from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Malaysia
Introduction
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 Indonesian efforts to control 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
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 2 30 N, 112 30 E
coordinates:
Map Southeast Asia
references:
Area: total: 329,750 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km
Area - slightly larger than New Mexico
comparative:
Land total: 2,669 km
boundaries: 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 territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: 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 lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m
Natural tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas,
resources: bauxite
Land use: arable land: 5.46%
permanent crops: 17.54%
other: 77% (2005)
Irrigated 3,650 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural flooding, landslides, forest fires
hazards:
Environment - air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions;
current water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/
issues: haze from Indonesian forest fires
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
Geography - strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern
note: South China Sea
People
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.)
Median age: total: 24.1 years
male: 23.6 years
female: 24.8 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.78% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 22.86 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
rate: note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of
illegal immigrants from other countries in the region
(2006 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: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 17.16 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 19.87 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 14.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 72.5 years
expectancy at male: 69.8 years
birth: female: 75.38 years (2006 est.)
Total 3.04 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0.4% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 52,000 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 2,000 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Major degree of risk: high
infectious food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea,
diseases: hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high
risks in some locations (2005)
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, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note
- in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia
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
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.7%
male: 92%
female: 85.4% (2002)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia
local long form: none
local short form: Malaysia
former: Federation of Malaysia
Government constitutional monarchy
type: 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); Sabah holds 25 seats
in House of Representatives; Sarawak holds 28 seats in
House of Representatives
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 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor,
divisions: 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 Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)
holiday:
Constitution: 31 August 1957; amended 16 September 1963
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of
supreme head of the federation; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; Islamic law is applied to
Muslims in matters of family law
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Paramount Ruler Tuanku SYED SIRAJUDDIN
branch: ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, the Raja
of Perlis (since 12 December 2001)
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 12 December 2001 (next to be
held in 2006); 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: Tuanku SYED SIRAJUDDIN ibni Almarhum
Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail elected paramount ruler
Legislative bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate
branch: or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by the
paramount ruler, 26 appointed by the state
legislatures) and the House of Representatives or Dewan
Rakyat (219 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 21
March 2004 (next must be held by 2009)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - BN 91%, DAP 5%, PAS 3%, other 1%; seats
by party - BN 199, DAP 12, PAS 6, PKR 1, independent 1
Judicial Federal Court (judges appointed by the paramount ruler
branch: on the advice of the prime minister)
Political ruling-coalition National Front (Barisan Nasional) or
parties and BN, consisting of the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat
leaders: Malaysia Party or PGRM [LIM Keng Yaik]; Liberal
Democratic Party (Parti Liberal Demokratik - Sabah) or
LDP [LIEW Vui Keong]; Malaysian Chinese Association
(Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Ka Ting];
Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongresi India Malaysia) or
MIC [S. Samy VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Pakyat Sabah or PBRS
[Joseph KURUP]; Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph
PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu or PBB
[Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak
or PRS [James MASING]; Sabah Progressive Party (Parti
Progresif Sabah) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee]; 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.Keyveas];
Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP [William
MAWANI]; opposition 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 Ismael];
Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG];
opposition coalition Alternative Front (Barisan
Alternatif) or BA - consists of PAS and PKR
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO,
organization G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
participation: IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC,
OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador GHAZZALI bin Sheikh Abdul
representation Khalid
in the US: 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 chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher J. LAFLEUR
representation embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur 50440
from the US: mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP
96535-8152
telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000
FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207
Flag 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating
description: 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
Economy - Malaysia, a middle-income country, transformed itself
overview: from 1971 through the late 1990s from a producer of raw
materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. Growth
was almost exclusively driven by exports - particularly
of electronics. As a result, Malaysia was hard hit by
the global economic downturn and the slump in the
information technology (IT) sector in 2001 and 2002.
GDP in 2001 grew only 0.5% because of an estimated 11%
contraction in exports, but a substantial fiscal
stimulus package equal to US $1.9 billion mitigated the
worst of the recession, and the economy rebounded in
2002 with a 4.1% increase. The economy grew 4.9% in
2003, notwithstanding a difficult first half, when
external pressures from Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS) and the Iraq War led to caution in the
business community. Growth topped 7% in 2004 and 5% in
2005. As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited
from higher world energy prices, although the cost of
government subsidies for domestic gasoline and diesel
fuel has risen and offset some of the benefit. Malaysia
"unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in 2005, but
so far there has been little movement in the exchange
rate. Healthy foreign exchange reserves, low inflation,
and a small external debt are all strengths that make
it unlikely that Malaysia will experience a financial
crisis over the near term similar to the one in 1997.
The economy remains dependent on continued growth in
the US, China, and Japan - top export destinations and
key sources of foreign investment.
GDP $287 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $122 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 5.2% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $12,000 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 8.4%
composition by industry: 48%
sector: services: 43.6% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 10.67 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 14.5%
by occupation: industry: 36%
services: 49.5% (2000 est.)
Unemployment 3.6% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population 8% (1998 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 1.4%
income or highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 49.2 (1997)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 3% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 20% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $30.57 billion
expenditures: $34.62 billion; including capital
expenditures of $9.4 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt: 46.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice;
products: Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts,
rice; Sarawak - rubber, pepper, timber
Industries: Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing
and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry,
electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging, timber
processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum production;
Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production
and refining, logging
Industrial 4.1% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 79.28 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 89.5%
production by hydro: 10.5%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 73.63 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 100 million kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 770,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 510,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: 230,200 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 3.1 billion bbl (2005 est.)
reserves:
Natural gas - 53.5 billion cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 28.53 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 22.41 billion cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 2.124 trillion cu m (2005)
proved
reserves:
Current $14.06 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $147.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural
commodities: gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber,
textiles, chemicals
Exports - US 19.7%, Singapore 15.6%, Japan 9.3%, China 6.6%, Hong
partners: Kong 5.8%, Thailand 5.4% (2005)
Imports: $118.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics,
commodities: vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals
Imports - Japan 14.6%, US 13%, Singapore 11.8%, China 11.6%,
partners: Taiwan 5.6%, Thailand 5.3%, South Korea 5%, Germany
4.5% (2005)
Reserves of $70.23 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $52 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Currency ringgit (MYR)
(code):
Currency code: MYR
Exchange ringgits per US dollar - 3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004), 3.8
rates: (2003), 3.8 (2002), 3.8 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 4.366 million (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 19.545 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: modern system; international
system: 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
international: country code - 60; submarine cables to
India, Hong Kong, and Singapore; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific
Ocean) (2001)
Radio AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15 (2001)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 10.9 million (1999)
Television mainland Malaysia 51; Sabah 16; Sarawak 21; note - many
broadcast are low power stations (2006)
stations:
Televisions: 10.8 million (1999)
Internet .my
country code:
Internet 158,650 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 7 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 11.016 million (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 117 (2006)
Airports - total: 37
with paved over 3,047 m: 5
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Airports - total: 80
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 72 (2006)
Heliports: 2 (2006)
Pipelines: condensate 282 km; gas 5,372 km; oil 1,715 km; oil/gas/
water 19 km; refined products 114 km (2006)
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)
Roadways: total: 71,814 km
paved: 55,943 km
unpaved: 15,871 km (2001)
Waterways: 7,200 km
note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km, Sabah 1,500 km,
Sarawak 2,500 km (2005)
Merchant total: 312 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,542,727 GRT/
marine: 7,544,154 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 99, chemical tanker 38,
container 48, liquefied gas 27, livestock carrier 1,
passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 61, roll on/roll
off 5, vehicle carrier 6
foreign-owned: 66 (China 1, Germany 2, Hong Kong 14,
Japan 4, South Korea 1, Singapore 44)
registered in other countries: 68 (Bahamas 12, Belize
1, Cayman Islands 1, Mongolia 1, Panama 13, Philippines
1, Singapore 35, US 4) (2006)
Ports and Bintulu, Johor, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, George
terminals: Town (Penang), Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas
Military
Military Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia,
branches: ATM): Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal
Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM),
Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja
Malaysia, TUDM) (2005)
Military 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)
service age
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 5,584,231
available for females age 18-49: 5,510,345 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 4,574,854
for military females age 18-49: 4,613,321 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 244,418
reaching females age 18-49: 231,896 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $1.69 billion (FY00 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 2.03% (FY00)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly
international: 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, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca
Island/Pulau Batu Putih - but parties agree to ICJ
arbitration on island dispute within three years; ICJ
awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also claimed by
Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia but left
maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea
in dispute, culminating in hostile confrontations in
March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil block;
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 now dormant claim to
Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; in 2003,
Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in
their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and
negotiations have stalemated prompting consideration of
international adjudication; Malaysia's land boundary
with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; piracy
remains a problem in the Malacca Strait
Refugees and refugees (country of origin): 15,181 (Indonesia) 9,601
internally (Burma) (2005)
displaced
persons:
Trafficking in current situation: Malaysia is a destination and, to a
persons: lesser extent, a source and transit country for men and
women trafficked for the purposes of sexual
exploitation and forced labor; foreign victims, mostly
women and girls from China, Indonesia, Thailand, the
Philippines, and Vietnam, are trafficked to Malaysia
for commercial sexual exploitation; economic migrants
from countries in the region who work as domestic
servants or laborers in the construction and
agricultural sectors face exploitative conditions in
Malaysia that meet the definition of involuntary
servitude; some Malaysian women, primarily of Chinese
ethnicity, are trafficked abroad for sexual
exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Malaysia is placed on
Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence
of increasing efforts to combat trafficking,
particularly its failure to provide protection for
victims of trafficking
Illicit drugs: regional transit point for some illicit drugs; drug
trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe
penalties