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Malaysia and its islands, located between 2 and 7 degrees north of the Equator, Peninsular Malaysia is separated from the states of Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. To the north of Peninsular Malaysia is Thailand while its southern neighbor is Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak bounded by Indonesia while Sarawak also shares a border with Brunei.
Malaysia began to colonize by Great Britain in the late 18th century. Malaysia gained independence in 1957 with Kuala Lumpur as the capital city. Malaysia has a developing economy with mostly coastal plains rising to central hills and mountains and has into a stronger multi-sector economy because of a relatively small external debt and good external investments.
The Federation of Malaysia comprises Peninsular Malaysia made up of 13 states, three Federal Territories and the states of Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo.
There is a strong interlink between the country's multiracial and multicultural make-up and its history. Beside the local Malays and the native groups, immigrants from China, India, Indonesia and other parts of the world have all contributed to the multiracial composition of its population. Consequently, the evolution of the country into a cultural meting pot is evident in the unique blend of religions, socip-cultural activities and tradition, dressing, languages and food.
| Country Name: |
The Federation of Malaysia |
| Government type: |
Parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislative system. |
| Capital name: |
Kuala Lumpur |
| Geographic coordinates: |
3°08°N, 101°42°E |
| Area: |
329,847 sq. km. |
| Provinces: |
13 states |
| Population: |
over 27 million |
| Nationality: |
Malaysian |
| Ethnic groups: |
Malays make up about 57% of the population and are the predominant group with Chinese, Indians and other ethic groups making up the rest |
| Religions: |
Islam is the official religion but other religion are practiced freely. |
| Languages: |
Bahasa Melayu (Malay) is the national language but english is widely spoken. Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai, Iban and Kad |
| Local time: |
UTC+8 (plus eight hours) |
| Currency of Malaysia: |
Ringgit (RM) (MYR) |
| Exchange rates: |
Malaysian Ringgit - Currently 1 MYR = 0.2896 USD $ |
| Local Current: |
220-240 V, 50 Hz, 3-pin square plugs and sockets. Adapter available in all hotels countrywide. |
| Date Format: |
dd-mm-yyyy |
| Drives on the |
left |
| Internet TLD: |
.my |
| Calling Code: |
+60 |
| Climate / Weather |
Malaysia has a tropical climate with warm weather all year around with temperatures ranging from 21C to 32 C. Annual rainfall varies from 2,000mm to 2,500 mm. Malaysia has a tropical climate with seasonal monsoons in the northeast from October to February, and southwest from April to October. |
| History and Culture |
Apart from the local Laylays and the native groups, immigrants from China, India, Indonesia and other parts of the world have all contributed to the multiracial composition of its population. Its interesting cultural diversity can be largely attributed to the country's long and ongoing interaction with the outside world and colonial rule by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British.
The evolution of the country into a cultural melting pot is evident in the unique blend of religions, socio-cultural activities, traditions, languages and food. The country archived independence on August 31, 1957 as the Federation of Malaya and subsequently with the entry of Sabah and Sarawak in 1963, Malaysia was formed. |
| Economic Profile |
| Manufacturing constitutes the largest component of Malaysia's economy while tourism and primary commodities such as petroleum, palm oil, natural rubber and timber are major contributors. |
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