Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 provided courtesy of 
The Libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis
 
 Match 150   DB Rec# - 55,897  Dataset-WOFACT
 
Source        :CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 
Source key    :CI 
Program       :WORLD FACTBOOK 
Program key   :CI WOFACT 
Update sched. :Annually         
ID number     :CI WOFACT 149              
Title         :MALAYSIA 
Data type     :TEXT 
End year      :1994
Date of record:02/16/1994
Keywords 3    : 
| MALAYSIA 
Text          : 
MALAYSIA 
GEOGRAPHY 
Location: Southeast Asia, bordering the South China Sea, between Vietnam 
and Indonesia 
 
Map references: Asia, Oceania, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the 
World 
 
Area: 
 
total area: 329,750 km2 
 
comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico 
 
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 
 
International disputes: 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 
 
Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast 
(October to February) monsoons 
 
Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains 
 
Natural resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, 
bauxite 
 
Land use: 
 
arable land: 3% 
 
permanent crops: 10% 
 
meadows and pastures: 0% 
 
forest and woodland: 63% 
 
other: 24% 
 
Irrigated land: 3,420 km2 (1989 est.) 
 
Environment: subject to flooding; air and water pollution 
 
Note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China 
Sea 
 
PEOPLE 
Population: 18,845,340 (July 1993 est.) 
 
Population growth rate: 2.32% (1993 est.) 
 
Birth rate: 28.93 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) 
 
Death rate: 5.77 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) 
 
Infant mortality rate: 26.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) 
 
Life expectancy at birth: 
 
total population: 68.82 years 
 
male: 65.96 years 
 
female: 71.81 years (1993 est.) 
 
Total fertility rate: 3.54 children born/woman (1993 est.) 
 
Nationality: 
 
noun: Malaysian(s) 
 
adjective: Malaysian 
 
Ethnic divisions: Malay and other indigenous 59%, Chinese 32%, Indian 9% 
 
Peninsular Malaysia: Muslim (Malays) 
 
Sabah: Muslim 38% 
 
Sarawak: tribal religion 35% 
 
Peninsular Malaysia: Malay (official) 
 
State of Sabah: English 
 
State of Sarawak: English 
 
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990) 
 
total population: 78% 
 
male: 86% 
 
female: 70% 
 
Labor force: 7.258 million (1991 est.) 
 
GOVERNMENT 
Names: 
 
conventional long form: none 
 
conventional short form: Malaysia 
 
former: Malayan Union 
 
Digraph: MY 
 
Type: constitutional monarchy 
 
note: 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* 
 
Independence: 31 August 1957 (from UK) 
 
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 
 
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 
 
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal 
 
Elections: 
 
House of Representatives: last held 21 October 1990 (next to be held by 
August 1995); results - National Front 52%, other 48%; seats - (180 total) 
National Front 127, DAP 20, PAS 7, independents 4, other 22; note - within the 
National Front, UMNO got 71 seats and MCA 18 seats 
 
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 
 
Leaders: 
 
Chief of State: Paramount Ruler AZLAN Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Sultan Yusof 
Izzudin (since 26 April 1989); Deputy Paramount Ruler JA'AFAR ibni Abdul 
Rahman (since 26 April 1989) 
1981); Deputy Prime Minister Abdul GHAFAR Bin Baba (since 7 May 1986) 
 
Member of: 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 representation in US: 
 
chief of mission: Ambassador Abdul MAJID Mohamed 
 
chancery: 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 
 
telephone: (202) 328-2700 
 
consulates general: Los Angeles and New York 
 
US diplomatic representation: 
 
chief of mission: Ambassador John S. WOLF 
 
embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur 
 
mailing address: P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur 
 
telephone:  60  (3) 248-9011 
 
FAX:  60  (3) 242-2207 
 
Flag: 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 
 
ECONOMY 
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. 
 
National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $54.5 billion (1992 
est.) 
 
National product real growth rate: 8% (1992 est.) 
 
National product per capita: $2,960 (1992 est.) 
 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1992 est.) 
 
Unemployment rate: 4.1% (1992 est.) 
 
Budget: revenues $15.6 billion; expenditures $18.0 billion, including 
capital expenditures of $4.5 billion (1992 est.) 
 
commodities: 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) 
 
commodities: food, consumer goods, petroleum products, chemicals, capital 
equipment 
 
partners: Japan 26%, US 15.8%, Singapore 15.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Germany 4.2% 
 
External debt: $25.7 billion (1992 est.) 
 
Industrial production: growth rate 13% (1992); accounts for NA% of GDP 
 
Electricity: 8,000,000 kW capacity; 30,000 million kWh produced, 1,610 kWh 
per capita (1992) 
 
Peninsular Malaysia: rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, 
light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging 
and processing timber 
 
Sabah: logging, petroleum production 
 
Sarawak: agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging 
 
Agriculture: 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 
 
Illicit drugs: transit point for Golden Triangle heroin going to the US, 
Western Europe, and the Third World 
 
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $170 million; 
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.7 
million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $42 million 
 
Currency: 1 ringgit (M$) = 100 sen 
 
Exchange 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) 
 
Fiscal year: calendar year 
 
COMMUNICATIONS 
Peninsular Malaysia: 1,665 km 1.04-meter gauge; 13 km double track, 
government owned 
 
Sabah: 136 km 1.000-meter gauge 
 
Sarawak: none 
 
 
Sabah: 3,782 km 
 
Sarawak: 1,644 km 
 
Peninsular Malaysia: 3,209 km 
 
Sabah: 1,569 km 
 
Sarawak: 2,518 km 
 
Pipelines: crude oil 1,307 km; natural gas 379 km 
 
Ports: Tanjong Kidurong, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Port 
Kelang, Sandakan, Tawau 
 
Merchant 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 
 
Airports: 
 
total: 111 
 
usable: 102 
 
with permanent-surface runways: 32 
 
with runways over 3,659 m: 1 
 
with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 7 
 
with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 18 
 
Telecommunications: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia 
mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio relay 
network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; international service good; good 
coverage by radio and television broadcasts; 994,860 telephones (1984); 
broadcast stations - 28 AM, 3 FM, 33 TV; submarine cables extend to India and 
Sarawak; SEACOM submarine cable links to Hong Kong and Singapore; satellite 
earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 
domestic 
 
Defense forces 
Branches: Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, 
Royal Malaysian Police Force, Marine Police, Sarawak Border Scouts 
 
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 4,837,256; fit for military service 
2,941,577; reach military age (21) annually 181,435 (1993 est.) 
 
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $2.4 billion, about 5% of 
GDP (1992) 
 
 
 
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This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 produced by the United States
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK CD-ROM,
July, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/7/v.1-2 / R. Muns, UM-St. Louis Libraries 
Local Filename: WF940147.TXT