Official name: Malaysia
Former name: Malaya
Independent since: 1957
Former colonial ruler: Great Britain
Location: Southeast Asia, Malay Peninsula and Islands
Area: 127,316 square miles
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Population: 22.7 million (2002 est.)
Official language: Malay
Major religions: Islam; Buddhism; Chinese folk-religion Gross domestic product: US$200 billion (2001 est.)
Major exports: machinery and transport equipment; basic manufactures; minerals;
Fuels; animal and vegetable oils Military expenditures: US$1.69 billion (2000)
South of Thailand and north of Singapore. Major palm oil, rubber, and other agricultural plantations are on the peninsula. East Malaysia is located on the island of Borneo and consists of two states, Sarawak and Sabah, with Brunei lying on the coast in between them. Together they are about the size of Louisiana. East Malaysia is covered by dense jungle, with many large river systems.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a king, who is elected every five years, as its supreme head of state. The king is elected by rulers of the royal states of Johore, Selangor, Perak, Pahang, Kelantan, Trengganu, Kedah, Perlis, and Negri Sem-bilan, which act on the advice of the state executive council.
The nonroyal states of Penang, Malacca, Sarawak, and Sabah are headed by governors who are appointed on a four-year basis. They act in accordance with the advice of the respective state governments, which are headed by chief ministers. The state government operates along the guidelines of the federal government in Kuala Lumpur, and every elected king must act in accordance with government advice. Malaysia has a parliamentary demo-
Cratic government that is elected every five years. The head of the government is the prime minister. The government is a coalition, but the party of the prime minister dominates.
The 22.7 million people who live in Malaysia are racially diverse and have many different cultural backgrounds. Ties between these groups have developed through educational, social, sporting, and cultural organizations, but ethnic groups still remain essentially segregated. The largest ethnic group is the Malays. Together with other indigenous groups, they make up 59 percent of the total population.
Some of the other groups include the Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kadazans, Kenyahs, Melanaus, and Muruts. They are mainly farmers, civil servants, or fishermen. The Chinese make up 32 percent of the population and live mostly on the peninsula in the tin and rubber producing areas. The Indians make up 9 percent of the population and are the third largest group. They also live mainly on the peninsula.
Malaysia's population is young; 48 percent of the population is under the age of twenty. Because of this diverse population, things have not gone smoothly politically, in spite of the fact that the Malaysian economy has been one of the fastest growing in the world and that the government instituted policies to counteract conflict among ethnic groups.
World History
