Malaysia

Malaysia
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For the biogeographical region, see Malesia.
Malaysia
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: "Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu"

"Unity Is Strength" 1
Anthem: Negaraku
Capital Kuala Lumpur

(and largest city) / /
Official languages Malay
Demonym Malaysian
Federal constitutional elective

Government monarchy and Parliamentary
democracy
Yang di-Pertuan
- Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin
Agong
- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Independence
From the United

- Kingdom (Malaya
31 August 1957
only)
Federation (with
- Sabah, Sarawak and
16 September 1963
Singapore4)
Area
329,847 km2
(66th)
- Total
127,355 sq mi
- Water (%) 0.3
Population
- Sep 2008 estimate 27,730,000[1] (43rd)
- 2000 census 24,821,286
5
84/km2 (114th)
- Density
218/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
- Total $359.271 billion[2] (30th)
- Per capita $13,385[2] (59th)
GDP (nominal) 2007 estimate
- Total $186.718 billion[2] (39th)
- Per capita $6,956[2] (63rd)
Gini (2004) 40.3
HDI (2008) ▲ 0.823 (high) (63rd)
Currency Ringgit (RM) (MYR)
Time zone MST (UTC+8)
Drives on the left
Internet TLD .my
Calling code +606

1
Malaysian Flag and Crest from www.gov.my.
The current terminology as per government policy is Bahasa

Malaysia (literally Malaysian language) [3] but legislation continues
2
to refer to the official language as Bahasa Melayu (literally Malay
language). English may continue to be used for some official
purposes under the National Language Act 1967.
3
Putrajaya is the primary seat of the federal government.
4
Singapore became an independent country on 9 August 1965.
5
Calculated based on latest population estimate.
6
020 from Singapore.
Malaysia (pronounced /məˈlεɪʒə/ or /məˈleɪziə/) is a federation that consists of

thirteen states and three federal territories in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of
329,847 square kilometres (127,355 sq mi).[4][5] The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while
Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 27 million.
[5]
The country is separated into two regions—Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo
—by the South China Sea.[5] Malaysia borders Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei
and the Philippines.[5] The country is located near the equator and experiences a tropical
climate.[5] Malaysia's head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong [6] and the government is
headed by a Prime Minister.[7][8] The government is closely modeled after the
Westminster Parliamentary System.[9]
Malaysia as a unified state did not exist until 1963. Previously, a set of colonies were
established by the United Kingdom from the late-18th century, and the western half of
modern Malaysia was composed of several separate kingdoms. This group of colonies
was known as British Malaya until its dissolution in 1946, when it was reorganised as the
Malayan Union. Due to widespread opposition, it was reorganised again as the Federation
of Malaya in 1948 and later gained independence on 31 August 1957.[10] Singapore,
Sarawak, British North Borneo and the Federation of Malaya joined to form Malaysia on
16 September 1963.[11] However, less than two years later Singapore seceded from the
federation and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965. The early years of the
new union were marred by an armed conflict with Indonesia and the expulsion of
Singapore.[12][13] The Southeast Asian nation experienced an economic boom and
underwent rapid development during the late-20th century. With rapid growth averaging
8% from 1991 to 1997, it has, from time to time, been considered a newly industrialised
country.[14][15] Because Malaysia is one of three countries that control the Strait of
Malacca, international trade plays a large role in its economy.[16] At one time, it was the
largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world.[17] Manufacturing has a large
influence in the country's economy.[18] Malaysia has a biodiverse range of flora and fauna,
and is also considered one of the 17 most Megadiverse countries in the world.[19]
Malays form the majority of the population of Malaysia. There are sizable Chinese and
Indian communities as well[20]. Islam is the largest as well as the official religion of the
federation.[5][21] The Malay language is the official language.[22]
Malaysia is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and

participates in many international organisations such as the United Nations.[23][24] As a
former British colony, it is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.[25] It is also a
member of the Developing 8 Countries.[26]
Contents
[hide]
 1 Etymology
 2 History
o 2.1 Prehistory
o 2.2 Early history
o 2.3 British arrival
o 2.4 Post independence
 3 Government and politics
o 3.1 Citizenship
 4 Administrative divisions
 5 Geography
o 5.1 Natural resources
 6 Demographics
o 6.1 Religion
o 6.2 Education
o 6.3 Healthcare
 7 Economy
 8 Infrastructure
 9 Culture
o 9.1 Holidays
 10 See also
 11 References
 12 Sources
 13 External links
[edit] Etymology
The word Malaysia is visible on a 1914 map from an American atlas.
The name "Malaysia" was adopted in 1963 when the Federation of Malaya, Singapore,
North Borneo and Sarawak formed a 14-state federation.[11] However the name itself had
been vaguely used to refer to areas in Southeast Asia prior to that. A map published in
1914 in Chicago has the word Malaysia printed on it referring to certain territories within
the Malay Archipelago.[27] The Philippines once contemplated naming their state
"Malaysia", but Malaysia adopted the name first in 1963 before the Philippines could act
further on the matter.[28] Other names were contemplated for the 1963 federation. Among
them was Langkasuka (Langkasuka was an old kingdom located at the upper section of
the Malay Peninsula in the first millennium of the common era).[29]
Even further back into history, the English ethnologist George Samuel Windsor Earl in
volume IV of Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia in 1850 proposed to
name the islands of Indonesia as Melayunesia or Indunesia though he favored the former.
[30]
[edit] History
Main article: History of Malaysia
[edit] Prehistory
Main article: Prehistoric Malaysia
Archaeological remains have been found throughout peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and
Sarawak. The Semang have a deep ancestry within the Malay Peninsula, dating to the
initial settlement from Africa over 50,000 years ago. The Senoi appear to be a composite
group, with approximately half of the maternal lineages tracing back to the ancestors of
the Semang and about half to Indochina. This is in agreement with the suggestion that
they represent the descendants of early Austronesian speaking agriculturalists, who
brought both their language and their technology to the southern part of the peninsula
approximately 5,000 years ago and coalesced with the indigenous population. The
Aboriginal Malays are more diverse, and although they show some connections with
island Southeast Asia, some also have an ancestry in Indochina around the time of the
Last Glacial Maximum, followed by an early-Holocene dispersal through the Malay
Peninsula into island Southeast Asia.[31]
[edit] Early history
Ptolemy showed the Malay Peninsula on his early map with a label that translates as
"Golden Chersonese", the Straits of Malacca were referred to as "Sinus Sabaricus".[32]
From the mid to the late first millennium, much of the Peninsula as well as the Malay
Archipelago were under the influence of Srivijaya.
A Famosa in Malacca. It was built by the Portuguese in the 15th century.
There were numerous Malay kingdoms in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE—as many as 30
according to Chinese sources. Kedah—known as Kedaram, Cheh-Cha (according to I-
Ching) or Kataha, in ancient Pallava or Sanskrit—was in the direct route of invasions of
Indian traders and kings. Rajendra Chola, Tamil Emperor who is now thought to have
laid Kota Gelanggi to waste, put Kedah to heel in 1025 but his successor, Vira Rajendra
Chola, had to put down a Kedah rebellion to overthrow the invaders. The coming of the
Chola reduced the majesty of Srivijaya which had exerted influence over Kedah and
Pattani and even as far as Ligor.
The Buddhist kingdom of Ligor took control of Kedah shortly after, and its King
Chandrabhanu used it as a base to attack Sri Lanka in the 11th century, an event noted in
a stone inscription in Nagapattinum in Tamil Nadu and in the Sri Lankan chronicles,
Mahavamsa. During the first millennium, the people of the Malay Peninsula adopted
Hinduism and Buddhism and the use of the Sanskrit language until they eventually
converted to Islam.
There are reports of other areas older than Kedah—the ancient kingdom of Gangga
Negara, around Beruas in Perak, for instance, pushes Malaysian history even further into
antiquity. If that is not enough, a Tamil poem, Pattinapillai, of the second century CE,
describes goods from Kadaram heaped in the broad streets of the Chola capital. A 7th
century Sanskrit drama, Kaumudhimahotsva, refers to Kedah as Kataha-nagari. The
Agnipurana also mentions a territory known as Anda-Kataha with one of its boundaries
delineated by a peak, which scholars believe is Gunung Jerai. Stories from the
Katasaritasagaram describe the elegance of life in Kataha.
Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur houses the High Court of Malaya and the
Trade Court. Kuala Lumpur was the capital of the Federated Malay States and is the
current Malaysian capital.
In the early-15th century, the Malacca Sultanate was established under a dynasty founded
by Parameswara or Sultan Iskandar Shah, a prince from Palembang with bloodline
related to the royal house of Srivijaya, who fled from Temasek (now Singapore).
Parameswara decided to establish his kingdom in Malacca after witnessing an astonishing
incident where a white mouse deer kicked one of his hunting dogs into a nearby river. He
took this show of bravery by the mouse deer as a good sign and named his kingdom
"Melaka" after the tree under which he was resting at the time. At its height, the sultanate
controlled the areas which are now peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand (Patani), and
the eastern coast of Sumatra. It existed for more than a century, and within that time
period Islam spread to most of the Malay Archipelago. Malacca was the foremost trading
port at the time in Southeast Asia.[33]
The first evidence of Islam in the Malay Peninsula dates from the 14th century in
Terengganu, but according to the Kedah Annals, the 9th Sultan of Kedah, Maharaja
Derbar Raja, converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Muzaffar Shah. In 1511,
Malacca was conquered by Portugal, which established a colony there. The sons of the
last Sultan of Malacca established two sultanates elsewhere in the peninsula—the
Sultanate of Perak to the north, and the Sultanate of Johor (originally a continuation of
the old Malacca sultanate) to the south. After the fall of Malacca, three nations struggled
for the control of Malacca Strait: the Portuguese (in Malacca), the Sultanate of Johor, and
the Sultanate of Aceh. This conflict went on until 1641, when the Dutch (allied to the
Sultanate of Johor) gained control of Malacca.
[edit] British arrival
Britain established its first colony in the Malay peninsula in 1786, with the lease of the
island of Penang to the British East India Company by the Sultan of Kedah. In 1824, the
British took control of Malacca following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 which divided
the Malay archipelago between Britain and the Netherlands, with Malaya in the British
zone. In 1826, Britain established the crown colony of the Straits Settlements, uniting its
four possessions in Malaya: Penang, Malacca, Singapore and the island of Labuan. The
Straits Settlements were initially administered under the East India Company in Calcutta,
before first Penang, and later Singapore became the administrative centre of the crown
colony, until 1867, when they were transferred to the Colonial Office in London.
During the late-19th century, many Malay states decided to obtain British help in settling
their internal conflicts. The commercial importance of tin mining in the Malay states to
merchants in the Straits Settlements led to British government intervention in the tin-
producing states in the Malay Peninsula. British gunboat diplomacy was employed to
bring about a peaceful resolution to civil disturbances caused by Chinese and Malay
gangsters, and the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 paved the way for the expansion of British
influence in Malaya. By the turn of the 20th century, the states of Pahang, Selangor,
Perak, and Negeri Sembilan, known together as the Federated Malay States (not to be
confused with the Federation of Malaya), were under the de facto control of British
Residents appointed to advise the Malay rulers. The British were "advisers" in name, but
in reality they exercised substantial influence over the Malay rulers.
Malaysia Day celebration in 1963. (Majulah Malaysia means "Onwards Malaysia")

The remaining five states in the peninsula, known as the Unfederated Malay States, while
not directly under rule from London, also accepted British advisers around the turn of the
20th century. Of these, the four northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and
Terengganu had previously been under Siamese control. The other unfederated state,
Johor, was the only state which managed to preserve its independence throughout most of
the 19th century. Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor and Queen Victoria were personal
acquaintances, and recognised each other as equals. It was not until 1914 that Sultan Abu
Bakar's successor, Sultan Ibrahim accepted a British adviser.
On the island of Borneo, Sabah was governed as the crown colony of British North
Borneo, while Sarawak was acquired from Brunei as the personal kingdom of the Brooke
family, who ruled as white Rajahs.
Following the Japanese Invasion of Malaya its occupation during World War II, popular
support for independence grew.[34] Post-war British plans to unite the administration of
Malaya under a single crown colony called the Malayan Union foundered on strong
opposition from the Malays, who opposed the emasculation of the Malay rulers and the
granting of citizenship to the ethnic Chinese.[35] The Malayan Union, established in 1946
and consisting of all the British possessions in Malaya with the exception of Singapore,
was dissolved in 1948 and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the
autonomy of the rulers of the Malay states under British protection.
During this time, rebels under the leadership of the Malayan Communist Party launched
guerrilla operations designed to force the British out of Malaya. The Malayan
Emergency, as it was known, lasted from 1948 to 1960, and involved a long anti-
insurgency campaign by Commonwealth troops in Malaya. Although the insurgency
quickly stopped there was still a presence of Commonwealth troops, with the backdrop of
the Cold War.[36] Against this backdrop, independence for the Federation within the
Commonwealth was granted on 31 August 1957.[10]
[edit] Post independence
In 1963, Malaya along with the then-British crown colonies of Sabah (British North
Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore, formed Malaysia. The Sultanate of Brunei, though
initially expressing interest in joining the Federation, withdrew from the planned merger
due to opposition from certain segments of its population as well as arguments over the
payment of oil royalties and the status of the Sultan in the planned merger.[37][38]
The early years of independence were marred by the conflict with Indonesia
(Konfrontasi) over the formation of Malaysia, Singapore's eventual exit in 1965, and
racial strife in the form of race riots in 1969.[39][12] The Philippines also made an active
claim on Sabah in that period based upon the Sultanate of Brunei's cession of its north-
east territories to the Sulu Sultanate in 1704. The claim is still ongoing.[40] After the 13
May race riots of 1969, the controversial New Economic Policy—intended to increase
proportionately the share of the economic pie of the bumiputras ("indigenous people",
which includes the majority Malays, but not always the indigenous population) as
compared to other ethnic groups—was launched by Prime Minister Abdul Razak.
Malaysia has since maintained a delicate ethno-political balance, with a system of
government that has attempted to combine overall economic development with political
and economic policies that promote equitable participation of all races.[41]
Between the 1980s and the mid-1990s, Malaysia experienced significant economic
growth under the premiership of Mahathir bin Mohamad.[42] The period saw a shift from
an agriculture-based economy to one based on manufacturing and industry in areas such
as computers and consumer electronics. It was during this period, too, that the physical
landscape of Malaysia has changed with the emergence of numerous mega-projects. The
most notable of these projects are the Petronas Twin Towers (at the time the tallest
building in the world), KL International Airport (KLIA), North-South Expressway, the
Sepang F1 Circuit, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), the Bakun hydroelectric dam
and Putrajaya, the new federal administrative capital.
In the late-1990s, Malaysia was shaken by the Asian financial crisis as well as political
unrest caused by the sacking of the deputy prime minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim.[43] In
2003, Dr Mahathir, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, retired in favour of his
deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. On November 2007, Malaysia was rocked by two anti-
government rallies. The 2007 Bersih Rally numbering 40,000 strong was held in Kuala
Lumpur on 10 November campaigning for electoral reform. It was precipitated by
allegations of corruption and discrepancies in the Malaysian election system that heavily
favour the ruling political party, Barisan Nasional, which has been in power since
Malaysia achieved its independence in 1957.[44] Another rally was held on 25 November
in the Malaysian capital lead by HINDRAF. The rally organiser, the Hindu Rights Action
Force, had called the protest over alleged discriminatory policies which favour ethnic
Malays. The crowd was estimated to be between 5,000 and 30,000.[45] In both cases the
government and police were heavy handed and tried to prevent the gatherings from
taking place. In 16 October 2008, HINDRAF was banned as the government labelled the
organisation as "a threat to national security".[46]
[edit] Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Malaysia
The Parliament building

Malaysia PM's office, Putrajaya
Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The federal head of state of

Malaysia is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the King of Malaysia.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected to a five-year term among the nine hereditary
Sultans of the Malay states; the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not
participate in the selection.[47]
The system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that of Westminster

parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. In practice however, more power
is vested in the executive branch of government than in the legislative, and the judiciary
has been weakened by sustained attacks by the government during the Mahathir era.
Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by a multi-party coalition
known as the Barisan Nasional (formerly known as the Alliance).[48]
Legislative power is divided between federal and state legislatures. The bicameral
parliament consists of the lower house, the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat
(literally the "Chamber of the People") and the upper house, the Senate or Dewan Negara
(literally the "Chamber of the Nation").[49][50][51] The 222-member House of
Representatives are elected from single-member constituencies that are drawn based on
population for a maximum term of five years. All 70 Senators sit for three-year terms; 26
are elected by the 13 state assemblies, two representing the federal territory of Kuala
Lumpur, one each from federal territories of Labuan and Putrajaya, and 40 are appointed
by the king. Besides the Parliament at the federal level, each state has a unicameral state
legislative chamber (Malay: Dewan Undangan Negeri) whose members are elected from
single-member constituencies. Parliamentary elections are held at least once every five
years, with the last general election being in March 2008.[48] Registered voters of age 21
and above may vote for the members of the House of Representatives and in most of the
states, the state legislative chamber as well. Voting is not compulsory.[52]
Executive power is vested in the cabinet led by the prime minister; the Malaysian
constitution stipulates that the prime minister must be a member of the lower house of
parliament who, in the opinion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commands a majority in
parliament.[53] The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of Parliament
and is responsible to that body.[54]
State governments are led by Chief Ministers (Menteri Besar in Malay states or Ketua
Menteri in states without hereditary rulers), who is a state assembly member from the
majority party in the Dewan Undangan Negeri. In each of the states with a hereditary
ruler, the Chief Minister is required to be a Malay Muslim, although this rule is subject
the rulers' discretions.
[edit] Citizenship
Main article: Malaysian citizenship
Most Malaysians are granted citizenship by lex soli.[55] Citizenship in the states of Sabah
and Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan in East Malaysia are distinct from
citizenship in Peninsular Malaysia for immigration purposes. Every citizen is issued a
biometric smart chip identity card, known as MyKad, at the age of 12, and must carry the
card at all times.[56]
[edit] Administrative divisions

Main article: States of Malaysia
Administratively, Malaysia consists of 13 states (11 in peninsular Malaysia and 2 in

Malaysian Borneo) and 3 federal territories.
Political administrative divisions of Malaysia

States (Negeri)
Johor • Kedah • Kelantan • Melaka • Negeri
West (Peninsula)
Sembilan • Pahang • Penang • Perak • Perlis •
Malaysia
Selangor • Terengganu
East Malaysia Sabah • Sarawak
Federal Territories (Wilayah Persekutuan)
West (Peninsula)
Kuala Lumpur • Putrajaya
Malaysia
Click picture
above for larger East Malaysia Labuan
map.
[edit] Geography
Main article: Geography of Malaysia
Map of peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo)
Beach scenery of Pulau Tioman.
The two distinct parts of Malaysia, separated from each other by the South China Sea,
share a largely similar landscape in that both West and East Malaysia feature coastal
plains rising to often densely forested hills and mountains, the highest of which is Mount
Kinabalu at 4,095.2 metres (13,435.7 ft) on the island of Borneo. The local climate is
equatorial and characterised by the annual southwest (April to October) and northeast
(October to February) monsoons.
Kota Kinabalu, capital of East Malaysian state of Sabah is located 1600 km (1000 miles)
east across the South China Sea from Kuala Lumpur
Tanjung Piai, located in the southern state of Johor, is the southernmost tip of continental
Asia.[57][58]
The Strait of Malacca, lying between Sumatra and peninsular Malaysia, is arguably the
most important shipping lane in the world.[59]
Putrajaya is the newly created administrative capital for the federal government of
Malaysia, aimed in part to ease growing congestion within Malaysia's capital city, Kuala
Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur remains the seat of parliament, as well as the commercial and
financial capital of the country. Other major cities include George Town, Ipoh, Johor
Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Miri, Alor Star, Malacca Town, and Petaling Jaya.
[edit] Natural resources
Malaysia is well-endowed with natural resources in areas such as agriculture, forestry and
minerals. In terms of agriculture, Malaysia is one of the top exporters of natural rubber
and palm oil, which together with sawn logs and sawn timber, cocoa, pepper, pineapple
and tobacco dominate the growth of the sector. Palm oil is also a major generator of
foreign exchange.
Rolling tea fields in Malaysia.
Regarding forestry resources, it is noted that logging only began to make a substantial
contribution to the economy during the 19th century. Today, an estimated 59% of
Malaysia remains forested. The rapid expansion of the timber industry, particularly after
the 1960s, has brought about a serious erosion problem in the country's forest resources.
However, in line with the Government's commitment to protect the environment and the
ecological system, forestry resources are being managed on a sustainable basis and
accordingly the rate of tree felling has been on the decline.
In addition, substantial areas are being silviculturally treated and reforestation of

degraded forest land is also being carried out. The Malaysian government provide plans
for the enrichment of some 312.30 square kilometers (120.5 sq mi) of land with rattan
under natural forest conditions and in rubber plantations as an inter crop. To further
enrich forest resources, fast-growing timber species such as meranti tembaga, merawan
and sesenduk are also being planted. At the same time, the cultivation of high-value trees
like teak and other trees for pulp and paper are also encouraged. Rubber, once the
mainstay of the Malaysian economy, has been largely replaced by oil palm as Malaysia's
leading agricultural export.
Tin and petroleum are the two main mineral resources that are of major significance in
the Malaysian economy. Malaysia was once the world's largest producer of tin until the
collapse of the tin market in the early-1980s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, tin played a
predominant role in the Malaysian economy. It was only in 1972 that petroleum and
natural gas took over from tin as the mainstay of the mineral extraction sector.
Meanwhile, the contribution by tin has declined. Petroleum and natural gas discoveries in
oil fields off Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu have contributed much to the Malaysian
economy. Other minerals of some importance or significance include copper, bauxite,
iron-ore and coal together with industrial minerals like clay, kaolin, silica, limestone,
barite, phosphates and dimension stones such as granite as well as marble blocks and
slabs. Small quantities of gold are produced.
In 2004, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mustapa Mohamed, revealed that
Malaysia's oil reserves stood at 4.84 billion barrels (769,000,000 m3) while natural gas
reserves increased to 89 trillion cubic feet (2,500 km³). This was an increase of 7.2%.
[citation needed]
As of 1 January 2007, Petronas reported that oil and gas reserve in Malaysia
amounted to 20.18 billion barrels (3.208×109 m3) equivalent.[60]
The government estimates that at current production rates Malaysia will be able to
produce oil up to 18 years and gas for 35 years. In 2004, Malaysia is ranked 24th in terms
of world oil reserves and 13th for gas. 56% of the oil reserves exist in the Peninsula while
19% exist in East Malaysia. The government collects oil royalties of which 5% are
passed to the states and the rest retained by the federal government.[citation needed]
[edit] Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Malaysia
Malaysia's population comprises many ethnic groups, with the Malays and other
bumiputra groups in Sabah and Sarawak making up the majority, at 65%[61] of the
population. By constitutional definition, Malays are Muslims who practice Malay
customs (adat) and culture. Therefore, technically, a Muslim of any race who practices
Malay customs and culture can be considered a Malay and have equal rights when it
comes to Malay rights as stated in the constitution. Non-Malay bumiputra groups make
up more than half of the state of Sarawak's population (of which 30% are Ibans), and
close to 60% of Sabah's population (of which 18% are Kadazan-Dusuns, and 17% are
Bajaus).[61] There also exist aboriginal groups in much smaller numbers on the Peninsula,
where they are collectively known as Orang Asli.
27.6% of the population are Malaysians of Chinese descent, while Malaysians of Indian
descent comprise 8% of the population.[61] The majority of the Indian community are
Tamils but various other groups are also present, including Malayalis, Punjabis and
Gujaratis. Other Malaysians also include those whose origin, inter alia, can be traced to
the Middle East, Thailand and Indonesia. Europeans and Eurasians include British who
settled in Malaysia since colonial times, and a strong Kristang community in Malacca. A
small number of Cambodians and Vietnamese also settled in Malaysia as Vietnam War
refugees.
The population distribution is highly uneven, with some 20 million residents concentrated
on the Malay Peninsula, while East Malaysia is relatively less populated. Due to the rise
in labour intensive industries, Malaysia has 10 to 20% foreign workers with the
uncertainty due in part to the large number of illegal workers, mostly Indonesian. There
are a million legal foreign workers and perhaps another million unauthorised foreigners.
The state of Sabah alone has nearly 25% of its 2.7 million population listed as illegal
foreign workers in the last census. However, this figure of 25% is thought to be less than
half the figure speculated by NGOs.[62]
Additionally, according to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S.
Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Malaysia hosts a population of refugees and
asylum seekers numbering approximately 155,700. Of this population, approximately
70,500 refugees and asylum seekers are from the Philippines, 69,700 from Burma, and
21,800 from Indonesia.[63] The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants named
Malaysia as one of the Ten Worst Places for Refugees on account of the country's
discriminatory practices toward refugees. Malaysian officials are reported to have turned
deportees directly over to human smugglers in 2007, and Malaysia employs the RELA, a
volunteer militia, to enforce its immigration law.[63]
[edit] Religion
Main article: Religion in Malaysia

Further information: Islam in Malaysia, Buddhism in Malaysia, Christianity in
Malaysia, and Hinduism in Malaysia
Masjid Ubudiah is a well-known historical mosque in Kuala Kangsar.
The national mosque of Malaysia, Masjid Negara.

Malaysia is a multi-religious society and Islam is the official religion. According to the
Population and Housing Census 2000 figures, approximately 60.4 percent of the
population practiced Islam; 19.2 percent Buddhism; 9.1 percent Christianity; 6.3 percent
Hinduism; and 2.6 percent traditional Chinese religions. The remaining was accounted
for by other faiths, including Animism, Folk religion, Sikhism and other faiths while
1.1% either reported as having no religion or did not provide any information.[64][65]
Historically, a community of adherents to Judaism had resided in Malaysia. The Jewish
community in Malaysia today is estimated to number less than 100.[66]
All ethnic Malays are considered Muslim (100%) as defined by Article 160 of the
Constitution of Malaysia.[67] Additional statistics from the 2000 Census indicate that
ethnic Chinese are predominantly Buddhist (75.9%), with significant numbers of
adherents following Taoism (10.6%) and Christianity (9.6%). The majority of ethnic
Indians follow Hinduism (84.5%), with a significant minority identifying as Christians
(7.7%) and Muslims (3.8%). Christianity is the predominant religion of the non-Malay
bumiputra community (50.1%) with an additional 36.3% identifying as Muslims and
7.3% identifying as adherents to what is officially classified as folk religion.[65]
Although the Malaysian constitution theoretically guarantees religious freedom, in

practice the situation is restricted. Additionally, all non-Muslims who marry a Muslim
must renounce their religion and convert to Islam. Meanwhile, non-Muslims experience
restrictions in activities such as construction of religious buildings and the celebration of
certain religious events in some states.[68][69] Muslims are obliged to follow the decisions
of Syariah courts when it comes to matters concerning their religion. The jurisdiction of
Syariah court is limited only to Muslims over matters of Faith and Obligations as a
Muslim, which includes marriage, inheritance, apostasy, religious conversion, and
custody among others. No other criminal or civil offenses are under the jurisdiction of the
Syariah courts, which have a similar hierarchy to the Civil Courts. Despite being the
supreme courts of the land, the Civil Courts (including the Federal Court, the highest
court in Malaysia) in principle cannot overrule any decision made by the Syariah Courts;
and presently are reluctant to preside over cases involving Islam in any nature or question
or challenge the authority of the Syariah courts. This has caused notable problems,
particularly involving civil cases between Muslims and non-Muslims, in which civil
courts have ordered non-Muslims to seek recourse from the Syariah Courts.
[edit] Education
Main article: Education in Malaysia

Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) is one of the earliest boarding schools to be
established in British Malaya.
Multimedia University.
University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus.
Education in Malaysia is monitored by the federal government Ministry of Education.[70]
Most Malaysian children start schooling between the ages of three to six, in kindergarten.
Most kindergartens are run privately, but there are a few government-run kindergartens.
Children begin primary schooling at the age of seven for a period of six years. There are
two major types of government-operated or government-assisted primary schools. The
vernacular schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan) use either Chinese or Tamil as the
medium of teaching. Before progressing to the secondary level of education, pupils in
Year 6 are required to sit for the Primary School Achievement Test (Ujian Pencapaian
Sekolah Rendah, UPSR). A programme called First Level Assessment (Penilaian Tahap
Satu, PTS) was used to measure the ability of bright pupils, and to allow them to move
from Year 3 to 5, skipping Year 4.[71] However, this programme was abolished in 2001.
Secondary education in Malaysia is conducted in secondary schools (Sekolah Menengah

Kebangsaan) for five years. National secondary schools use Malay as the main medium
of instruction. The only exceptions are the Mathematics and Science subjects as well as
languages other than Malay. At the end of Form Three, which is the third year, students
are evaluated in the Lower Secondary Assessment (Penilaian Menengah Rendah, PMR).
In the final year of secondary education (Form Five), students sit for the Malaysian
Certificate of Education (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, SPM) examination, which is
equivalent to the former British Ordinary or 'O' Levels. The oldest school in Malaysia is
Penang Free School, also the oldest school in South East Asia.
Malaysian national secondary schools are sub-divided into several types, namely
National Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan), Religious Secondary
School (Sekolah Menengah Agama), National-Type Secondary School (Sekolah
Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan) which is also referred as Mission Schools, Technical
Schools (Sekolah Menengah Teknik), Residential Schools and MARA Junior Science
College (Maktab Rendah Sains MARA).
Mathematics and Science subjects in government primary and secondary schools are
taught in English. The main goal for the switch in medium of instruction is to help
students overcome the language barrier during their tertiary education in fields such as
medicine and engineering.
There are also 60 Chinese Independent High Schools in Malaysia, where most subjects
are taught in Chinese. Chinese Independent High Schools are monitored and standardised
by the United Chinese School Committees' Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM, more
commonly referred to by its Chinese name, Dong Zong 董总), however, unlike
government schools, every independent school is free to make its own decisions.
Studying in independent schools takes 6 years to complete, divided into Junior Level (3
years) and Senior Level (3 years). Students will sit for a standardised test conducted by
UCSCAM, which is known as the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) in Junior
Middle 3 (equivalent to PMR) and Senior Middle 3 (equivalent to A level). A number of
independent schools conduct classes in Malay and English in addition to Chinese,
enabling the students to sit for the PMR and SPM as well.
Before the introduction of the matriculation system, students aiming to enter public
universities had to complete an additional 18 months of secondary schooling in Form Six
and sit for the Malaysian Higher School Certificate (Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia,
STPM); equivalent to the British Advanced or 'A' levels. Since the introduction of the
matriculation programme as an alternative to STPM in 1999, students complete a 12-
month programme in matriculation colleges (kolej matrikulasi in Malay). However, in the
matriculation system, only 10% of the places are open to non-Bumiputra students while
the rest are reserved for Bumiputra students.
There are public universities such as University of Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
Universiti Putra Malaysia Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara, and
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Private universities are also gaining enough reputation
for international quality education and many students from all over the world are
attracted to these universities. Such as Multimedia University, Universiti Teknologi
Petronas etc. In addition, four international reputable universities have set up their branch
campuses in Malaysia since 1998. A branch campus can be seen as an ‘offshore campus’
of the foreign university, which offers the same courses and awards as the main campus.
Both local and international students can acquire these identical foreign qualifications in
Malaysia at a lower fee. The foreign university branch campuses in Malaysia are:
Monash University Malaysia Campus, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak
Campus, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and University of
Nottingham Malaysia Campus.
Students also have the option of enrolling in private tertiary institutions after secondary
studies. Most institutions have educational links with overseas universities especially in
the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, allowing students to spend a
portion of their course duration abroad as well as getting overseas qualifications. One
such example is SEGi College which partnered with University of Abertay Dundee[72].
Malaysian students abroad study mostly in the UK, United States, Australia, New
Zealand, Canada, Singapore and Japan.
In addition to the Malaysian National Curriculum, Malaysia has many international

schools. International schools offer students the opportunity to study the curriculum of
another country. These schools mainly cater to the growing expatriate population in the
country. International schools include: the Australian International School, Malaysia
(Australian curriculum), The Alice Smith School (British Curriculum), elc International
school (British Curriculum), The Garden International School (British Curriculum),
Lodge International School (British Curriculum), The International School of Kuala
Lumpur (International Baccalaureate and American Curriculum), The Japanese School of
Kuala Lumpur (Japanese Curriculum), The Chinese Taipei School, Kuala Lumpur and
The Chinese Taipei School, Penang (Taiwanese Curriculum), The International School of
Penang (International Baccalaureate and British Curriculum), Lycée Français de Kuala
Lumpur (French Curriculum) amongst others.
[edit] Healthcare
Further information: List of hospitals in Malaysia and Healthcare in Malaysia
Malaysian society places importance on the expansion and development of health care,
putting 5% of the government social sector development budget into public health care—
an increase of more than 47% over the previous figure. This has meant an overall
increase of more than RM 2 billion. With a rising and aging population, the Government
wishes to improve in many areas including the refurbishment of existing hospitals,
building and equipping new hospitals, expansion of the number of polyclinics, and
improvements in training and expansion of telehealth. Over the last couple of years they
have increased their efforts to overhaul the systems and attract more foreign investment.
The Malaysian health care system requires doctors to perform a compulsory three years
service with public hospitals to ensure the manpower of these hospitals is maintained.
Recently foreign doctors have also been encouraged to take up employment here. There
is still, however, a compound shortage of medical workforce, especially that of highly
trained specialists resulting in certain medical care and treatment only available in large
cities. Recent efforts to bring many facilities to other towns have been hampered by lack
of expertise to run the available equipment made ready by investments.
The majority of private hospitals are in urban areas and, unlike many of the public
hospitals, are equipped with the latest diagnostic and imaging facilities. Private hospitals
have not generally been seen as an ideal investment—it has often taken up to ten years
before companies have seen any profits. However, the situation has now changed and
companies are now looking into this area again, particularly in view of the increasing
interest by foreigners in coming to Malaysia for medical care and the recent government
focus to develop the health tourism industry.[73]
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Malaysia
Further information: Petrol prices#Malaysia
The Malay Peninsula and indeed Southeast Asia has been a centre of trade for centuries.
Various items such as porcelain and spices were actively traded even before Malacca and
Singapore rose to prominence.
Rubber latex.
Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia's rapid economic growth and prosperity is
reflected by the Petronas Towers, headquarters of the national oil giant.
In the 17th century, they were found in several Malay states. Later, as the British started
to take over as administrators of Malaya, rubber and palm oil trees were introduced for
commercial purposes. Over time, Malaya became the world's largest major producer of
tin, rubber, and palm oil.[74] These three commodities, along with other raw materials,
firmly set Malaysia's economic tempo well into the mid-20th century.
Instead of relying on the local Malays as a source of labour, the British brought in
Chinese and Indians to work in on the mines, plantations and fill up the void in
professional expertise . Although many of them returned to their respective home
countries after their agreed tenure ended, some remained in Malaysia and settled
permanently.
As Malaya moved towards independence, the government began implementing economic

five-year plans, beginning with the First Malayan Five Year Plan in 1955. Upon the
establishment of Malaysia, the plans were re-titled and renumbered, beginning with the
First Malaysia Plan in 1965.
In the 1970s, Malaysia began to imitate the four Asian Tiger economies (Taiwan, South
Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore) and committed itself to a transition from being reliant
on mining and agriculture to an economy that depends more on manufacturing. With
Japanese investment, heavy industries flourished and in a matter of years, Malaysian
exports became the country's primary growth engine. Malaysia consistently achieved
more than 7% GDP growth along with low inflation in the 1980s and the 1990s.[75]
During the same period, the government tried to eradicate poverty with the controversial
New Economic Policy (NEP), after the May 13 Incident of racial rioting in 1969.[41] Its
main objective was the elimination of the association of race with economic function, and
the first five-year plan to begin implementing the NEP was the Second Malaysia Plan.
The success or failure of the NEP is the subject of much debate, although it was officially
retired in 1990 and replaced by the National Development Policy (NDP). Recently much
debate has surfaced once again with regards to the results and relevance of the NEP.
Some have argued that the NEP has indeed successfully created a Middle/Upper Class of
Malay businessmen and professionals. Despite some improvement in the economic
power of Malays in general, the Malaysian government maintains a policy of
discrimination that favours ethnic Malays over other races—including preferential
treatment in employment, education, scholarships, business, access to cheaper housing
and assisted savings.[76] This special treatment has sparked envy and resentment between
non-Malays and Malays.
The Chinese control of the locally-owned sector of the country's economy, meanwhile,
has been ceded largely in favour of the Bumiputras/Malays in many essential or strategic
industries such as petroleum retailing, transportation, agriculture and etc. Majority of
professionals per capita are still dominated by the indians in the country nevertheless.
The rapid economic boom led to a variety of supply problems, however. Labour
shortages soon resulted in an influx of millions of foreign workers, many illegal. Cash-
rich PLCs and consortia of banks eager to benefit from increased and rapid development
began large infrastructure projects. This all ended when the Asian Financial Crisis hit in
the fall of 1997, delivering a massive shock to Malaysia's economy.
As with other countries affected by the crisis, there was speculative short-selling of the
Malaysian currency, the ringgit. Foreign direct investment fell at an alarming rate and, as
capital flowed out of the country, the value of the ringgit dropped from MYR 2.50 per
USD to, at one point, MYR 4.80 per USD. The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange's
composite index plummeted from approximately 1300 points to around 400 points in a
matter of weeks. After the controversial sacking of finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, a
National Economic Action Council was formed to deal with the monetary crisis. Bank
Negara imposed capital controls and pegged the Malaysian ringgit at 3.80 to the US
dollar. Malaysia refused economic aid packages from the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the World Bank, however, surprising many analysts.
In March, 2005, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
published a paper on the sources and pace of Malaysia's recovery, written by Jomo K.S.
of the applied economics department, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The paper
concluded that the controls imposed by Malaysia's government neither hurt nor helped
recovery. The chief factor was an increase in electronics components exports, which was
caused by a large increase in the demand for components in the United States, which was
caused, in turn, by a fear of the effects of the arrival of the year 2000 (Y2K) upon older
computers and other digital devices.
However, the post Y2K slump of 2001 did not affect Malaysia as much as other
countries. This may have been clearer evidence that there are other causes and effects that
can be more properly attributable for recovery. One possibility is that the currency
speculators had run out of finance after failing in their attack on the Hong Kong dollar in
August, 1998 and after the Russian ruble collapsed. (See George Soros)
Regardless of cause/effect claims, rejuvenation of the economy also coincided with

massive government spending and budget deficits in the years that followed the crisis.
Later, Malaysia enjoyed faster economic recovery compared to its neighbours. In many
ways, however, the country has yet to recover to the levels of the pre-crisis era.
While the pace of development today is not as rapid, it is seen to be more sustainable.
Although the controls and economic housekeeping may not have been the principal
reason for recovery, there is no doubt that the banking sector has become more resilient
to external shocks. The current account has also settled into a structural surplus,
providing a cushion to capital flight. Asset prices are now a fraction of their pre-crisis
heights.
The fixed exchange rate was abandoned in July 2005 in favour of a managed floating
system within an hour of China's announcing of the same move.[77] In the same week, the
ringgit strengthened a percent against various major currencies and was expected to
appreciate further. As of December 2005, however, expectations of further appreciation
were muted as capital flight exceeded USD 10 billion.[78]
In September, 2005, Sir Howard J. Davies, director of the London School of Economics,
at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, cautioned Malaysian officials that if they want a flexible
capital market, they will have to lift the ban on short-selling put into effect during the
crisis. In March 2006, Malaysia removed the ban on short selling.[79] Currently, Malaysia
is considered a newly industrialised country.[14][15][80]
[edit] Infrastructure
The Kuala Lumpur Tower enhances communication quality within Kuala Lumpur and
the Klang Valley.
The Damansara Link section of Klang Valley's Sprint Expressway.

Main articles: Transport in Malaysia and Communications in Malaysia
See also: Buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur and Buildings and structures
in Putrajaya
Malaysia has extensive roads that connect all major cities and towns on the western coast
of peninsular Malaysia. As of 2006, the total length of the Malaysian expressway
network is 1471.6 kilometres (914.4 miles). The network connects all major cities and
conurbations such as Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang to each other. The major
motorway, the North-South Expressway spans from the northern and the southern tips of
peninsular Malaysia at Bukit Kayu Hitam and Johor Bahru respectively. It is a part of the
Asian Highway Network, which also connects into Thailand and Singapore.
Roads in the East Malaysia and the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia are still
relatively undeveloped. Those are highly curved roads passing through mountainous
regions and many are still unsealed, gravel roads. This has resulted in the continued use
of rivers and the necessary use of airplanes as the main or alternative mode of
transportation for the interior residents.
Train service in West Malaysia is operated by the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan
Railways) and has extensive railways that connect all major cities and towns on the
peninsular, including Singapore. There is also a short railway in Sabah operated by Sabah
State Railway that mainly carries freight.
There are seaports throughout the country. The major ports are Port Klang and Port of
Tanjung Pelepas in Johor. Other important ports can be found in Tanjung Kidurong, Kota
Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuantan, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Miri, Sandakan and Tawau.
Airports are also found throughout the country. Kuala Lumpur International Airport
(KLIA) is the main airport of the country. Other important airports include Kota Kinabalu
International Airport, Penang International Airport, Kuching International Airport,
Langkawi International Airport, and Senai International Airport. There are also airports
in smaller towns, as well as small domestic airstrips in rural Sabah and Sarawak. There
are daily flight services between West and East Malaysia, which is the only convenient
option for passengers travelling between the two parts of the country. Malaysia is the
home of the first low-cost carrier in the region, AirAsia. It has Kuala Lumpur as its hub
and maintains flights to Southeast Asia and China as well. In Kuala Lumpur it operates
out of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in KLIA.
The intercity telecommunication service is provided on peninsular Malaysia mainly by

microwave radio relay. International telecommunications are provided through submarine
cables and satellite. One of the largest and most significant telecommunication companies
in Malaysia is Telekom Malaysia (TM), providing products and services from fixed line,
mobile as well as dial-up and broadband Internet access service. It has the near-monopoly
of fixed line phone service in the country.
In December, 2004, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim
Keng Yaik reported that only 0.85% or 218,004 people in Malaysia used broadband
services. However these values are based on subscriber number, whilst household
percentage can reflect the situation more accurately. This represented an increase from
0.45% in three quarters. He also stated that the government targeted usage of 5% by 2006
and doubling to 10% by 2008. Lim Keng Yaik had urged local telecommunication
companies and service provider to open up the last mile and lower prices to benefit the
users.
[edit] Culture
Main article: Culture of Malaysia
See also: Tourism in Malaysia, Cuisine of Malaysia, and Music of Malaysia
A cook making a murtabak, a type of pancake filled with eggs, small chunks of meat and
onions, in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multilingual society. The population as of

February 2007 is 26.6 million consisting of 62% Bumiputeras (including Malays), 24%
Chinese, 8% Indians, with other minorities and indigenous peoples (Dept of Stats.
Malaysia). Ethnic tensions have been rising in recent months.[81]
The Malays, who form the largest community, are defined as Muslims in the Constitution
of Malaysia. The Malays play a dominant role politically and are included in a grouping
identified as bumiputra. Their native language is Malay (Bahasa Melayu). Malay is the
national language of the country.[22]
Hindus in Kuala Lumpur.
In the past, Malays wrote in Sanskrit or using Sanskrit-based alphabets[citation needed]. After
the 15th century, Jawi (a script based on Arabic) became popular.[citation needed] Over time,
romanised script overtook Sanskrit and Jawi as the dominant script. This was largely due
to the influence of the colonial education system, which taught children in romanised
writing rather than in Arabic script.[citation needed]
The largest non-Malay indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number over
600,000. Some Iban still live in traditional jungle villages in long houses along the
Rajang and Lupar rivers and their tributaries, although many have moved to the cities.
The Bidayuhs, numbering around 170,000, are concentrated in the southwestern part of
Sarawak. The largest indigenous tribe in Sabah is the Kadazan. They are largely Christian
subsistence farmers. The 140,000 Orang Asli, or aboriginal peoples, comprise a number
of different ethnic communities living in peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic
hunter/gatherers and agriculturalists, many have been sedentarised and partially absorbed
into modern Malaysia.
The Chinese population in Malaysia is mostly Buddhist (of Mahayana sect) or Taoist.
Chinese in Malaysia speak a variety of Chinese dialects including Mandarin Chinese,
Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, and Teochew. A large majority of Chinese in Malaysia,
especially those from larger cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Penang speak
English as well. There has also been an increasing number of the present generation
Chinese who consider English as their first language. Chinese have historically been
dominant in the Malaysian business community.
Penang Rojak in Malaysia.
The Indians in Malaysia are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India whose native
language is Tamil, there are also other Indian communities which is Telugu, Malayalam
and Hindi-speaking, living mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula.
Many middle to upper-middle class Indians in Malaysia also speak English as a first
language. A vigorous 200,000-strong Tamil Muslim community also thrives as an
independent subcultural group. There are also prevalent Tamil Christian communities in
major cities and towns. There is also a sizable Sikh community in Malaysia of over
83,000. Most Indians originally migrated from India as traders, teachers or other skilled
workers. A larger number were also part of the forced migrations from India by the
British during colonial times to work in the plantation industry.[82][83]
Eurasians, Cambodians, Vietnamese, Thais, Bugis, Javanese and indigenous tribes make
up the remaining population. A small number of Eurasians, of mixed Portuguese and
Malay descent, speak a Portuguese-based creole, called Papiá Kristang. There are also
Eurasians of mixed Filipino and Spanish descent, mostly in Sabah. Descended from
immigrants from the Philippines, some speak Chavacano, the only Spanish-based creole
language in Asia. Cambodians and Vietnamese are mostly Buddhists (Cambodians of
Theravada sect and Vietnamese, Mahayana sect). Thai Malaysians have been populating
a big part of the northern peninsular states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan and
Terengganu. Besides speaking Thai, most of them are Buddhists, celebrates Songkran
(Water festival) and can speak Hokkien but some of them are Muslims and speaks
Kelantanese Malay Dialect. Bugis and Javanese makes up a part of the population in
Johore. Also, there have been many foreigners and expatriates who have made Malaysia
their second home, also contributing to Malaysia's population.
Malaysian traditional music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms. The
music is based largely around the gendang (drum), but includes other percussion
instruments (some made of shells); the rebab, a bowed string instrument; the serunai, a
double-reed oboe-like instrument; flutes, and trumpets. The country has a strong tradition
of dance and dance dramas, some of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. In recent years,
dikir barat has grown in popularity, and the government has begun to promote it as a
national cultural icon.[84] Other artistic forms were also shared with and influenced by
neighbouring Indonesia, include wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre), silat (a stylised
martial art) and crafts such as batik, weaving, including the ceremonial cloth pua kumbu,
and silver and brasswork.
[edit] Holidays
Main article: Public holidays in Malaysia
Typical festive fare during Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Haji (clockwise from bottom
left): beef soup, ketupat (compressed rice cubes), beef rendang and sayur lodeh.
Malaysians observe a number of holidays and festivities throughout the year. Some
holidays are federal gazetted public holidays and some are public holidays observed by
individual states. Other festivals are observed by particular ethnic or religion groups, but
are not public holidays.
The most celebrated holiday is the "Hari Kebangsaan" (Independence Day) on 31 August
commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya in 1957, while Malaysia
Day is only celebrated in the state of Sabah on 16 September to commemorate the
formation of Malaysia in 1963. Hari Merdeka, as well as Labour Day (1 May), the King's
birthday (first Saturday of June) and some other festivals are federal gazetted public
holidays.
Muslims in Malaysia celebrate Muslim holidays. The most celebrated festival, Hari Raya
Puasa (also called Hari Raya Aidilfitri) is the Malay translation of Eid al-Fitr. It is
generally a festival honoured by the Muslims worldwide marking the end of Ramadan,
the fasting month. In addition to Hari Raya Puasa, they also celebrate Hari Raya Haji
(also called Hari Raya Aidiladha, the translation of Eid ul-Adha), Awal Muharram
(Islamic New Year) and Maulidur Rasul (Birthday of the Prophet).
Chinese in Malaysia typically celebrate festivals that are observed by Chinese around the
world. Chinese New Year is the most celebrated among the festivals which lasts for
fifteen days and ends with Chap Goh Mei. Other festivals celebrated by Chinese are the
Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition to
traditional Chinese festivals, Buddhists Chinese also celebrate Vesak.
The majority of Indians in Malaysia are Hindus and they celebrate Deepavali, the festival
of light, while Thaipusam is a celebration which pilgrims from all over the country flock
to Batu Caves. Apart from the Hindus, Sikhs celebrate the Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year.
Other festivals such as Good Friday (East Malaysia only), Christmas, Hari Gawai of the
Ibans (Dayaks), Pesta Menuai (Pesta Kaamatan) of the Kadazan-Dusuns are also
celebrated in Malaysia.
Despite most of the festivals being identified with a particular ethnic or religious group,
all Malaysians celebrate the festivities together, regardless of their background. For years
when the Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year coincided, a portmanteau Kongsi Raya
was coined, which is a combination of Gong Xi Fa Cai (a greeting used on the Chinese
New Year) and Hari Raya (which could also mean "celebrating together" in Malay.
Similarly, the portmanteau Deepa Raya was coined when Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali
coincided.
[edit] See also

[hide]
v • d • e
Malaysia topics
Timelines · Prehistoric · British Malaya · Straits Settlements ·

During World War II · Union · Federation · Independence Day ·
History
May 13 Incident · Asian financial crisis · PAP-UMNO relations ·
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Law · Law enforcement · Courts
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Geography Mountains (ranges) · National parks · Ports and harbours · Rivers ·
Cities · Districts · States · Cities, towns and villages
History · Malaysian ringgit · Banks (Bank Negara Malaysia) · Bursa

Economy Malaysia · Companies · Communications · Transport · Employees
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Demographic Ethnic groups [ Malay · Chinese (Peranakan) · Indian · Kadazan-

s Dusun · Iban ] · Languages
Architecture · Cinema · Cuisine · Education · Literature · Media ·

Culture
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Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) · Malaysia Airlines ·

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Symbols
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Current events in Southeast Asia · List of Malaysians · Residency

Other topics programs · Science and technology · Malaysian National Space
Agency · Tourism · Disasters
[edit] References
1. ^ "Population (Updated 5 September 2008)". Department of Statistics Malaysia. 5
September 2008. http://www.statistics.gov.my/eng/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=50:population&catid=38:kaystats&Itemid
=11. Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
2. ^ a b c d "Malaysia". International Monetary Fund.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?
pr.x=65&pr.y=19&sy=2004&ey=2008&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br
=1&c=548&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC
%2CLP&grp=0&a=. Retrieved on 2008-10-09.
3. ^ The Star Online. Back to Bahasa Malaysia. Retrieved 5 July 2007
4. ^ Article 1. Constitution of Malaysia.
5. ^ a b c d e f CIA. The World Fact Book: Malaysia. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
6. ^ The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is conventionally referred to as "the King" or "the
Agong"
9. ^ The Federation of International Trade Associations. General Information of
Malaysia. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
10. ^ a b Time Magazine. A New Nation. 9 September 1957.
11. ^ a b Paragraph 22. Singapore. Road to Independence. Federal Research Division,
Library of Congress. Country Studies/Area Handbook Series. U.S. Department of
the Army. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
12. ^ a b Time Magazine. The Art of Dispelling Anxiety. August.
13. ^ Paragraph 25. Singapore. Road to Independence. Federal Research Division,
Library of Congress. Country Studies/Area Handbook Series. U.S. Department of
the Army. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
14. ^ a b Paweł Bożyk (2006). "Newly Industrialised Countries". Globalisation and
the Transformation of Foreign Economic Policy. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
pp. 164. ISBN 0-75-464638-6.
15. ^ a b N. Gregory Mankiw (4th Edition 2007). Principles of Economics. ISBN 0-
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Bahasa dan Pustaka. ISBN
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Tingkatan 3. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. ISBN.
 Osborne, Milton (2000). Southeast Asia: An Introductory History. Allen & Unwin. ISBN
[edit] External links

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Introduction
Malaysia Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
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Issues
This page was last updated on 10 February 2009
Legend: Definition Field Listing Rank Order
Introduction Malaysia Top of Page
Background:
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 a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia,
Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the
Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister
MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in
diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials
to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism.
Geography Malaysia Top of Page
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
Geographic coordinates:
2 30 N, 112 30 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 329,750 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 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)
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of
exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea
Climate:
tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast
(October to February) monsoons
Terrain:
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m
Natural resources:
tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite
Land use:
arable land: 5.46%
permanent crops: 17.54%
other: 77% (2005)
Irrigated land:
3,650 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water
resources:
580 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricult
ural): total: 9.02 cu km/yr (17%/21%/62%)
per capita: 356 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
flooding, landslides, forest fires
Environment - current
issues:
air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water
pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from
Indonesian forest fires
Environment - international
agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-
Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
Geography - note:
strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern
South China Sea
People Malaysia Top of Page
Population:
25,274,132 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.8% (male 4,135,013/female 3,898,761)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 8,026,755/female 7,965,332)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 548,970/female 699,302) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.6 years
male: 24 years
female: 25.3 years (2008 est.)
Population
growth rate: 1.742% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
22.44 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration
rate: NA
note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal
immigrants from other countries in the region (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality
rate: total: 16.39 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.92 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy
at birth: total population: 73.03 years
male: 70.32 years
female: 75.94 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate: 0.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people
living with 52,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS -
deaths: 2,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious
diseases: degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian
Ethnic groups:
Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others
7.8% (2004 est.)
Religions:
Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%,
Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other
or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census)
Languages:
Bahasa Malaysia (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
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.7%
male: 92%
female: 85.4% (2000 census)
School life
expectancy total: 13 years
(primary to male: 12 years
tertiary
education):
female: 13 years (2005)
Education
expenditures: 6.2% of GDP (2004)
Government Malaysia Top of Page
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia
local long form: none
local short form: Malaysia
former: Federation of Malaya
Government
type: constitutional monarchy
note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament
consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all
Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and
Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and
Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government;
powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under
terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional
prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls)
Capital:
name: Kuala Lumpur
geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital;
Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur
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:
31 August 1957 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)
Constitution:
31 August 1957 (amended many times, latest in 2007)
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the
Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; Islamic
law is applied to Muslims in matters of family law and religion; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive
branch: chief of state: Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin (since 13
December 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi
(since 31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin
Abdul Razak (since 7 January 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the
members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler
elections: paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of
nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held on 3 November
2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister designated from among
the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative
elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats in the
House of Representatives becomes prime minister
election results: Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin elected paramount ruler
note: position of paramount ruler is primarily ceremonial; in practice,
selection is based on principle of rotation among rulers of states
Legislative
branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of Senate or Dewan Negara
(70 seats; 44 appointed by paramount ruler, 26 elected by 13 state
legislatures; to serve three-year terms with limit of two terms) and
House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held on 8 March 2008 (next
to be held by June 2013)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - BN
coalition 50.3%, opposition parties 46.8%, others 2.9%; seats - BN
coalition 140, opposition parties 82
Judicial branch:
Civil Courts include Federal Court, Court of Appeal, High Court of
Malaya on peninsula Malaysia, and High Court of Sabah and Sarawak
in states of Borneo (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the
advice of the prime minister); Sharia Courts include Sharia Appeal
Court, Sharia High Court, and Sharia Subordinate Courts at state-level
and deal with religious and family matters such as custody, divorce,
and inheritance, only for Muslims; decisions of Sharia courts cannot be
appealed to civil courts
Political parties
and leaders: National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN (ruling coalition) consists of
the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party or PGRM [KOH
Tsu Koon]; Liberal Democratic Party (Parti Liberal Demokratik -
Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui Keong]; Malaysian Chinese Association
(Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Tee Keat]; Malaysian
Indian Congress (Kongres India Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy VELLU];
Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti Bersatu
Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka Bumiputera
Bersatu or PBB [Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS
[James MASING]; Sarawak United People's Party (Parti Bersatu
Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam]; United
Malays National Organization or UMNO [ABDULLAH bin Ahmad
Badawi]; United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization
(Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO
[Bernard DOMPOK]; People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif
Penduduk Malaysia) or PPP [M.Kayveas]; Sarawak Progressive
Democratic Party or SPDP [William MAWAN])
People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) or PR (opposition coalition)
consists of the following parties: Democratic Action Party (Parti
Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of
Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang];
People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH
Wan Ismail]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG]
independent party: Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Saban) or
SAPP [YONG Teck Lee]
Political pressure
groups and Bersih (electoral reform); Sharia High Court
leaders: other: religious groups; women's groups; youth groups
International
organization ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-
participation: 77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,
ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF
(partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL,
UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic
representation in chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ilango
the US: KARUPPANNAN
chancery: 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700
FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic
representation chief of mission: Ambassador James R. KEITH
from the US: embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152
telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000
FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207
Flag description:
14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom);
there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow
crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the crescent and the star are
traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the
US
Economy Malaysia Top of Page
Economy -
overview: Malaysia, a middle-income country, has transformed itself since the
1970s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector
economy. Since coming to office in 2003, Prime Minister
ABDULLAH has tried to move the economy farther up the value-
added production chain by attracting investments in high technology
industries, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals. The Government
of Malaysia is continuing efforts to boost domestic demand to wean
the economy off of its dependence on exports. Nevertheless, exports -
particularly of electronics - remain a significant driver of the economy.
As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited from higher world
energy prices, although the rising cost of domestic gasoline and diesel
fuel forced Kuala Lumpur to reduce government subsidies. Malaysia
"unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in 2005 and the currency
appreciated 6% per year against the dollar in 2006-08. Although this
has helped to hold down the price of imports, inflationary pressures
began to build in 2007 - in 2008 inflation stood at nearly 6%, year-
over-year. Healthy foreign exchange reserves and a small external debt
greatly reduce the risk that Malaysia will experience a financial crisis
over the near term similar to the one in 1997. The government
presented its five-year national development agenda in April 2006
through the Ninth Malaysia Plan, a comprehensive blueprint for the
allocation of the national budget from 2006-10. ABDULLAH has
unveiled a series of ambitious development schemes for several
regions that have had trouble attracting business investment. Real GDP
growth has averaged about 6% per year under ABDULLAH, but
regions outside of Kuala Lumpur and the manufacturing hub Penang
have not fared as well.
GDP (purchasing
power parity): $397.5 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official
exchange rate): $214.7 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth
rate: 5.5% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita
(PPP): $15,700 (2008 est.)
GDP -
composition by agriculture: 9.7%
sector: industry: 44.6%
services: 45.7% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
11.2 million (2008 est.)
Labor force - by
occupation: agriculture: 13%
industry: 36%
services: 51% (2005 est.)
Unemployment
rate: 3.7% (2008 est.)
Household
income or lowest 10%: 1.4%
consumption by highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.)
percentage
share:
Distribution of
family income - 46.1 (2002)
Gini index:
Investment
(gross fixed): 20.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $44.32 billion
expenditures: $55.01 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
42.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
Inflation rate
(consumer 5.8%
prices): note: approximately 30% of goods are price-controlled (2008 est.)
Commercial bank
prime lending 6.41% (31 December 2007)
rate:
Stock of money:
$49.41 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi
money: $187.6 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of
domestic credit: $220 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of
publicly traded $325.7 billion (31 December 2007)
shares:
Industries:
Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and
manufacturing, light manufacturing, electronics, tin mining and
smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum
production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production
and refining, logging
Electricity -
production: 102.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity -
consumption: 95.98 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity -
exports: 2.524 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity -
imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
753,700 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil -
consumption: 501,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
546,300 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
308,500 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved
reserves: 4 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas -
production: 64.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas -
consumption: 32.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas -
exports: 31.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas -
imports: 0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas -
proved reserves: 2.35 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account
balance: $27.44 billion (2008 est.)
Exports:
$195.7 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Exports -
commodities: electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and
wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals
Exports -
partners: US 15.6%, Singapore 14.6%, Japan 9.1%, China 8.8%, Thailand 5%,
Hong Kong 4.6% (2007)
Imports:
$156.2 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Imports -
commodities: electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and
steel products, chemicals
Imports -
partners: Japan 13%, China 12.9%, Singapore 11.5%, US 10.8%, Taiwan 5.7%,
Thailand 5.3%, South Korea 4.9%, Germany 4.6%, Indonesia 4.2%
(2007)
Reserves of
foreign exchange $104.4 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
and gold:
Debt - external:
$54.11 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct
foreign $92.76 billion (2008 est.)
investment - at
home:
Stock of direct
foreign $50.08 billion (2008 est.)
investment -
abroad:
Exchange rates:
ringgits (MYR) per US dollar - 3.33 (2008 est.), 3.46 (2007), 3.6683
(2006), 3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004)
Communicatio
Malaysia Top of Page
ns
Telephones -
main lines in use: 4.35 million (2007)
Telephones -
mobile cellular: 23.347 million (2007)
Telephone
system: general assessment: modern system; international service excellent
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia
mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio
relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic
satellite system with 2 earth stations; combined fixed-line and mobile
cellular teledensity exceeds 110 per 100 persons
international: country code - 60; landing point for several major
international submarine cable networks that provide connectivity to
Asia, Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1
Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast
stations: AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15 (2001)
Television
broadcast 88 (mainland Malaysia 51, Sabah 16, and Sarawak 21) (2006)
stations:
Internet country
code: .my
Internet hosts:
377,716 (2008)
Internet users:
15.868 million (2007)
Transportation Malaysia Top of Page
Airports:
116 (2007)
Airports - with
paved runways: total: 36
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 6 (2007)
Airports - with
unpaved total: 80
runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 72 (2007)
Heliports:
2 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 282 km; gas 5,273 km; oil 1,750 km; oil/gas/water 19 km;
refined products 114 km (2007)
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) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 98,721 km
paved: 80,280 km (includes 1,821 km of expressways)
unpaved: 18,441 km (2004)
Waterways:
7,200 km
note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500
km (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 306
by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 97, carrier 1, chemical tanker 34,
container 46, liquefied gas 33, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 71,
roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 4
foreign-owned: 40 (Germany 1, Hong Kong 14, Japan 4, Russia 2,
Singapore 16, Sweden 3)
registered in other countries: 68 (Bahamas 13, Marshall Islands 3,
Norway 1, Panama 12, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1,
Singapore 27, Thailand 3, Tuvalu 1, US 2, unknown 4) (2008)
Ports and
terminals: Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Labuan, George Town (Penang), Port
Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas
Transportation -
note: the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore
waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as high risk for
piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels
have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;
hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East
Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift
Military Malaysia Top of Page
Military
branches: Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM):
Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Navy
(Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force
(Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) (2008)
Military service
age and 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)
obligation:
Manpower
available for males age 16-49: 6,440,338
military service: females age 16-49: 6,280,826 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for
military service: males age 16-49: 5,374,006
females age 16-49: 5,316,865 (2008 est.)
Manpower
reaching male: 260,725
militarily female: 247,309 (2008 est.)
significant age
annually:
Military
expenditures: 2.03% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational
Malaysia Top of Page
Issues
Disputes -
international: Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together
with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; while
the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China
Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is not the legally
binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Malaysia was not
party to the March 2005 joint accord among the national oil companies
of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on conducting marine seismic
activities in the Spratly Islands; disputes continue over deliveries of
fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge
construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore
Straits; in November 2007, the ICJ will hold public hearings in
response to the Memorials and Countermemorials filed by the parties
in 2003 and 2005 over sovereignty of Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu
Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge; ICJ awarded Ligitan and
Sipadan islands, also claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to
Malaysia but left maritime boundary and sovereignty of Unarang rock
in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute; separatist violence in
Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts
measures to close and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist
activities; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah
State in northern Borneo; Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September
2008 to resolve their offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume
hydrocarbon exploration and renounce any territorial claims on land;
piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait
Refugees and
internally refugees (country of origin): 15,174 (Indonesia); 21,544 (Burma)
displaced (2007)
persons:
Trafficking in
persons: current situation: Malaysia is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a
source and transit country for women and children trafficked for the
purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, and men, women, and
children for forced labor; Malaysia is mainly a destination country for
men, women, and children who migrate willingly from South and
Southeast Asia to work, some of whom are subjected to conditions of
involuntary servitude by Malaysian employers in the domestic,
agricultural, construction, plantation, and industrial sectors; to a lesser
extent, some Malaysian women, primarily of Chinese ethnicity, are
trafficked abroad for commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Malaysia improved from Tier 3 to the
Tier 2 Watch List for 2008 when it enacted comprehensive anti-
trafficking legislation in July 2007; however, it did not take action
against exploitative employers or labor traffickers in 2007; the
government has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe penalties;
heroin still primary drug of abuse, but synthetic drug demand remains
strong; continued ecstasy and methamphetamine producer for domestic
users and, to a lesser extent, the regional drug market
This page was last updated on 10 February 2009

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Malaysia

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Flag Coat of Arms

Motto: "Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu"

Capital Kuala Lumpur

Official languages Malay

Federal constitutional elective

- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

From the United

- Sep 2008 estimate 27,730,000[1] (43rd)

- Total $359.271 billion[2] (30th)

- Per capita $13,385[2] (59th)

GDP (nominal) 2007 estimate

- Total $186.718 billion[2] (39th)

- Per capita $6,956[2] (63rd)

Time zone MST (UTC+8)

Drives on the left

Internet TLD .my

Calling code +606

The current terminology as per government policy is Bahasa

Malaysia (pronounced /məˈlεɪʒə/ or /məˈleɪziə/) is a federation that consists of

Malaysia is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and

The word Malaysia is visible on a 1914 map from an American atlas.

Main article: Prehistoric Malaysia

[edit] Early history

A Famosa in Malacca. It was built by the Portuguese in the 15th century.

[edit] British arrival

Malaysia Day celebration in 1963. (Majulah Malaysia means "Onwards Malaysia")

[edit] Post independence

[edit] Government and politics

The Parliament building

Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The federal head of state of

The system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that of Westminster

Main article: Malaysian citizenship

[edit] Administrative divisions

Administratively, Malaysia consists of 13 states (11 in peninsular Malaysia and 2 in

Political administrative divisions of Malaysia

Beach scenery of Pulau Tioman.

[edit] Natural resources

Rolling tea fields in Malaysia.

In addition, substantial areas are being silviculturally treated and reforestation of

Main article: Religion in Malaysia

Masjid Ubudiah is a well-known historical mosque in Kuala Kangsar.

The national mosque of Malaysia, Masjid Negara.

Although the Malaysian constitution theoretically guarantees religious freedom, in

Main article: Education in Malaysia

University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus.

Education in Malaysia is monitored by the federal government Ministry of Education.[70]

Secondary education in Malaysia is conducted in secondary schools (Sekolah Menengah

In addition to the Malaysian National Curriculum, Malaysia has many international

Further information: List of hospitals in Malaysia and Healthcare in Malaysia

As Malaya moved towards independence, the government began implementing economic

Regardless of cause/effect claims, rejuvenation of the economy also coincided with

The Damansara Link section of Klang Valley's Sprint Expressway.

The intercity telecommunication service is provided on peninsular Malaysia mainly by

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multilingual society. The population as of

Hindus in Kuala Lumpur.

Penang Rojak in Malaysia.

Main article: Public holidays in Malaysia

[edit] See also

Timelines · Prehistoric · British Malaya · Straits Settlements ·

Constitution · Yang di-Pertuan Agong · Cabinet · Prime Minister ·

History · Malaysian ringgit · Banks (Bank Negara Malaysia) · Bursa