| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Southeast Asia |
| Geographical Location |
2° 30' North Latitude
112° 30' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
329,750 sq km |
| Climate |
Tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons |
| Natural Resources |
Tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Malaysia |
| Capital City |
Kuala Lumpur |
| Government Type |
Constitutional monarchy |
| Administrative Divisions |
13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor,
and Terengganu; and one federal territory (wilayah persekutuan) with three components, city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya |
| Independence Day |
31 August 1957 (from UK) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
23,953,136 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Malaysian |
| Ethnic Groups |
Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, Bumiputera 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.) |
| Religion |
Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia |
| Languages |
Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai |
| Population Growth Rate |
1.8% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Ringgit (MYR) |
| Industries |
Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting,
logging and processing timber; Sabah - logging, petroleum production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging |
| Labor Force |
10.49 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 14.5%, industry 36%, services 49.5% (2000 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice; Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice; Sarawak - rubber, pepper, timber |
| Export Commodities |
Electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals |
| Export Partners |
US 18.8%, Singapore 15%, Japan 10.1%, China 6.7%, Hong Kong 6%, Thailand 4.8% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals |
| Import Partners |
Japan 16.1%, US 14.6%, Singapore 11.2%, China 9.9%, Thailand 5.6%, Taiwan 5.5%, South Korea 5%, Germany 4.5%, Indonesia 4% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
1,833 km (207 km electrified) |
| Highways |
65,877 km |
| Pipelines |
Condensate 279 km; gas 5,047 km; oil 1,841 km; refined products 114 km (2004) |
| Airports |
117 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Kudat, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, George Town (Penang), Port Dickson, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung Kidurong, Tawau |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+60 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.my |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945.
In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former
British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's
history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965. |
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