MALAYSIA
MARCH 25, 2009 BY RANG WHAM
| Introduction | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Background:
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| Geography | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Location:
Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern
one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and
the South China Sea, south of Vietnam
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Geographic coordinates:
2 30 N, 112 30 E
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Map references:
Southeast
Asia
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Area:
total: 329,750 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km water: 1,200 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
slightly larger than New Mexico
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Land boundaries:
total: 2,669 km
border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km |
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Coastline:
4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)
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Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea |
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Climate:
tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast
(October to February) monsoons
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Terrain:
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
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Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m |
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Natural resources:
tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite
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Land use:
arable land: 5.46%
permanent crops: 17.54% other: 77% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
3,650 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
580 cu km (1999)
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Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 9.02 cu km/yr (17%/21%/62%)
per capita: 356 cu m/yr (2000) |
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Natural hazards:
flooding, landslides, forest fires
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Environment - current issues:
air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water
pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from
Indonesian forest fires
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Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
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Geography - note:
strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South
China Sea
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| People | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Population:
25,274,132 (July 2008 est.)
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Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.8% (male 4,135,013/female 3,898,761)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 8,026,755/female 7,965,332) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 548,970/female 699,302) (2008 est.) |
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Median age:
total: 24.6 years
male: 24 years female: 25.3 years (2008 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
1.742% (2008 est.)
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Birth rate:
22.44 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Death rate:
5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
NA
note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal immigrants from other countries in the region (2008 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
total: 16.39 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.03 years
male: 70.32 years female: 75.94 years (2008 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
2.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
52,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,000 (2003 est.)
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Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008) |
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Nationality:
noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian |
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Ethnic groups:
Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others
7.8% (2004 est.)
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Religions:
Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%,
Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%,
other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census)
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Languages:
Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese,
Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu,
Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan |
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Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.7% male: 92% female: 85.4% (2000 census) |
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary
education):
total: 13 years
male: 12 years female: 13 years (2005) |
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Education expenditures:
6.2% of GDP (2004)
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| Government | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia local long form: none local short form: Malaysia former: Federation of Malaya |
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Government type:
constitutional monarchy
note: nominally headed by paramount ruler (commonly referred to as the King) and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers (commonly referred to as sultans) except Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls) |
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Capital:
name: Kuala Lumpur
geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur |
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Administrative divisions:
13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah,
Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau
Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu; and one
federal territory (wilayah persekutuan) with three components,
city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya
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Independence:
31 August 1957 (from UK)
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National holiday:
Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)
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Constitution:
31 August 1957 (amended many times, latest in 2007)
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Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts
in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the
federation; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of
family law and religion; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
chief of state: King - Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin
(since 13 December 2006); (the position of the king is primarily
ceremonial)
head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (since 7 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the king elections: kings are elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held on 3 November 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader who commands the support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister (since independence this has been the leader of the UMNO party) election results: Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin elected king; in practice, selection is based on principle of rotation among rulers of states |
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Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of Senate or Dewan
Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by the king, 26 elected by 13
state legislatures; to serve three-year terms with limit of two
terms) and House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve maximum of five-year
terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held on 8 March 2008 (next to be held by June 2013) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - BN coalition 50.3%, opposition parties 46.8%, others 2.9%; seats - BN coalition 140, opposition parties 82 |
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Judicial branch:
Civil Courts include Federal Court, Court of Appeal, High Court
of Malaya on peninsula Malaysia, and High Court of Sabah and
Sarawak in states of Borneo (judges appointed by the king on the
advice of the prime minister); Sharia Courts include Sharia
Appeal Court, Sharia High Court, and Sharia Subordinate Courts
at state-level and deal with religious and family matters such
as custody, divorce, and inheritance, only for Muslims;
decisions of Sharia courts cannot be appealed to civil courts
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Political parties and leaders:
National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN (ruling
coalition) consists of the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat
Malaysia Party or PGRM [KOH Tsu Koon]; Liberal Democratic Party
(Parti Liberal Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui Keong];
Malaysian Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA
[ONG Tee Keat]; Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongres India
Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or
PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN
Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu or PBB [Abdul TAIB
Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS [James MASING]; Sarawak
United People's Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP
[George CHAN Hong Nam]; United Malays National Organization or
UMNO [ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi]; United Pasokmomogun
Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun
Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Bernard DOMPOK]; People's
Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia) or PPP
[M.Kayveas]; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP
[William MAWAN])
People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) or PR (opposition coalition) consists of the following parties: Democratic Action Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang]; People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismail]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG] independent party: Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Saban) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
Bar Council BERSIH (electoral reform coalition); PEMBELA (Muslim
NGO coalition)
other: religious groups; women's groups; youth groups |
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International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,
MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge
d'Affaires Ilango KARUPPANNAN
chancery: 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700 FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James R. KEITH
embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000 FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207 |
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Flag description:
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 crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the
design was based on the flag of the US
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| Economy | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Economy - overview:
Malaysia, a middle-income country, has transformed itself since the
1970s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector
economy. Since coming to office in 2003, Prime Minister ABDULLAH has
tried to move the economy farther up the value-added production
chain by attracting investments in high technology industries,
medical technology, and pharmaceuticals. The Government of Malaysia
is continuing efforts to boost domestic demand to wean the economy
off of its dependence on exports. Nevertheless, exports -
particularly of electronics - remain a significant driver of the
economy. As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited from
higher world energy prices, although the rising cost of domestic
gasoline and diesel fuel forced Kuala Lumpur to reduce government
subsidies. Malaysia "unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in
2005 and the currency appreciated 6% per year against the dollar in
2006-08. Although this has helped to hold down the price of imports,
inflationary pressures began to build in 2007 - in 2008 inflation
stood at nearly 6%, year-over-year. The government presented its
five-year national development agenda in April 2006 through the
Ninth Malaysia Plan, a comprehensive blueprint for the allocation of
the national budget from 2006-10. ABDULLAH has unveiled a series of
ambitious development schemes for several regions that have had
trouble attracting business investment. Real GDP growth has averaged
about 6% per year under ABDULLAH, but regions outside of Kuala
Lumpur and the manufacturing hub Penang have not fared as well. The
central bank maintains healthy foreign exchange reserves and the
regulatory regime has limited Malaysia's exposure to riskier
financial instruments and the global financial crises. Decreasing
worldwide demand for consumer goods is expected to hurt economic
growth, however.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
$397.5 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
$214.7 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2008 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
$15,700 (2008 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.7%
industry: 44.6% services: 45.7% (2008 est.) |
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Labor force:
11.2 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 13%
industry: 36% services: 51% (2005 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
3.7% (2008 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
46.1 (2002)
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Investment (gross fixed):
20.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget:
revenues: $44.32 billion
expenditures: $55.01 billion (2008 est.) |
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Public debt:
42.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.8%
note: approximately 30% of goods are price-controlled (2008 est.) |
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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6.41% (31 December 2007)
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Stock of money:
$49.41 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money:
$187.6 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit:
$220 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
$325.7 billion (31 December 2007)
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Agriculture - products:
Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice; Sabah -
subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice; Sarawak -
rubber, pepper, timber
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Industries:
Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and
manufacturing, light manufacturing, electronics, tin mining and
smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum
production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum
production and refining, logging
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Electricity - production:
102.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
95.98 billion kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
2.524 billion kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil - production:
753,700 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
501,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)
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Oil - exports:
546,300 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - imports:
308,500 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - proved reserves:
4 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
64.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
32.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
31.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.35 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
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Current account balance:
$27.44 billion (2008 est.)
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Exports:
$195.7 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood
and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals
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Exports - partners:
US 15.6%, Singapore 14.6%, Japan 9.1%, China 8.8%, Thailand 5%,
Hong Kong 4.6% (2007)
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Imports:
$156.2 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles,
iron and steel products, chemicals
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Imports - partners:
Japan 13%, China 12.9%, Singapore 11.5%, US 10.8%, Taiwan 5.7%,
Thailand 5.3%, South Korea 4.9%, Germany 4.6%, Indonesia 4.2%
(2007)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$104.4 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
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Debt - external:
$54.11 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$92.76 billion (2008 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$50.08 billion (2008 est.)
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Exchange rates:
ringgits (MYR) per US dollar - 3.33 (2008 est.), 3.46 (2007),
3.6683 (2006), 3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004)
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| Communications | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
4.35 million (2007)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
23.347 million (2007)
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Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system; international
service excellent
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity exceeds 110 per 100 persons international: country code - 60; landing point for several major international submarine cable networks that provide connectivity to Asia, Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15 (2001)
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Television broadcast stations:
88 (mainland Malaysia 51, Sabah 16, and Sarawak 21) (2006)
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Internet country code:
.my
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Internet hosts:
377,716 (2008)
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Internet users:
15.868 million (2007)
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| Transportation | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Airports:
116 (2007)
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Airports - with paved runways:
total: 36
over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 6 (2007) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 80
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 72 (2007) |
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Heliports:
2 (2007)
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Pipelines:
condensate 282 km; gas 5,273 km; oil 1,750 km; oil/gas/water 19
km; refined products 114 km (2007)
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Railways:
total: 1,890 km
standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,833 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2006) |
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Roadways:
total: 98,721 km
paved: 80,280 km (includes 1,821 km of expressways) unpaved: 18,441 km (2004) |
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Waterways:
7,200 km
note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km (2008) |
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Merchant marine:
total: 306
by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 97, carrier 1, chemical tanker 34, container 46, liquefied gas 33, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 71, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 4 foreign-owned: 40 (Germany 1, Hong Kong 14, Japan 4, Russia 2, Singapore 16, Sweden 3) registered in other countries: 68 (Bahamas 13, Marshall Islands 3, Norway 1, Panama 12, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Singapore 27, Thailand 3, Tuvalu 1, US 2, unknown 4) (2008) |
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Ports and terminals:
Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Labuan, George Town (Penang),
Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas
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Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and
offshore waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as
high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous
commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at
anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised
and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been
murdered or cast adrift
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| Military | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Military branches:
Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM):
Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Navy
(Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force
(Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) (2008)
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Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)
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Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,440,338
females age 16-49: 6,280,826 (2008 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,374,006
females age 16-49: 5,316,865 (2008 est.) |
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age
annually:
male: 260,725
female: 247,309 (2008 est.) |
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Military expenditures:
2.03% of GDP (2005 est.)
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| Transnational Issues | Malaysia | Top of Page |
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Disputes - international:
Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands
together with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly
Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in
the South China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly
Islands, it is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought
by some parties; Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint
accord among the national oil companies of China, the
Philippines, and Vietnam on conducting marine seismic activities
in the Spratly Islands; disputes continue over deliveries of
fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge
construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore
Straits; in November 2007, the ICJ will hold public hearings in
response to the Memorials and Countermemorials filed by the
parties in 2003 and 2005 over sovereignty of Pedra Branca
Island/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge; ICJ
awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also claimed by Indonesia
and Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime boundary and
sovereignty of Unarang rock in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea
in dispute; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly
Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor
border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines
retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern
Borneo; Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September 2008 to resolve
their offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume hydrocarbon
exploration and renounce any territorial claims on land; piracy
remains a problem in the Malacca Strait
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 15,174 (Indonesia);
21,544 (Burma) (2007)
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Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Malaysia is a destination and, to
a lesser extent, a source and transit country for women and
children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual
exploitation, and men, women, and children for forced labor;
Malaysia is mainly a destination country for men, women, and
children who migrate willingly from South and Southeast Asia
to work, some of whom are subjected to conditions of
involuntary servitude by Malaysian employers in the
domestic, agricultural, construction, plantation, and
industrial sectors; to a lesser extent, some Malaysian
women, primarily of Chinese ethnicity, are trafficked abroad
for commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Malaysia improved from Tier 3 to the Tier 2 Watch List for 2008 when it enacted comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation in July 2007; however, it did not take action against exploitative employers or labor traffickers in 2007; the government has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008) |
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Illicit drugs:
drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe
penalties; heroin still primary drug of abuse, but synthetic
drug demand remains strong; continued ecstasy and
methamphetamine producer for domestic users and, to a lesser
extent, the regional drug market
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This page was last updated on 24 February 2009