Malaysia - Facts & Stats
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Malaysia National Anthem - pdf* |
Location:
Southeastern Asia, peninsula and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam
Country Name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia
former: Federation of Malaysia
Nationality:
noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian
Capital:
Kuala Lumpur
Flag Description:
The Malaysian flag, named Jalur Gemilang, consists of 14 red and white stripes of equal width and a rectangular section upper left corner containing a crescent and a star against a dark blue background. The red and white stripes stand for the equal status in the Federation of the member states and the Federal government. The rectangle of dark blue in the upper quarter of the flag next to the staff represents the unity of the people of Malaysia. The rectangle contains the crescent, the symbol of Islam, and the star with its 14 points symbolizes the unity of the 13 states of the Federation with the Federal government. The yellow of the crescent and the star is the royal color of the hereditary Malay Rulers.
(http://www.windowstomalaysia.com.my/nation/16_1.htm)
Government Type:
Constitutional Monarchy
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*
Independence:
August 31, 1957 (from the UK)
Language:
Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese,
Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of which are Iban and Kadazan
Ethnic Groups:
Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 24%, Indian 8%, others 10% (2000)
Religion:
Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia
Population:
22,662,365 (July 2002 est.)
Population Growth Rate:
1.91% (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.)
Life Expectancy:
male: 69 years; female: 74 years (2002 est.)
Literacy rate:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5%; male: 89.1%; female: 78.1% (1995 est.)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
$200 billion (2001 est.)
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Currency:
ringgit (MYR; 3.8MYR=1USD)
Area:
127,317 sq. miles (slightly larger than New Mexico)
Climate:
tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to
February) monsoons
Terrain:
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Natural Resources:
tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite
