1987 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1987 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Boundary disputes
none; involved in complex dispute over Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei
Climate
tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northest (October to February) monsoons
Coastline
4,675 km total (2,068 km Peninsular Malaysia, 2,607 km East Malaysia)
Comparative area
slightly larger than New Mexico
Continental shelf
200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Environment
subject to flooding; air and water pollution
Exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
Extended economic zone
200 nm
Land boundaries
2,295 km total
Land use
3% arable land; 10% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 63% forest and woodland; 24% other; includes 1% irrigated
Special notes
strategic location along Strait of Malacca; occupies southern half of Malay Peninsula and northern quarter of island of Borneo
Terrain
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
329,750 km?; land area: 328,550 km?
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
59% Malay and other indigenous, 32% Chinese, 9% Indian
Infant mortality rate
25/1,000 (1985)
Labor force
5.95 million (1985); 34.5% agriculture; trade, hotels, and restaurants; 15.6% manufacturing, 14.9% government; 6.6% construction, 5% finance; 4.9% transport and communications; 1.6% mining; 1.2% utilities
Language
Peninsular Malaysia—Malay (official); English, Chinese dialects, Tamil; Sabah—English, Malay, numerous tribal dialects, Mandarin and Hakka dialects predominate among Chinese; Sarawak— English, Malay, Mandarin, numerous tribal languages
Life expectancy
67.7 male, 72.7 female
Literacy
65.0% overall, age 20 and up; Peninsular Malaysia—80%; Sabah—60%; Sarawak—60%
Nationality
noun—Malaysian(s); adjective—Malaysian
Organized labor
620,000, about 10% of total labor force; unemployment about 7.6% of total labor force, but higher in urban areas (1985)
Population
16,068,516 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.08%, includes Peninsular Malaysia—138,280,754, average annual growth rate 1.98%; Sabah— 1,281,994, average annual growth rate 8.28%; and Sarawak—1,505,768, average annual growth rate 1.88%
Religion
Peninsular Malaysia—Malays nearly all Muslim, Chinese predominantly Buddhists, Indians predominantly Hindu; Sabah—38% Muslim, 17% Christian, 45% other; Sarawak—85% tribal religion, 24% Buddhist and Confucianist, 20% Muslim, 16% Christian, 5% other
Government
Administrative divisions
14 states (including Sabah and Sarawak)
Branches
nine state rulers alternate as Paramount Ruler for five-year terms; locus of executive power vested in Prime Minister and Cabinet, who are responsible to bicameral] Parliament (Senate, House of Representatives); Peninsular Malaysia— executive branches of 1] states vary in detail but are similar in design with a Chief Minister, appointed by hereditary ruler or Governor, heads an executive council (cabinet), which is responsible to an elected, unicameral legislature; Sarawak and Sabah—executive branch headed by Governor appointed by central government, largely ceremonial role; executive power exercised by Chief Minister who heads parliamentary cabinet responsible to unicameral legislature; judiciary part of Malaysian judicial system
Communists
Peninsular Malaysia—about 2,000 armed insurgents on Thailand side of international boundary; about 200 full-time inside Malaysia; Sarawak—less than 100, North Kalimantan Communist Party; Sabah—insignificant
Elections
minimum of every five years; last elections August 1986 Political parties and leaders: Peninsular Malaysia—National Front, a confederation of 1] political parties dominated by United Malays National Organization (UMNO), Mahathir bin Mohamad; major opposition party is Democratic Action Party (DAP), Lim Kit Siang; Sabah— Berjaya Party, Datuk Haji Mohamad Noor Haji Mansodr; Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Joseph Pairin Kitingan; United Sabah National Organization (USNO), Tun Datuk Mustapha; Sarawak—coalition Sarawak National Front composed of the Party Pesaka Bumipatra Bersatu (PBB), Datuk Abdul Taib; the United People’s Party (SUPP), Wong Soon Kai; and the Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Datuk James Wong; opposition is Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), Leo Moggie
Government leader
Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad, Prime Minister (since July 1981)
Legal system
based on English common law; constitution came into force 1963; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of Supreme Head of the Federation; has not accepted compulsory 1CJ jurisdiction
Member of
ADB, ANRPC, ASEAN, Association of Tin Producing Countries, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, 1FC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITC, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
31 August, Independence Day
Official name
Malaysia
Suffrage
universal over age 21
Type
Federation of Malaysia formed 9 July 1963, constitutional monarchy nominally headed by Paramount Ruler (King), a bicameral Parliament consisting of a 58-member Senate and a 154-member House of Representatives; Peninsular Malaysian states—hereditary rulers in all Malaysia (continued) but Penang and Melaka where Governors appointed by Malaysian Government, powers of state governments limited by federal constitution; Sabah—self-governing state, holds 16 seats in House of Representatives with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government; Sarawak—selfgoverning state within Malaysia in which it holds 24 seats in House of Representatives with foreign affairs, defense, and interna] security, and other powers delegated to federal] government Capital; Kuala Lumpur
Voting strength
Peninsular Malaysia— (1986 parliamentary election, lower house of parliament) National Front, 148 seats; DAP, 24 seats; PAS, ] seat; independents, 4 seats; Sabah—{April 1985 state election, State Assembly) Berjaya Party, 6 seats; USNO, 16 seats; PBS, 26 seats; Sarawak— (December 1983 state election) State Assembly National Front controlled nearly two-thirds of 46 seats
Economy
Agriculture
Peninsular Malaysia—natural rubber, palm oil, rice; 10-15% of rice requirements imported; Sabah—mainly subsistence, main crops are rubber, timber, coconut, rice (rice is also a food deficit), Sarawak—main crops are rubber, timber, pepper with rice a food deficit
Budget
operating expenditures, $7.4 billion; development expenditures, $2.9 billion; deficit, $3.5 billion (1986)
Electric power
Peninsular Malaysia— 2,821,000 kW capacity, 10,700 million kWh produced, 820 kWh per capita; Sabah—430,000 kW capacity, 1,250 million kWh produced, 970 kWh per capita; Sarawak—350,000 kW capacity, 1,020 million kWh produced, 670 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$15.4 billion (f.0.b., 1985); natural rubber, palm oil, tin, timber, petroleum, light manufactures
Fiscal year
calendar year
Fishing
catch 741,000 metric tons (1983)
Imports
$12.8 billion (c.i-f., 1985)
Major industries
Peninsular Malaysia— rubber and oi] palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging and processing timber; Sabah— logging, petroleum production; Sarawak— agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging
Major trade partners
exports—25% Japan, 20% Singapore, 14% EC, 18% US; imports—23% Japan, 16% Singapore, 15% US, 14% EC (1985)
Monetary conversion rate
2.6] Malaysian ringgits (M$)=US$1 (November 1986)
Natural resources
tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron, liquefied natural gas
Communications
Airfields
126 total, 123 usable; 31 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 19 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
about 28 major transport aircraft
Highways
Peninsular Malaysia—23,600 km (19,852 km hard surfaced, mostly bituminous surface treatment and 4,248 km unpaved); Sabah—3,782 km; Sarawak—1,644 km
Inland waterways
Peninsular Malaysia— 3,209 km; Sabah—1,569 km; Sarawak— 2.518 km
Pipelines
crude oil, 707 km; natural gas, 879 km
Ports
Peninsular Malaysia—3 major, 14 minor; Sabah—2 major, 3 minor; Sarawak—1 major, 9 minor
Railroads
Peninsular Malaysia—1,665 km 1.04-meter gange; 13 km double track, government owned; Sabah—136 km 1.000meter gauge
Telecommunications
Peninsular Malaysia—good intercity service provided mainly by microwave relay; international service good; good coverage by radio and television broadcasts; 849,129 telephones nationwide in 1984 (5.3 per 100 popl.); 17 AM, 2 FM, 20 TV stations; submarine cables extend to India and Sarawak; connected to SEACOM submarine cable terminal at Singapore by microwave relay; 2 international satellite ground stations; 1 domestic satellite ground station; Sabah— adequate intercity radio-relay network extends to Sarawak via Brunei; 6 AM, 1 FM, 7 TV stations; SEACOM submarine cable links to Hong Kong and Singapore; 1 satellite ground station; Sarawak—adequate intercity radio-relay network extends to Sabah via Brunei; submarine cable to Peninsular Malaysia; 5 AM, no FM, 6 TV stations; ] satellite ground station
Military and Security
Branches
Royal Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Police Force
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1987, $937 million; about 9.9% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 4,180,000; 2,552,000 fit for military service; 172,000 reach military age (21) annually External defense dependent on loose Five Power Defense Agreement (FPDA), which replaced Anglo-Malayan Defense Agreement of 1957 as amended in 1963