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Malaysia Country Guide
Explore Malaysia in Asia
Malaysia with the capital city Kuala Lumpur is located in Asia (Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo). It covers some 329,750 square kilometres (slightly larger than New Mexico) with 25,259,000 citizens.
The landscape offers coastal plains rising to hills and mountains. The average density of population is approximately 77 per km². The notable climate conditions in Malaysia can be described as tropical with annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons. Potential threats by nature are flooding or landslides or forest fires.
To reach someone in Malaysia dial +60 prior to a number. There are 4,312,000 installed telephones. And there are 30,379,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800/3G MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".my". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 240V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Malaysia
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.
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore''s withdrawal in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies and has introduced some civil reforms.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Asia Neighbours: Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia Capital: Kuala Lumpur |
| Size | 329,750 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 127,317 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly larger than New Mexico |
| Population | 25,259,000 |
| Currency | Name Ringgit, Currency Code:MYR |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .my |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +60 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 30,379,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 4,312,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 329,847 (sq km) | 67 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 29,628,392 | 43 |
| Population growth rate | 1.51 (%) | 79 |
| Birth rate | 20.41 (births/1,000 population) | 83 |
| Death rate | 4.97 (deaths/1,000 population) | 184 |
| Net migration rate | -0.35 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 129 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 29.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 125 |
| Infant mortality rate | 14.12 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 118 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 74.28 (years) | 112 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.61 (children born/woman) | 78 |
| Health expenditures | 4.40 (% of GDP) | 156 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.50 (%) | 66 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 100,000 | 41 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 5,800 | 36 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 14.00 (%) | 123 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 12.90 (%) | 58 |
| Education expenditures | 5.10 (% of GDP) | 70 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 11.30 (%) | 103 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 506,700,000,000 | 30 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 5.60 (%) | 51 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 17,200 | 78 |
| Labor force | 12,920,000 | 42 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.20 (%) | 27 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 46.20 | 33 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 25.20 (% of GDP) | 50 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 19.50 (% of GDP) | 169 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -5.30 (% of GDP) | 163 |
| Public debt | 53.50 (% of GDP) | 54 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.90 (%) | 30 |
| Central bank discount rate | 2.83 (%) | 107 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 4.83 (%) | 160 |
| Stock of narrow money | 96,680,000,000 | 36 |
| Stock of broad money | 458,500,000,000 | 23 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 403,700,000,000 | 29 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 410,500,000,000 | 23 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 1.40 (%) | 128 |
| Current account balance | 22,800,000,000 | 16 |
| Exports | 247,000,000,000 | 24 |
| Imports | 202,400,000,000 | 27 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 140,400,000,000 | 20 |
| Debt - external | 98,650,000,000 | 49 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 123,000,000,000 | 33 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 123,300,000,000 | 27 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 118,000,000,000 (kWh) | 31 |
| Electricity - consumption | 112,000,000,000 (kWh) | 29 |
| Electricity - exports | 88,000,000 (kWh) | 73 |
| Electricity - imports | 33,000,000 (kWh) | 103 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 25,240,000 (kW) | 32 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 91.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 73 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 8.30 (% of total installed capacity) | 118 |
| Crude oil - production | 603,400 (bbl/day) | 29 |
| Crude oil - exports | 269,000 (bbl/day) | 27 |
| Crude oil - imports | 199,100 (bbl/day) | 34 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 2,900,000,000 (bbl) | 30 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 649,700 (bbl/day) | 28 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 542,900 (bbl/day) | 34 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 213,800 (bbl/day) | 30 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 178,200 (bbl/day) | 29 |
| Natural gas - production | 66,500,000,000 (cu m) | 14 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 35,700,000,000 (cu m) | 27 |
| Natural gas - exports | 31,990,000,000 (cu m) | 13 |
| Natural gas - imports | 2,940,000,000 (cu m) | 44 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 2,350,000,000,000 (cu m) | 16 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 181,900,000 (Mt) | 30 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 4,243,000 | 40 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 36,661,000 | 30 |
| Internet hosts | 422,470 | 53 |
| Internet users | 15,355,000 | 26 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 117 | 49 |
| Railways | 1,849 (km) | 75 |
| Roadways | 98,721 (km) | 42 |
| Waterways | 7,200 (km) | 20 |
| Merchant marine | 315 | 31 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 2.03 (% of GDP) | 65 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley Situated in the lush Lenggong Valley, the property includes four archaeological sites in two clusters which span close to 2 million years, one of the longest records of early man in a single locality, and the oldest outside the African continent. It ... | 2012 |
| Gunung Mulu National Park Important both for its high biodiversity and for its karst features, Gunung Mulu National Park, on the island of Borneo in the State of Sarawak, is the most studied tropical karst area in the world. The 52,864-ha park contains seventeen vegetation zo ... | 2000 |
| Kinabalu Park Kinabalu Park, in the State of Sabah on the northern end of the island of Borneo, is dominated by Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. It has a very wide range of habitats, from rich tropical lowland an ... | 2000 |
| Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specifi ... | 2008 |