Islamic countries

Islamic countries

MALAYSIA

General Information

Total Land Area:	328,550 km²
Land boundaries:	2,669 km
Coastline:	4,830 km
Capital:	Kuala Lumpur
Other Large Cities:	Ipoh, Johor Baharu, Melaka
Official Language:	Malay (Bahasa Melayu)
National Currency Unit:	Ringgit (MYR)
National Day:	August 31

Location and Geography

Malaysia lies at the heart of South East Asia and is made up of the mainland and Borneo Island. Peninsular Malaysia has a land frontier with Thailand in the North. In the South, it is linked to Singapore by a causeway. To the West, across the Straits of Melaka, lies the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. The Philippine Islands lie to the North-east of Sabah. There are two regions separated by the South China Sea: Peninsular Malaysia extending from Kra Isthmus to the Straits of Johor, and Sabah and Sarawak on the North-western coast of the island of Borneo. Primary forests cover 60 percent of Malaysia and contain a variety of lush and tropical vegetation. The country is subjected to maritime influences and the interplay of wind systems, which originate in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. The climate is tropical and humidity is high due to rainfall.

Demography

Population:	24.53 million (2002)
Crude Birth Rate:	22 per thousand people (2002)
Crude Death Rate:	5 per thousand people (2002)
Infant Mortality Rate:	8 per thousand (2002)
Life Expectancy:	Male: 70 years, Female: 75 years (2002)
Urban Population:	59.0 percent (2002)
Adult Literacy:	87.90 percent (2001)

Economy

Malaysia is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of semiconductors. The country is also an important non-OPEC producer of oil and natural gas. Malaysia is promoting the development of industries that can take advantage of its commodity raw materials. It displays encouraging manufacturing ventures in petrochemicals, chemicals, food processing and furniture. The industry is dominated by the production of electronic components, telecommunications equipment, electrical machinery, air conditioners, television sets, apparel, and textiles. The natural resources include tin, crude oil, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, and bauxite. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing used to be the traditional basis of the Malaysian economy. The country remains the world’s largest exporter of palm oil, rubber, and tropical timber, and comes fourth in tin and cocoa. The main food crop is rice and the most important cash crops are palm oil and rubber.

GDP at Current Market Prices:	94910 million US$ (2002)
Per Capita GDP:	3869 US$ (2002)
Share of Sectors in GDP:	9.0% Agriculture, 47.0% Industry, 44.0% Services, (2002)
Total Exports:	87000 million US$ (2002)
Total Imports:	81964 million US$ (2002)
Major Exports Items:	Electronic equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, palm oil, wood, rubber and textiles
Major Imports Items:	Machinery and equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals and foodstuffs
Major Trading Partners:	US, Singapore, Japan and China