Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
Malaysia’s location has long made it an important cultural, economic, historical, social, and trade link between the islands of Southeast Asia and the mainland. Through the Strait of Malacca, which separates the Malay Peninsula from the archipelago, flowed maritime trade and with it influences from China, India, the Middle East, and the east coast of Africa.
- Capital
- Kuala Lumpur
- Government
- federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- Population
- 34,905,275
- Area
- 329,847 sq km
- Location
- Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea,…
- Climate
- tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons
- Natural resources
- tin; petroleum; timber; copper; iron ore; natural gas…
- Languages
- Bahasa Malaysia (official); English; Chinese (Cantonese; Mandarin…
- Religions
- Muslim (official) 63.5%; Buddhist 18.7%; Christian 9.1%; Hindu 6.1%…
- Independence
- 31 August 1957 (from the UK)
- Administrative divisions
- 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pu…
- Currency
- ringgits (MYR)
- Export partners
- China 21%; Singapore 12%; USA 12%; Japan 5%…
- Import partners
- China 24%; Singapore 11%; USA 7%; Japan 5%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain