Malaysia

constitutional monarchyIndependence 31 August 1957 (from UK)

Malaysia as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 108 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalKuala Lumpur
Position2 30 N, 112 30 E
Area329,750 sq km
LocationSoutheastern Asia, peninsula and northern one-third of
1999

Every edition of Malaysia

Populationas each edition published it
21.38 million July 1999 est. · 17.51m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.08% 1999 est. · 2.32% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 23.6 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
70.67 years 1999 est. · 68.82 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.35 children per woman 1999 est. · 3.5 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
21.68 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 30 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$10,300 1998 est. · $2,960 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-7% 1998 est. · 8% in 1993

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 329,750 sq km

arable land 3%permanent crops 12%permanent pastures 0%forests and woodland 68%other 17% (1993 est.)irrigated 2,941 sq km (1998 est.)
Area
329,750sq km
land: 328,550 sq kmwater: 1,200 sq kmslightly larger than New Mexico
Coastline
4,675km
(Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Seaexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Highest point
4,100m
Gunung Kinabalulowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Land boundaries
2,669km
border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

2 30 N, 112 30 E

Map references

Southeast Asia

Climate

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

Terrain

coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Natural resources

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

Natural hazards

flooding, landslides

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
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Geography--note

strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea

People

15 fields
Population
21,376,066
(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 2.08% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth
26.05Death
5.29Net migration
0
Net migration: note: does not include illegal immigrants--large numbers from Indonesia and smaller numbers from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Burma, China, and India

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)70.67
67.62 · 73.9
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)83.5%
89.1% · 78.1%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

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

Age structure

0-14 years:
35% (male 3,879,012; female 3,680,895)
15-64 years:
61% (male 6,478,910; female 6,482,909)
65 years and over:
4% (male 369,639; female 484,701) (1999 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.) note: does not include illegal immigrants--large numbers from Indonesia and smaller numbers from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Burma, China, and India

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.76 male(s)/female
total population:
1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

21.68 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.35 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Malaysian(s)
adjective:
Malaysian

Religions

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

Languages

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

Government

Constitutional monarchy; Paramount Ruler TUANKU JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman (since 26 April 1994) and Deputy Paramount Ruler Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah (since 26 April 1994); Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981)

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

63%
-National Front 63%other 37%House of Representatives--last held 24-25 April 1995 (next to be held by April 2000)

Legislature, 192 seatsone dot, one seat

-National Front 162DAP 9PBS 8PAS 7Spirit of '46 6

Country name

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Malaysia
former:
Malayan Union

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 (king) 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 27 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government

Capital

Kuala Lumpur

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

Independence

31 August 1957 (from UK)

National holiday

National Day, 31 August (1957)

Constitution

31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Paramount Ruler TUANKU JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman (since 26 April 1994) and Deputy Paramount Ruler Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah (since 26 April 1994)
head of government:
Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981); Deputy Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 8 January 1999)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the 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 4 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
  • 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 JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman elected paramount ruler;
  • Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah elected deputy paramount ruler

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 (192 seats; members elected by popular vote directly weighted toward the rural Malay population to serve five-year terms)

elections:
House of Representatives--last held 24-25 April 1995 (next to be held by April 2000)
election results:
  • House of Representatives--percent of vote by party--National Front 63%, other 37%;
  • seats by party--National Front 162, DAP 9, PBS 8, PAS 7, Spirit of '46 6;
  • note--subsequent to the election there was a change in the distribution of seats, the current distribution is--National Front 168, DAP 8, PAS 8, PBS 5, independents 3

Judicial branch

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

Peninsular Malaysia

National Front (a confederation of 13 political parties dominated by United Malays National Organization or UMNO

Sarawak

National Front, composed of the Party Pesaka Bumiputra note: subsequent to the election, the following parties were president] and Sabah United Party (Parti Bersatu Sabah) or PBS

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, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIL, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Dato' GHAZZALI Sheikh Abdul Khalid
chancery:
2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general:
Los Angeles and New York

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

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

Economy

After a decade of 8% average GDP growth, the | Malaysian economy--severely hit by the regional financial | crisis--declined 7% in 1998.

31 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$10,300
purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)
Real growth rate
-7%
(1998 est.)industrial production growth: 14.4% (1995)
Unemployment rate
2.6%
(1996 est.)

GDP--composition by sector(1997 est.)

agriculture 13%industry 46%services 41% (1997 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

12%
Japan
27%
21%
US
16%
20%
Singapore
12%
5%
Hong Kong
Taiwan
5%
4%
UK
4%
Thailand
3%
Germany
4%
South Korea
4%
Exports $74.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)Imports $59.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)(1995)

Budget

Revenues
$22.6 billionExpenditures
$22 billion (1996 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $5.3 billion

Electricity

fossil fuel 83.33%hydro 16.67%nuclear 0% · other 0%
Electricity production
48 billion (1996)Electricity consumption
47.977 billion (1996)Electricity exports
174 million (1996)Electricity imports
151 million (1996)

Economy--overview

After a decade of 8% average GDP growth, the Malaysian economy--severely hit by the regional financial crisis--declined 7% in 1998. Malaysia will likely remain in recession for the first half of 1999; official statistics continue to show anemic exports, and some private financial analysts forecast a further drop in GDP of 1% in 1999.

Prime Minister MAHATHIR has imposed capital controls to protect the local currency while cutting interest rates to stimulate the economy. Kuala Lumpur also announced an expansionary budget for 1999 to combat rising unemployment. Malaysia continues to seek funding from domestic and international sources to help finance its budget deficit and recapitalize its weakened banking sector.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$215.4 billion (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
1.9%
highest 10%:
37.9% (1989)

Labor force

8.398 million (1996 est.)

Labor force--by occupation

manufacturing 25%, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries 21%, local trade and tourism 17%, services 12%, government 11%, construction 8% (1996)

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

Agriculture--products

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

Exports

$74.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities

electronic equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, palm oil, wood and wood products, rubber, textiles

Imports

$59.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, food

Debt--external

$39.8 billion (1998)

Economic aid--recipient

$125 million (1995)

Currency

1 ringgit (M$) = 100 sen

Exchange rates

ringgits (M$) per US$1--3.8000 (January 1999), 3.9244 (1998), 2.8133 (1997), 2.5159 (1996), 2.5044 (1995), 2.6243 (1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
2,550,957
(1992 est.)

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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 28, FM 3, shortwave 0

Radios

8.08 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

27 (of which 26 are government-owned and one is independent and has 15 high-power repeater stations to relay its programs) (1997)

Televisions

2 million (1993 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Merchant marine, 378 ships by type(1998 est.)

bulk 62cargo 128chemical tanker 30container 58liquefied gas tanker 19livestock carrier 1oil tanker 61passenger 2refrigerated cargo 2roll-on/roll-off cargo 6specialized tanker 2vehicle carrier 7

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
6
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

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m
74
total: 83 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8

Networkskm

Highways
94,500Railways
1,798Waterways
7,296
Highways: paved: 70,970 km (including 580 km of expressways) · unpaved: 23,530 km (1996 est.) · Railways: narrow gauge: 1,798 km 1.000-m gauge (148 km electrified) (1998 est.) · Waterways: (Peninsular Malaysia 3,209 km, Sabah 1,569 km, Sarawak 2,518 km)

Railways

total:
1,798 km
narrow gauge:
1,798 km 1.000-m gauge (148 km electrified) (1998 est.)

Highways

total:
94,500 km
paved:
70,970 km (including 580 km of expressways)
unpaved:
23,530 km (1996 est.)

Waterways

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

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

Airports

115 (1998 est.)

Heliports

1 (1998 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military branches

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

Military manpower--availability

males age 15-49: 5,526,555 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service

males age 15-49: 3,349,066 (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

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;
  • two 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

Central Intelligence Agency. “Malaysia.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/malaysia/1999.

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