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As of 2017, the Orang Asli accounted for 0.7% of the population of Peninsular Malaysia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indigenous World 2020: Malaysia - IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs |url=https://www.iwgia.org/en/malaysia/3605-iw-2020-malaysia.html |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=www.iwgia.org}}</ref> Although seldom mentioned in the country's demographics, the Orang Asli are a distinct group, alongside the [[Malaysian Malays|Malays]], [[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]], [[Malaysian Indians|Indians]], and the [[Orang Asal|indigenous East Malaysians]] of [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]]. Their special status is enshrined in law.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 (Revised 1974)|url=http://www.commonlii.org/my/legis/consol_act/apa19541974255/|access-date=2021-12-13|website=www.commonlii.org}}</ref> Orang Asli settlements are scattered among the mostly Malay population of the country, often in mountainous areas or the jungles of the rainforest.
While outsiders often perceive them as a single group, there are many distinctive groups and tribes, each with its own language, culture and customary land. Each group considers itself independent and different from the other communities. What mainly unites the Orang Asli is their distinctiveness from the three major ethnic groups of Peninsular Malaysia{{Who|date=April 2024}} and their historical sidelining in social, economic, and cultural matters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Center for Orang Asli Concerns |url=http://coac.org.my/main.php?section=about&page=about_index |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=coac.org.my}}</ref> Like other indigenous peoples, Orang Asli strive to preserve their own distinctive culture and identity, which is linked by physical, economic, social, cultural, territorial, and spiritual ties to their immediate natural environment.<ref name="TOAOPM">{{cite web|url=http://www.magickriver.net/oa.htm |title=The Orang Asli of Peninsula Malaysia |author=Colin Nicholas |publisher=Magick River |date=1997 |access-date=2016-12-22}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Malaysia - Orang Asli|url=http://minorityrights.org/minorities/orang-asli/|website=Minority Rights Group International|date=19 June 2015 |access-date=5 January 2017}}</ref>
==Terminology==
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