2000 Edition

Background

Malaysia was created in 1963 through the merging of Malaya (independent in 1957) and the former British Singapore, both of which formed West Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak in north Borneo, which composed East Malaysia. The first three years of independence were marred by hostilities with Indonesia. Singapore seceded from the union in 1965.

Area

land

328,550 sq km

total

329,750 sq km

water

1,200 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than New Mexico

Climate

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

Coastline

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

Elevation extremes

highest point

Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geographic coordinates

2 30 N, 112 30 E

Geography - note

strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea

Irrigated land

2,941 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

2,669 km

Land use

arable land

3%

forests and woodland

68%

other

17% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

12%

permanent pastures

0%

Location

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

Map references

Southeast Asia

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

flooding, landslides

Natural resources

tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite

Terrain

coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Age structure

0-14 years: 35% (male 3,914,112; female 3,697,731) 15-64 years: 61% (male 6,655,506; female 6,642,073) 65 years and over: 4% (male 386,387; female 497,484) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

25.3 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

5.25 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 26%, Indian 7%, others 9%

Infant mortality rate

20.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of which are Iban and Kadazan

Life expectancy at birth

female

73.63 years (2000 est.)

male

68.22 years

total population

70.83 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

78.1% (1995 est.)

male

89.1%

total population

83.5%

Nationality

adjective

Malaysian

noun

Malaysian(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

note

does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal immigrants from other countries in the region

Population

21,793,293 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.01% (2000 est.)

Religions

Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.29 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) and 2 federal territories* (wilayah-wilayah persekutuan, singular - wilayah persekutuan); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Labuan*, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu, Wilayah Persekutuan*

note

the city of Kuala Lumpur is located within the federal territory of Wilayah Persekutuan; the terms therefore are not interchangeable

Capital

Kuala Lumpur

Constitution

31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Malaysia

former

Malayan Union

Data code

MY

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador B. Lynn PASCOE

embassy

376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur

mailing address

P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur; American Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152

telephone

(3) 2168-5000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Dato' GHAZZALI Sheikh Abdul Khalid

telephone

(202) 328-2700

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler

chief of state

Paramount Ruler Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah (since 26 April 1999); Deputy Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin ibni A-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah

election results

Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah elected paramount ruler; Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin ibni A-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah elected deputy paramount ruler

elections

paramount ruler and deputy paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held 27 February 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); 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

head of government

Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981); Deputy Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 8 January 1999)

FAX

(202) 483-7661

(3) 242-2207

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles and New York

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 fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US

Government type

constitutional monarchy

note

Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August 1957; Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore) formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left the federation on 9 August 1965); nominally headed by the paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; Peninsular Malaysian states - hereditary rulers in all but Melaka, Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak, where governors are appointed by the Malaysian Government; powers of state governments are limited by the federal constitution; under terms of the federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., the right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah - holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government; Sarawak - holds 28 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government

Independence

31 August 1957 (from UK)

International organization participation

APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of nonelected Senate or Dewan Negara (69 seats; 43 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 appointed by the state legislatures) and the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (193 seats; members elected by popular vote weighted toward the rural Malay population to serve five-year terms)

election results

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NF 56%, other 44%; seats by party - NF 148, PAS 27, DAP 10, NJP 5, PBS 3

elections

House of Representatives - last held 29 November 1999 (next to be held 3 November 2004)

National holiday

National Day, 31 August (1957)

Political parties and leaders

State Reform Party or STAR [PATAV Rubis]; Democratic Action Party or DAP ; Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia ; Liberal Democratic Party ; Malaysian Chinese Association or MCA ; Malaysian Indian Congress or MIC ; National Front or NF [MAHATHIR bin Mohamad] (a coalition of 14 political parties, dominated by the UMNO, and including the UPKO, SAPP, and the Liberal Democratic Party); National Justice Party or NJP ; Parti Akar ; Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak or PBDS [Datuk Leo MOGGIE]; Parti Bersekutu ; Parti Islam SeMalaysia or PAS ; Party Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu or PBB ; Sabah People's Progressive Party or SAPP ; Sabah People's United Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah) or PBRS ; Sarawak National Party or SNAP ; Sarawak United People's Party or SUPP ; United Kadazan People's Organization or UPKO (formerly Parti Demokratik Sabah) ; United Malays National Organization or UMNO ; United Sabah Party (main opposition party) (Parti Bersatu Sabah) or PBS

note

subsequent to the election, the following parties were dissolved - Spirit of '46 or Semangat '46 and Sabah United Party (Parti Bersatu Sabah) or PBS [Datuk Seri Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

expenditures

$27.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)

revenues

$23.2 billion

Currency

1 ringgit (M$) = 100 sen

Debt - external

$43.6 billion (1999 est.)

Economy - overview

Malaysia made a quick economic recovery in 1999 from its worst recession since independence in 1957. GDP grew 5%, responding to a dynamic export sector, which grew over 10% and fiscal stimulus from higher government spending. The large export surplus has enabled the country to build up its already substantial financial reserves, to $31 billion at yearend 1999. This stable macroeconomic environment, in which both inflation and unemployment stand at 3% or less, has made possible the relaxation of most of the capital controls imposed by the government in 1998 to counter the impact of the Asian financial crisis. Government and private forecasters expect Malaysia to continue this trend in 2000, predicting GDP to grow another 5% to 6%. While Malaysia's immediate economic horizon looks bright, its long-term prospects are clouded by the lack of reforms in the corporate sector, particularly those dealing with competitiveness and high corporate debt.

Electricity - consumption

53.423 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

75 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

83 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

57.435 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

94.78%

hydro

5.22%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

ringgits (M$) per US$1 - 3.8000 (January 2000), 3.8000 (1999), 3.9244 (1998), 2.8133 (1997), 2.5159 (1996), 2.5044 (1995)

Exports

$83.5 billion (1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, chemicals, palm oil, wood and wood products, rubber, textiles

Exports - partners

US 23%, Singapore 16%, Japan 11%, Hong Kong 5%, Netherlands 5%, Taiwan 5%, Thailand 3% (1999 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $229.1 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

12%

industry

46%

services

42% (1998)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $10,700 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 20.4% (1997 est.)

Imports

$61.5 billion (1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, food, fuel and lubricants

Imports - partners

Japan 21%, US 18%, Singapore 14%, Taiwan 5%, South Korea 5%, Thailand 4%, China 3% (1999 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

8.5% (1999 est.)

Industries

Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil 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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.8% (1999)

Labor force

9.3 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

manufacturing 27%, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries 16%, local trade and tourism 17%, services 15%, government 10%, construction 9% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line

6.8% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate

3% (1999 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

8 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 56, FM 31 (plus 13 repeater stations), shortwave 5 (1999)

Radios

9.1 million (1997)

Telephone system

international service good

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

submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

4.4 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.17 million (1998)

Television broadcast stations

27 (plus 15 high-power repeaters) (1999)

Televisions

3.6 million (1997)

Airports

115 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

32 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 6 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

83 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 74 (1999 est.)

Heliports

1 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

70,970 km (including 580 km of expressways)

total

94,500 km

unpaved

23,530 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 61, cargo 119, chemical tanker 34, container 55, liquified gas 19, livestock carrier 1, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 57, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off 6, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 (1999 est.)

total

361 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,000,706 GRT/7,393,915 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 1,307 km; natural gas 379 km

Ports and harbors

Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Kudat, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Port Dickson, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung Kidurong, Tawau

Railways

narrow gauge

1,801 km 1.000-m gauge (148 km electrified) (2000)

total

1,801 km

Waterways

7,296 km (Peninsular Malaysia 3,209 km, Sabah 1,569 km, Sarawak 2,518 km)

Military branches

Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Police Force, Marine Police, Sarawak Border Scouts

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1.211 billion (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.6% (FY98)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 5,662,933 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 3,431,602 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

21 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

183,139 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; Philippines have not fully revoked claim to Sabah State; two islands in dispute with Singapore; Sipadan and Ligitan Islands in dispute with Indonesia

Illicit drugs

transit point for some illicit drugs going to Western markets; drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe penalties

MALDIVES