Last Updated : 20 May 2010


Key Facts and Figures

Geographical Location:
The Federation of Malaysia comprises Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Malaysia comprises 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia, the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo and 3 Federal Territories -
- Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.

Peninsular Malaysia is separated from the states of Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. To the north of Peninsula Malaysia is Thailand while to the south is Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak are located in the northern part of Borneo with Sarawak sharing a border with Brunei.

Land Area:
330,252 sq km in total land area

Population:
28.1 million (2009f)

Capital:
Kuala Lumpur

Ethnic Groups: 
Bumiputera (66.5%), Chinese (24.8%), Indians (7.4%), Others (11.6%)

Time Zone
8 hours ahead of GMT
16 hours ahead of US Pacific Standard Time

Language
Bahasa Malaysia is the national language. English is the nation's second language. English is widely used in the business and financial industry. Malays, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups speak a variety of dialects.

Religion
Malaysia is a multi-religious society. Islam is the official religion; however Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism and Sikhism are openly practiced.

Climate
Malaysia has a tropical climate with warm weather all year round with consistent rainfall, more towards the year-end. Temperatures range from 21 °C to 32 °C.

Government
The Malaysian governmental system is based on a Federal constitutional monarchy. Malaysia is governed by a Parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislative system. The Head of State is the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, a position that is awarded to a different State Monarch every five years and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister.

Currency
The unit of currency is the Malaysian Ringgit (RM). USD1 is roughly equivalent to RM3.62 (30 April 2009). Foreign currency can be converted at banks and money changers. Click here for the latest rates.

Major Economic Activities
Manufacturing, export trade, services, tourism, commodities such as petroleum, palm oil, natural rubber and timber are Malaysia's economic activities. Information technology is also a growing industry.