Malaysia

mean elevation:

419 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Indian Ocean; 4095 highest point: Gunung Kinabalu

• flooding;
• landslides;
• forest fires

• air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions;
• water pollution from raw sewage;
• deforestation;
• smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires;
• endangered species;
• coastal reclamation damaging mangroves and turtle nesting sites

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

0-14 years:

27.48% (male 4,498,796 /female 4,243,418)

15-24 years:

16.74% (male 2,704,318 /female 2,621,444)

25-54 years:

40.97% (male 6,587,529 /female 6,444,430)

55-64 years:

8.46% (male 1,364,858 /female 1,325,595)

65 years and over:

6.35% (male 957,841 /female 1,061,431) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

44.6 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

36.1 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

8.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

11.8 (2015 est.)

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.9 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever (2016)

water contact diseases:

leptospirosis (2016)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Malaysia

local long form:

none

local short form:

Malaysia

former:

Federation of Malaya

etymology:

the name means "Land of the Malays"

name:

• Kuala Lumpur;
• note - nearby Putrajaya is referred to as a federal government administrative center but not the capital;
• Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur

geographic coordinates:

3 10 N, 101 42 E

time difference:

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 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 3 components, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya

history:

previous 1948; latest drafted 21 February 1957, effective 27 August 1957 (2017)

amendments:

• proposed as a "bill" by Parliament;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Parliament membership in the bill’s second and third readings;
• a number of constitutional sections are excluded from amendment or repeal;
• amended many times, last in 2010 (2017)

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

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Malaysia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 out 12 years preceding application

highest courts:

• Federal Court (consists of the chief justice, president of the Court of Appeal, chief justice of the High Court of Malaya, chief judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak, 8 judges, and 1 "additional" judge);
• note - Malaysia has a dual judicial hierarchy of civil and religious (sharia) courts

judge selection and term of office:

• Federal Court justices appointed by the monarch on advice of the prime minister;
• judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 66 with the possibility of 6-month extensions

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeal;
• High Court;
• Sessions Court;
• Magistrates' Court

chief of state:

• King MUHAMMAD V (formerly known as Tuanku Muhammad Faris Petra) (selected on 14 October 2016; installed on 13 December 2016);
• note - the position of the king is primarily ceremonial, but he is the final arbiter on the appointment of the prime minister

head of government:

Prime Minister MAHATHIR Mohamad (since 10 May 2018); Deputy Prime Minister WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismail (since 10 May 2018)

cabinet:

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

elections/appointments:

• king elected by and from the hereditary rulers of 9 states for a 5-year term;
• election is on a rotational basis among rulers of the 9 states;
• election last held on 14 October 2016 (next to be held in 2021);
• prime minister designated from among members of the House of Representatives;
• following legislative elections, the leader who commands support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MURNI Abdul Hamid (since April 2018)

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 Kamala Shirin LAKHDHIR (since 21 February 2017)

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 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

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

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

agriculture:

11%

industry:

36%

services:

53% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%:

34.7% (2009 est.)

highest 10%:

34.7% (2009 est.)

general assessment:

• modern system featuring good intercity services mainly by microwave radio relay and an adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei;
• international service excellent;
• one of the most advanced telecom networks;
• roll-out of a national broadband network (2017)

domestic:

fixed-line 21 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 135 per 100 persons; domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations (2017)

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) (2017)

• 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 55 radio stations overall (2012)

number of registered air carriers:

12 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 263 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

50,347,149 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

2,005,979,379 mt-km (2015)

total:

1,851 km (2014)

standard gauge:

59 km 1.435-m gauge (59 km electrified) (2014)

narrow gauge:

1,792 km 1.000-m gauge (339 km electrified) (2014)

total:

144,403 km (excludes local roads) (2010)

paved:

116,169 km (includes 1,821 km of expressways) (2010)

unpaved:

28,234 km (2010)

total:

1,690 (2017)

by type:

bulk carrier 12, container ship 26, general cargo 188, oil tanker 129, other 1335 (2017)

major seaport(s):

Bintulu, Johor Bahru, George Town (Penang), Port Kelang (Port Klang), Tanjung Pelepas

container port(s) (TEUs):

George Town (Penang) (1,437,120), Port Kelang (Port Klang) (13,169,577), Tanjung Pelepas (8,280,661) (2016)

LNG terminal(s) (export):

Bintulu (Sarawak)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Sungei Udang

• 17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent and proof of age);
• mandatory retirement age 60;
• women serve in the Malaysian Armed Forces;
• no conscription (2013)

• 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;
• seven attacks were reported in 2017 including four ships boarded, two hijacked, and 32 crew taken hostage

Jemaah Islamiyah (JI):

aim(s): enhance networks in Malaysia and, ultimately, overthrow the secular Malaysian Government and establish a pan-Islamic state across Southeast Asia

area(s) of operation:

maintains a recruitment and operational presence, primarily in major cities (April 2018)

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 partiesMalaysia 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 Islandsdisputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straitsin 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 Ledgeland 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 Seaseparatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activitiesPhilippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneoper 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 Bruneipiracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

refugees (country of origin):

98,041 (Burma) (2017)

stateless persons:

• 10,068 (2017);
• note - Malaysia's stateless population consists of Rohingya refugees from Burma, ethnic Indians, and the children of Filipino and Indonesian illegal migrants;
• Burma stripped the Rohingya of their nationality in 1982;
• Filipino and Indonesian children who have not been registered for birth certificates by their parents or who received birth certificates stamped "foreigner" are not eligible to attend government schools;
• these children are vulnerable to statelessness should they not be able to apply to their parents' country of origin for passports

current situation:

• Malaysia is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking;
• Malaysia is mainly a destination country for foreign workers who migrate willingly from countries, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nepal, Burma, and other Southeast Asian countries, but subsequently encounter forced labor or debt bondage in agriculture, construction, factories, and domestic service at the hands of employers, employment agents, and labor recruiters;
• women from Southeast Asia and, to a much lesser extent, Africa, are recruited for legal work in restaurants, hotels, and salons but are forced into prostitution;
• refugees, including Rohingya adults and children, are not legally permitted to work and are vulnerable to trafficking;
• a small number of Malaysians are trafficked internally and subjected to sex trafficking abroad

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch list - Malaysia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• in 2014, amendments to strengthen existing anti-trafficking laws, including enabling victims to move freely and to work and for NGOs to run protective facilities, were drafted by the government and are pending approval from Parliament;
• authorities more than doubled investigations and prosecutions but convicted only three traffickers for forced labor and none for sex trafficking, a decline from 2013 and a disproportionately small number compared to the scale of the country’s trafficking problem;
• NGOs provided the majority of victim rehabilitation and counseling services with no financial support from the government (2015)

• drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously, including enforcement of the death penalty;
• 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