NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Malaysia
former: Malayan Union
former: Malaya, British Singapore
former: Sabah, Sarawak
INTRODUCTION
|
Background:
|
Malaysia was formed in 1963 through a merging of the former British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, including the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo. The first several years of the country's history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession in 1965. |
GEOGRAPHY
|
Location:
|
Southeastern Asia, peninsula and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
2 30 N, 112 30 E |
|
Map references:
|
Southeast Asia |
|
Area:
|
total: 329,750 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km land: 328,550 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly larger than New Mexico |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 2,669 km
border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km |
|
Coastline:
|
4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km) |
|
Maritime claims:
|
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
|
Climate:
|
tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons |
|
Terrain:
|
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 17.61% other: 76.85% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
3,650 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
flooding, landslides, forest fires |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
|
Geography - note:
|
strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea |
PEOPLE
|
Population:
|
22,662,365 (July 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.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.91% (2002 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
24.22 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
5.16 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal immigrants from other countries in the region (2002 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
19.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 71.39 years
female: 74.21 years (2002 est.) male: 68.75 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3.18 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.42% (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
49,000 (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
1,900 (1999 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 24%, Indian 8%, others 10% (2000) |
|
Religions:
|
Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia |
|
Languages:
|
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 |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5% male: 89.1% female: 78.1% (1995 est.) |