Home
Africa
Asia
Australasia & Oceania
Europe
North America
South America
Malaysia

OFFICIAL NAME: Federation of Malaysia

DATE OF FORMATION: 1963

POPULATION: 24.9 million

DENSITY: 196 people per square mile

LANGUAGES: Bahasa Malaysia, Malay, Chinese, Tamil, English

RELIGIONS: Muslim (mainly Sunni) 53%, Buddhist 19%, Chinese faiths 12%, Other 7%, Christian 7%, Traditional beliefs 2%

ETHNIC MIX: Malay 48%, Chinese 29%, Indigenous tribes 12%, Indian 6%, Other 5%

GOVERNMENT: Multiparty elections

CURRENCY: Ringgit

 

Click to see a larger map

Malaysia comprises the three territories of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Sabah, stretching over 2000 km (1240 miles) from the edge of the Indian Ocean to the northeastern end of the island of Borneo. A central mountain chain seperates the coastal lowlands of Peninsular Malaysia; Sarawak and Sabah have swampy coastal plains rising to mountains on the border with Indonesia. Putrajaya, just south of Kuala Lumpur, is a high-tech new development intended as the home of government. The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has dominated politics since independence.

 

  © 2003 ™ Dorling Kindersley Limited, 80 Strand, London, WC2R ORL
PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS