Country name:

Malaysia

Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Malaysia
Former: Federation of Malaysia

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

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; there is a new federal territory named Putrajaya, but this change has not yet been approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

Independence:

31 August 1957 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)

Constitution:

31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963

Population:

22,662,365 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 34.1% (male 3,974,532; female 3,753,407)
15-64 years: 61.6% (male 6,995,451; female 6,969,435)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 424,776; female 544,764) (2002 est.)

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

Asian Melting Pot

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Area:

Total: 329,750 sq km
Water: 1,200 sq km
Land: 328,550 sq km

Area - comparative:

Slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:

Total: 2,669 km
Border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km

Coastline:

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

Climate:

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

Terrain:

Coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Elevation extremes:

Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m

Natural resources:

Tin, Petroleum, Timber, Copper, Iron ore, Natural gas, Bauxite

Land use:

Arable land: 5.54%
Permanent crops: 17.61%
Other: 76.85% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:

3,650 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:

Flooding, landslides, forest fires

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

Geography - note:

Strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea