Statistical information Malaysia 1993

Malaysia in the World
top of pageBackground: Malaysia was created in 1963 through the merging of Malaya (independent in 1957) and the former British Singapore both of which formed West Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak in north Borneo which composed East Malaysia. The first three years of independence were marred by hostilities with Indonesia. Singapore seceded from the union in 1965.
top of pageLocation: Southeast Asia, bordering the South China Sea, between Vietnam and Indonesia
Geographic coordinatesMap reference:
Asia, Oceania, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the
World
AreaTotal: total: 329,750 km²
Land boundaries:
total 2,669 km, Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km,
Thailand 506 km
Coastline: 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Maritime claimsClimate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons
Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
ElevationNatural resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite
Land useArable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 10%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Forest and woodland: 63%
Other: 24%
Irrigated land: 3,420 km² (1989 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 18,845,340 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 2.32% (1993 est.)
NationalityNoun: Malaysian(s)
Adjective: Malaysian
Ethnic groups: Malay and other indigenous 59%, Chinese 32%, Indian 9%
Peninsular Malaysia: Malay (official)
Sabah: Muslim 38%
Sarawak: tribal religion 35%
State of Sabah: English
State of Sarawak: English
LanguagesReligionsDemographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 2.32% (1993 est.)
Birth rate: 28.93 births/1000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate: 5.77 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration ratePopulation distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: subject to flooding; air and water pollution
Current issues note:strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China
Sea
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 26.5 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 68.82 years
Male: 65.96 years
Female: 71.81 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.54 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 78%
Male: 86%
Female: 70%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Malaysia
Former: Malayan Union
Government type: constitutional monarchy; Federation of Malaysia formed 9 July 1963; nominally headed by the paramount ruler (king) and a bicameral Parliament; Peninsular Malaysian states
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Administrative divisions:
13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) and 2 federal territories* (wilayah-wilayah persekutuan, singular - wilayah persekutuan); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Labuan*, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan,
Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu,
Wilayah Persekutuan*
Dependent areasIndependence: 31 August 1957 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 31 August (1957)
Peninsular Malaysia:National Front, a confederation of 13 political parties dominated by United Malays National Organization Baru (UMNO Baru),
MAHATHIR bin Mohamad; Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), LING Liong Sik;
Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, Datuk LIM Keng Yaik; Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC),
Datuk S. Samy VELLU
Sabah: Berjaya Party, Datuk Haji Mohammed NOOR Mansor; Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Joseph Pairin KITINGAN; United Sabah National Organizaton (USNO), leader NA
Sarawak:coalition Sarawak National Front composed of the Party Pesaka
Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), Datuk Patinggi Amar Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud; Sarawak
United People's Party (SUPP), Datuk Amar James WONG Soon Kai; Sarawak National
Party (SNAP), Datuk Amar James WONG; Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), Datuk
Leo MOGGIE; major opposition parties are Democratic Action Party (DAP), LIM
Kit Siang and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Fadzil NOOR
Constitution: 31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: paramount ruler, deputy paramount ruler, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlimen) consists of an upper house or Senate (Dewan Negara) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation:
APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-77, GATT,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, UN, UNAVEM II,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Abdul MAJID Mohamed
In the us chancery: 2,401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 328-2,700
In the us consulates general: Los Angeles and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador John S. WOLF
From the us embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50,400 Kuala Lumpur
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box No. 10,035, 50,700 Kuala Lumpur
From the us telephone: 60 (3) 248-9,011
From the us fax: 60 (3) 242-2,207
Flag description
: fourteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: The Malaysian economy, a mixture of private enterprise and a soundly managed public sector, has posted a remarkable record of 8%-9% average growth in 1987-92. This growth has resulted in a substantial reduction in poverty and a marked rise in real wages. Despite sluggish growth in the major world economies in 1992, demand for Malaysian goods remained strong and foreign investors continued to commit large sums in the economy. The government is aware of the inflationary potential of this rapid development and is closely monitoring fiscal and monetary policies.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 8% (1992 est.)
Real gdp per capita: $2,960 (1992 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: accounts for 20% of GDP
Peninsular Malaysia: natural rubber, palm oil, rice
Sabah: mainly subsistence, but also rubber, timber, coconut, rice
Sarawak: rubber, timber, pepper; deficit of rice in all areas; fish catch of 608,000 metric tons in 1987
IndustriesIndustrial production growth rate: growth rate 13% (1992; accounts for NA% of GDP
Labor force: 7.258 million (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.1% (1992 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $15.6 billion; expenditures $18.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.5 billion (1992 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Peninsular Malaysia: 3,209 km
Sabah: 1,569 km
Sarawak: 2,518 km
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExportsCommodoties: electronic equipment, palm oil, petroleum and petroleum products, wood and wood products, rubber, textiles
Partners: Singapore 23%, US 18.6%, Japan 13.2%, UK 4%, Germany 4%
Imports: $39.1 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodoties: food, consumer goods, petroleum products, chemicals, capital equipment
Partners: Japan 26%, US 15.8%, Singapore 15.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Germany 4.2%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: ringgits (M$) per US$1 - 2.6238 (January 1993), 2.5475 (1992), 2.7501 (1991), 1.7048 (1990), 2.7088 (1989), 2.6188 (1988)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 8,000,000 kW capacity; 30,000 million kWh produced, 1,610 kWh per capita (1992)
Production Peninsular Malaysia: rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging and processing timber
Production Sabah: logging, petroleum production
Production Sarawak: agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp:exchange rate conversion - $2.4 billion, about 5% of
GDP (1992)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 111
Usable: 102
With permanentsurface runways: 32
With runways over 3659 m: 1
With runways 2440-3659 m: 7
With runways 1220-2439 m: 18
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil 1,307 km; natural gas 379 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marine:
184 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,869,817
GRT/2,786,765 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 2 short-sea passenger, 71 cargo, 28 container, 2 vehicle carrier, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 1 livestock carrier, 38 oil tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 27 bulk
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international:
involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly
Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; State of Sabah claimed by the Philippines; Brunei may wish to purchase the Malaysian salient that divides Brunei into two parts; two islands in dispute with
Singapore; two islands in dispute with Indonesia
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs:
transit point for Golden Triangle heroin going to the US,
Western Europe, and the Third World