This article is about Malaysia. For the Malesia biogeographical region, see Malesia.
| Malaysia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Motto: "Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu" "Unity Is Strength" [1] | |||||
| Anthem: Negaraku (My Country) | |||||
 | |||||
| Capital | Kuala Lumpur[a] Putrajaya (administrative centre) 3°08′N 101°42′E / 3.133°N 101.7°E | ||||
| Largest city | Kuala Lumpur | ||||
| Official language(s) | Bahasa Malaysia[b] | ||||
| Official for some purposes | English[c] | ||||
| Official script | Malay alphabet | ||||
| Ethnic groups | 50.4% Malay 23.7% Chinese 11.0% Indigenous 7.1% Indian 7.8% Other [2] | ||||
| Demonym | Malaysian[3] | ||||
| Government | Federal constitutional elective monarchy and Federal parliamentary democracy | ||||
| - | Yang di-Pertuan Agong | Mizan Zainal Abidin | |||
| - | Prime Minister | Najib Tun Razak | |||
| - | Deputy Prime Minister | Muhyiddin Yassin | |||
| Independence | |||||
| - | From the United Kingdom (Malaya only) | 31 August 1957 | |||
| - | Federation (with Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore[d]) | 16 September 1963 | |||
| Area | |||||
| - | Total | 329,847 km2 (66th) 127,354 sq mi | |||
| - | Water (%) | 0.3 | |||
| Population | |||||
| - | 2010 estimate | 28,250,000[4] (43rd) | |||
| - | 2000 census | 24,821,286 | |||
| - | Density | 85.8/km2 (114th) 222.3/sq mi | |||
| GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate | ||||
| - | Total | $403.042 billion[5] | |||
| - | Per capita | $14,275.371[5] | |||
| GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate | ||||
| - | Total | $213.065 billion[5] | |||
| - | Per capita | $7,546.559[5] | |||
| Gini (2002[2]) | 46.1 (36) | ||||
| HDI (2010) |  0.744[6] (high) (57th) | ||||
| Currency | Ringgit (RM) (MYR) | ||||
| Time zone | MST (UTC+8) | ||||
| - | Summer (DST) | Not observed (UTC+8) | |||
| Date formats | dd-mm-yyyy | ||||
| Drives on the | Left | ||||
| Internet TLD | .my | ||||
| Calling code | +60 | ||||
| ^ a. Kuala Lumpur is the capital city and is home to the legislative branch of the Federal government. Putrajaya is the primary seat of the federal government where the executive and judicial branches are located. ^ b. The current terminology as per government policy is Bahasa Malaysia (literally Malaysian language)[7] but legislation continues to refer to the official language as Bahasa Melayu (literally Malay language). ^ c. English may continue to be used for some official purposes under the National Language Act 1967. ^ d. Singapore became an independent country on 9 August 1965. | |||||
Malaysia (pronounced
i /məˈleɪʒə/ mə-LAY-zhə or i /məˈleɪsiə/ mə-LAY-see-ə) is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi).[2][8] It is separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo (also known as West and East Malaysia respectively).[2] Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Peninsular Malaysia is connected to Singapore via a causeway and a bridge. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population as of 2009 stood at over 28 million.[4]Malaysia has its origins in the Malay Kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, with the other states forming protectorates. The states on Peninsular Malaysia, then known as Malaya, was first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946. Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963. However, less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation, and became an independent city state. Since independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6.5% for the first 50 years.[3] The economy of the country has, traditionally, been fuelled by its natural resources, but is now also expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.
The head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states every five years. The head of government is the Prime Minister.[9][10] The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system[11] and the legal system is based on English Common Law. The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, factors that influence its culture and play a large role in politics.
Malaysia contains the southernmost point of continental Eurasia, Tanjung Piai, and is located near the equator and has a tropical climate.[2] It has a biodiverse range of flora and fauna, and is considered one of the 17 megadiverse countries.[12] It is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, and a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
