Malaysia

total:

9.02 cu km/yr (17%/21%/62%)

per capita:

356 cu m/yr (2000)

• flooding;
• landslides;
• forest fires

• air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions;
• water pollution from raw sewage;
• deforestation;
• smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires

party to:

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

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Malaysian(s)

adjective:

Malaysian

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.89 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Malaysia

local long form:

none

local short form:

Malaysia

former:

Federation of Malaya

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 an administrative center not the capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur

• 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu;
• and 1 federal territory (Wilayah Persekutuan) with three components, city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya

• mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law;
• judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation

chief of state:

King - Tuanku ABDUL HALIM Mu'adzam Shah (selected on 13 December 2011; installed on 11 April 2012); the position of the king is primarily ceremonial

head of government:

Prime Minister NAJIB Razak (since 3 April 2009); Deputy Prime Minister MUHYIDDIN bin Mohamed Yassin (since 9 April 2009)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the king; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• kings are elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms;
• selection is based on the principle of rotation among rulers of states;
• elections were last held on 14 October 2011 (next to be held in 2016);
• prime ministers are designated from among the members of the House of Representatives;
• following legislative elections, the leader who commands the support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister (since independence this has been the leader of the UMNO party)

election results:

• Tuanku Abdul HALIM Mu'adzam Shah elected king;
• Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak was sworn in as Prime Minister after winning a party election for the presidency of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the party that leads the coalition with a majority of seats in parliament

• civil courts include Federal Court, Court of Appeal, High Court of Malaya on peninsula Malaysia, and High Court of Sabah and Sarawak in states of Borneo (judges are appointed by the king on the advice of the prime minister);
• sharia courts include Sharia Appeal Court, Sharia High Court, and Sharia Subordinate Courts at state-level and deal with religious and family matters such as custody, divorce, and inheritance only for Muslims;
• decisions of sharia courts cannot be appealed to civil courts

• Bar Council;
• BERSIH (electoral reform coalition);
• PEMBELA (Muslim NGO coalition);
• PERKASA (defense of Malay rights)

other:

• religious groups;
• women's groups;
• youth groups

chief of mission:

Ambassador OTHMAN Bin Hashim

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Paul W. JONES

embassy:

376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur

mailing address:

US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152

telephone:

[60] (3) 2168-5000

FAX:

[60] (3) 2142-2207

• 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 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

note: the design is based on the flag of the US

name:

"Negaraku" (My Country)

lyrics/music:

collective, led by Tunku ABDUL RAHMAN/Pierre Jean DE BERANGER

note: adopted 1957; the full version is only performed in the presence of the king; the tune, which was adopted from a popular French melody titled "La Rosalie," was originally the anthem of the state of Perak

agriculture:

13%

industry:

36%

services:

51% (2005 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.8%

highest 10%:

34.7% (2009 est.)

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

general assessment:

modern system featuring good intercity service on Peninsular Malaysia provided mainly by microwave radio relay and an adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; international service excellent

domestic:

domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 140 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 60;
• landing point for several major international submarine cable networks that provide connectivity to Asia, Middle East, and Europe;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean)

• state-owned TV broadcaster operates 2 TV networks with relays throughout the country, and the leading private commercial media group operates 4 TV stations with numerous relays throughout the country;
• satellite TV subscription service is available;
• state-owned radio broadcaster operates multiple national networks as well as regional and local stations;
• many private commercial radio broadcasters and some subscription satellite radio services are available;
• about 400 radio stations overall (2008)

• condensate 3 km;
• gas 1,757 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 155 km;
• oil 30 km;
• refined products 114 km (2010)

total:

1,849 km

country comparison to the world: 75

standard gauge:

57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

1,792 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2008)

total:

98,721 km

country comparison to the world: 42

paved:

80,280 km (includes 1,821 km of expressways)

unpaved:

18,441 km (2004)

• the International Maritime Bureau reports that the territorial and offshore waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea remain high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships;
• in the past, commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;
• hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia;
• crews have been murdered or cast adrift;
• increased naval patrols since 2005 in the Strait of Malacca resulted in no reported incidents in 2010

males age 16-49:

7,501,518

females age 16-49:

7,315,999 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

6,247,306

females age 16-49:

6,175,274 (2010 est.)

male:

265,008

female:

254,812 (2010 est.)

• 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, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits;
• in 2008, ICJ awarded sovereignty of Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh/Horsburgh Island) to Singapore, and Middle Rocks to Malaysia, but did not rule on maritime regimes, boundaries, or disposition of South Ledge;
• land and maritime negotiations with Indonesia are ongoing, and disputed areas include the controversial Tanjung Datu and Camar Wulan border area in Borneo and the maritime boundary in the Ambalat oil block in the Celebes Sea;
• 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 dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo;
• Per Letters of Exchange signed in 2009, Malaysia in 2010 ceded two hydrocarbon concession blocks to Brunei in exchange for Brunei's sultan dropping claims to the Limbang corridor, which divides Brunei;
• piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

current situation:

• Malaysia is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, and men, women, and children for forced labor;
• Malaysia is mainly a destination country for men, women, and children who migrate willingly from countries including Indonesia, Nepal, India, Thailand, China, the Philippines, Burma, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam to work, some of whom are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by Malaysian employers in the domestic, agricultural, construction, plantation, and industrial sectors;
• a small number of Malaysian citizens were reportedly trafficked internally and abroad to Singapore, China, and Japan for commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - the Government of Malaysia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• while the government increased the number of convictions obtained under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act during the year and continued public awareness efforts on trafficking, it did not effectively investigate and prosecute labor trafficking cases, and failed to address problems of government complicity in trafficking and lack of effective victim care and counseling by authorities (2009)

• drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe penalties;
• heroin still primary drug of abuse, but synthetic drug demand remains strong;
• continued ecstasy and methamphetamine producer for domestic users and, to a lesser extent, the regional drug market