Country Name:

Malaysia

Location:

Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam

Area:

329,750 sq km

land:

328,550 sq km

water:

1,200 sq km

Land Boundaries:

2,669 km

Border Countries:

Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km

Coastline:

4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)

Climate:

Tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons

Terrain:

Coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Geography:

Strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea

Population:

24,385,858 (July 2006 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years:

32.6% (male 4,093,859/female 3,862,730)

15-64 Years:

62.6% (male 7,660,680/female 7,613,537)

65 Years and Over:

4.7% (male 509,260/female 645,792) (2006 est.)

Average Age

Total:

24.1 years

Male:

23.6 years

Female:

24.8 years (2006 est.)

Ethnic Groups:

Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, Indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.)

Religions:

Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia

General

Languages:

Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan

Government

Type:

Constitutional monarchy

Capital:

Kuala Lumpur

Provincial:

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:

31 August 1957 (from UK)

Economy

Currency:

Ringgit

GDP Growth Rate:

5.2% (2005 est.)

Labour Occupations:

agriculture: 14.5%
industry: 36%
services: 49.5% (2000 est.)

Unemployment Rate:

3.6% (2005 est.)

Inflation Rate:

3% (2005 est.)

Agriculture Produce:

Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice; Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice; Sarawak - rubber, pepper, timber

Transportation

Railways:

total: 1,890 km
standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,833 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2005)

Roads:

total: 71,814 km
paved: 55,943 km
unpaved: 15,871 km (2001)

Airports:

117 (2006), 37 paved and 80 unpaved

Ports & Harbours:

Bintulu, Johor, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, George Town (Penang), Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas

Communications

Mains Telephones:

4.366 million (2005)

Mobile Telephones:

19.545 million (2005)

Television Stations:

mainland Malaysia 51; Sabah 16; Sarawak 21; note - many are low power stations (2006)

Internet Users:

11.016 million (2005)

Country Internet Code:

.my