Malaysia
Country Guide

Explore Malaysia

Malaysia with its capital Kuala Lumpur is located in Asia (Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo). It covers some 329,848 square kilometers (slightly larger than New Mexico) with a population of 31,382,000. Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi and Thai are some of the languages spoken by the majority in Malaysia (consider regional differences). Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand are bordering countries.

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia, located partly on a peninsula of the Asian mainland and partly on the northern third of the island of Borneo. Malaysia is a mix of the modern world and a developing nation. With its investment in the high technology industries and moderate oil wealth, it has become a rich nation in Southeast Asia. Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy mix: there is high-tech infrastructure and things generally work well and more or less on schedule, but prices remain more reasonable than, say, Singapore.

Popular Destinations in Malaysia

Administrative regions of Malaysia

• Johor
• Kedah
• Kelantan
• Kuala Lumpur
• Labuan
• Melaka
• Negeri Sembilan
• Pahang
• Perak
• Perlis
• Pulau Pinang
• Putrajaya
• Sabah
• Sarawak
• Selangor
• Terengganu

About the country

The terrain is coastal plains rising to hills and mountains. The average density of population is about 95 per km². The climate in Malaysia can be described as tropical with annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons. Possible natural disasters include flooding, forest fires and landslides.

To reach someone Malaysia dial +60 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3G, 4G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".my". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 240 V - 50 Hz (plugs: G). The sign for the locally used currency Ringgit is MYR.

14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the flag is often referred to as Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory); the 14 stripes stand for the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government; the 14 points on the star represent the unity between these entities; the crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam; blue symbolizes the unity of the Malay people and yellow is the royal color of Malay rulers.

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 except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal 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 the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies.

Geography

Area
Total (World Rank: 68)	329,847	sq km
Land (World Rank: 64)	328,657	sq km
Water (World Rank: 106)	1,190	sq km
Forest (World Rank: 190)	0.90	%
Comparative	slightly larger than New Mexico
Coastline
4675
Landborder
2742
Elevation
Highest point (World Rank: 42)	4,095	m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 153)	23.20	%
Arable (World Rank: 169)	2.90	%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 12)	19.40	%
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 190)	0.90	%
Irrigated land (World Rank: 62)	3,800	sq km
Map reference
Southeast Asia
Environment
Issues	- air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions - deforestation - smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires - water pollution from raw sewage
Agreement party	- 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
Hazzards	- flooding - forest fires - landslides
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
Climate
tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons
Terrain
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

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People

Population
Total (World Rank: 41)	31,382,000
Deathrate (World Rank: 189)	0.51	%
Birthrate (World Rank: 84)	1.91	%
Growthrate (World Rank: 81)	1.37	%
Migration rate (World Rank: 82)	-0.03	%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 79)	2.50	%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 126)	28.20
Female (World Rank: 127)	28.80
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 44)	4,493,080
0 14 female (World Rank: 47)	4,238,990
15 24 male (World Rank: 44)	2,677,830
15 24 female (World Rank: 44)	2,598,960
25 54 male (World Rank: 40)	6,507,500
25 54 female (World Rank: 41)	6,358,760
55 64 male (World Rank: 37)	1,316,330
55 64 female (World Rank: 40)	1,277,560
65 x male (World Rank: 45)	907,850
65 x female (World Rank: 50)	1,005,120
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 114)	1.25	%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 108)	75	years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 107)	78	years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 111)	72	years
Physicians per 1000 (World Rank: 102)	1.28
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 111)	1.90
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 67)	96.00	%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 125)	15.60	%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 77)	98.20	%

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Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 29)	141,900,000,000	kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 28)	133,000,000,000	kWh
Export (World Rank: 93)	3,000,000	kWh
Import (World Rank: 110)	13,000,000	kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 84)	82.10	%
Source nuclear (World Rank: 103)	14.00	%
Source renew (World Rank: 101)	4.00	%
Crude oil
Production (World Rank: 25)	666,900	bbl / day
Exports (World Rank: 25)	310,900	bbl / day
Imports (World Rank: 32)	194,400	bbl / day
Proved reserves (World Rank: 28)	3,600,000,000	bbl
Refined products
Production (World Rank: 30)	512,900	bbl / day
Consumption (World Rank: 28)	760,000	bbl / day
Export (World Rank: 31)	231,400	bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 22)	409,500	bbl / day
Natural gas
Production (World Rank: 13)	63,430,000,000	m³
Consumption (World Rank: 28)	40,670,000,000	m³
Export (World Rank: 9)	34,990,000,000	m³
Import (World Rank: 4)	0	m³
Carbon footprint
208000000

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Nation

Budget
Education (World Rank: 70)	5	% of GDP
Military (World Rank: 83)	1	% of GDP
Health (World Rank: 162)	4	% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 115)	-3	% of GDP
National symbol
tiger
National colours
yellow
Adjective
Malaysian
Noun
Malaysian(s)
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 except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal 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 the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies.
Flag description
14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the flag is often referred to as Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory); the 14 stripes stand for the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government; the 14 points on the star represent the unity between these entities; the crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam; blue symbolizes the unity of the Malay people and yellow is the royal color of Malay rulers

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Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 28)	863,300,000,000	USD
Real growth rate (World Rank: 59)	4.20	%
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 67)	27,300	USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 97)	8.70	%
Source industry (World Rank: 37)	37.00	%
Source service (World Rank: 155)	54.40	%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 39)	14,700,000
In poverty (World Rank: 165)	3.80	%
Products
Industries	- agriculture processing - electronics - light manufacturing - logging - manufacturing - medical technology - natural gas - natural gas production - oil palm processing - petroleum - pharmaceuticals - rubber - semiconductors - timber processing
Agriculture	- cocoa - palm oil - pepper - rice - rubber - subsistence crops - timber
Exports	- chemicals - electronic equipment - liquefied natural gas - palm oil - petroleum - rubber - semiconductors - solar panels - textiles - wood - wood products
Imports	- chemicals - electronics - iron - machinery - petroleum products - plastics - steel products - vehicles

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Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 32)	4,510,200
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 115)	15.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 36)	142.00
Assessment	0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 29)	24,385,000
Population (World Rank: 50)	78.80	%

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Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 50)	39.00
Airports unpaved (World Rank: 48)	75.00
Heliports (World Rank: 39)	4.00
Rail
Total length (World Rank: 77)	1,851
Road
Total length (World Rank: 35)	144,403
Paved length (World Rank: 27)	116,169
Unpaved length (World Rank: 55)	28,234
Water
Total length (World Rank: 20)	7,200

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