Orang Asli differ distinctively from each other. The Orang Laut, Orang Seletar and Mah Meri, for example, live close to the coast and are mainly fishermen. Some Temuan, Jakun and Semai people have taken to permanent agriculture and now manage their own rubber, oil palm or cocoa farms.

About 40% of the Orang Asli population - inclusing Semai, Temiar, Che Wong, Jah Hut, Semelai and Semoq Beri, live close or within forested areas where they collect petai, rattan and resins to sell to outsiders.

A very small number, especially among the Negrito goups (such as Jahai and Lanoh) are still semi-nomadic, preferring to take advantage of the seasonal bounties of the forest. A fair number also live in urban areas and are engaged in both waged and salaried jobs.

Undeniably, the Orang Asli are the earliest inhibitants in the peninsula, many retaining their identity due to their isolation from the world outside.