Malaysia

Malaysia

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Persekutuan Tanah Malaysia/Federation of Malaysia Area 329,759 sq km/127,319 sq mi Capital Kuala Lumpur Language Bahasa Malaysia (Malay; official), English, Chinese, Tamil, Iban, many local dialects Religion Muslim (official) about 53%, Buddhist 19%, Hindu, Christian, local beliefs Time difference GMT +8 Major holidays 1 January (in some states), 1 May, 3 June, 31 August, 25 December; variable: Eid-ul Adha, Diwali (in most states), end of Ramadan (2 days), New Year (Chinese, January/February, most states), New Year (Muslim), Prophet's Birthday, Wesak (most states), several local festivals


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Johor Bahru, Ipoh, George Town (on Penang island), Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bahru, Petaling Jaya, Kelang, Kuching (on Sarawak), Kota Kinabalu (on Sabah) Major ports Kelang Physical features comprises peninsular Malaysia (the nine Malay states – Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor, Terengganu – plus Melaka and Penang); states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo; and the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur; 75% tropical rainforest; central mountain range; Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in southeast Asia, is in Sabah; swamps in east; Niah caves (Sarawak) Airports 13 principal airports, including four international airports; total passengers carried: 16.2 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 2,360 km/1,466 mi; total passenger journeys: 5.9 million (1998) Roads total road network: 71,814 km/44,623 mi, of which 77.9% paved (2001); passenger cars: 254 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 2006 Head of government Datuk Badawi from 2003 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions 13 states Political parties New United Malays' National Organization (UMNO Baru), Malay-oriented nationalist; Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), Chinese-oriented, conservative; Gerakan Party, Chinese-oriented, socialist; Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Indian-oriented; Democratic Action Party (DAP), multiracial but Chinese-dominated, left of centre; Pan-Malayan Islamic Party (PAS), Islamic; Semangat '46 (Spirit of 1946), moderate, multiracial Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 110,000; plus 51,600 reservists and paramilitary forces of 24,600 (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 1.9 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 8.1 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2.2 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency ringgit GDP (US$) 130.1 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 5.5 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 125.8 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 10,320 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3.8% (2006 est) Unemployment 3.6% (2005) Labour force 14.8% agriculture, 30.1% industry, 55.1% services (2004) Foreign debt (US$) 52.1 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Singapore, Japan, USA, China, Thailand Resources tin, bauxite, copper, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, forests Industries electrical and electronic appliances (particularly radio and TV receivers), food processing, rubber products, industrial chemicals, wood products, petroleum refinery, motor vehicles, tourism Exports electronics and electrical machinery, chemicals and chemical products, palm oil, rubber, crude petroleum, machinery and transport equipment, wood products. Principal market: USA 22.4% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, crude petroleum, consumer goods. Principal source: Singapore 29.2% (2005) Arable land 5.5% (2006 est) Agricultural products rice, cocoa, palm, rubber, pepper, coconuts, tea, pineapples


POPULATION

Population 25,796,100 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1.7% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 78 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 65 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 32%, 15–59 61%, 60+ 7% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 56% of the population is Malay, four-fifths of whom live in rural areas; 34% is Chinese, four-fifths of whom are in towns; 9% is Indian, mainly Tamil Life expectancy 72 (men); 77 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 12 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 11 Literacy rate 92% (men); 85% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 7 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 2 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.5 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 4,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 99 (urban); 94 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 16.8 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 75.2 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 420 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 219 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 19.2 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 42.4 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1st century AD Peoples of Malay peninsula influenced by Indian culture and Buddhism. 8th–13th centuries Malay peninsula formed part of Buddhist Srivijaya Empire based in Sumatra. 14th century Siam (Thailand) expanded to include most of Malay peninsula. 1403 Muslim traders founded port of Malacca (now Melaka), which became a great commercial centre, encouraging the spread of Islam. 1511 The Portuguese attacked and captured Malacca. 1641 The Portuguese were ousted from Malacca by the Dutch after a seven-year blockade. 1786 The British East India Company established a trading post on island of Penang. 1795–1815 Britain occupied the Dutch colonies after France conquered the Netherlands. 1819 Stamford Raffles of East India Company obtained Singapore from Sultan of Johore. 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty ceded Malacca to Britain in return for territory in Sumatra. 1826 British possessions of Singapore, Penang, and Malacca formed the Straits Settlements, ruled by the governor of Bengal; ports prospered and expanded. 1840 The Sultan of Brunei gave Sarawak to James Brooke, whose family ruled it as an independent state until 1946. 1851 Responsibility for Straits Settlements assumed by the governor general of India. 1858 British government, through India Office, took over administration of Straits Settlements. 1867 Straits Settlements became crown colony of British Empire. 1874 British protectorates established over four Malay states of Perak, Salangor, Pahang, and Negeri Sembilan, which federated in 1896. 1888 Britain declared protectorate over northern Borneo (Sabah). late 19th century Millions of Chinese and thousands of Indians migrated to Malaya to work in tin mines and on rubber plantations. 1909–14 Britain assumed indirect rule over five northern Malay states after agreement with Siam (Thailand). 1941–45 Japanese occupation. 1946 United Malay National Organization (UMNO) founded to oppose British plans for centralized Union of Malaya. 1948 Britain federated nine Malay states with Penang and Malacca to form the single colony of the Federation of Malaya. 1948–60 Malayan emergency: British forces suppressed insurrection by communist guerrillas. 1957 Federation of Malaya became independent with Prince Abdul Rahman (leader of UMNO) as prime minister. 1963 Federation of Malaya combined with Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah to form Federation of Malaysia. 1963–66 ‘The Confrontation’ – guerrillas supported by Indonesia opposed federation with intermittent warfare. 1965 Singapore withdrew from the Federation of Malaysia. 1968 Philippines claimed sovereignty over Sabah. 1969 Malay resentment of Chinese economic dominance resulted in race riots in Kuala Lumpur. 1971 Bumiputra policies which favoured ethnic Malays in education and employment introduced by Tun Abul Razak of UMNO. 1981 Mahathir bin Muhammad (UMNO) became prime minister; government increasingly dominated by Muslim Malays. 1987 Malay–Chinese relations deteriorated; over 100 opposition activists arrested. 1991 Economic development policy launched which aimed at 7% annual growth. 1997 Currency allowed to float. Parts of Borneo and Sumatra covered by thick smog for several weeks following forest-clearing fires. 1998 Repatriation of foreign workers commenced. Currency controls introduced as GDP contracted sharply. 1999 Mahathir bin Muhammad's ruling coalition party re-elected. Tuanku Salehuddin Abdul Aziz Shan bin al-Marhum Hisamuddin Alam Shah appointed president. 2000 Ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim found guilty of sodomy by high court and sentenced to nine-years' imprisonment, to be served in addition to six-year sentence he received in 1999 for corruption. International Commission of Jurists condemned verdict as politically motivated. 2003 Prime Minister Muhammad stepped down after 22 years; succeeded by deputy prime minister Abdullah Badawi. 2004 Prime Minister Badawi won landslide victory in general elections. Court overturned Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy conviction and he was freed. Asian tsunami disaster killed scores of people in Malaysia. 2005 Bitter dispute with Singapore over land reclamation work in their border waters was settled. Following four-month amnesty, round-up of illegal immigrants began, causing exodus of hundreds of thousands of illegal labourers. Forest fires on Sumatra engulfed central areas with acrid smoke; state of emergency called. 2006 Flooding in the south displaced 60,000 people. 2007 Second wave of floods led to evacuation of 70,000 in the south. Deal signed with Indonesia and Brunei to protect major part of Borneo's rainforest. In partnership with Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, further step was taken towards building 310 km/193 mi pipeline that would bypass the Malacca Strait, making it easier and safer for oil tankers to load crude oil.


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