Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in , and achieved independence on 31 August In , Singapore was expelled from the federation. About half the population is ethnically Malay , with large minorities of Malaysian Chinese the second largest community of Overseas Chinese in the world , Malaysian Indians , and indigenous peoples. The constitution grants freedom of religion but recognises Islam as the established religion of the state.
The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system and the legal system is based on common law. The head of state is the king, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He is an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states every five years. The head of government is the Prime Minister. The country's official language is Bahasa Melayu, commonly known as the Malay language. English remains an active second language. In , English proficiency in Malaysia was ranked the 2nd best in Asia after Singapore and the 13th best in the world.
A member of the Commonwealth of Nations , Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia since its independence from the United Kingdom with its GDP growing at an average of 6. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its natural resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.
It is also one of the few developing countries to heavily subsidise education and healthcare. Malaysian healthcare services have been described as among the best in the world, and the UN Development Program called the Malaysian healthcare system "a model to other developing countries". Malaysia's recent rapid development has attracted millions of migrant workers from across Asia. The majority of these migrants are undocumented, a situation which the Malaysian government is struggling to combat, with its treatment and crackdown on migrant workers often criticised by international human rights watchdogs.
In , Malaysian citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to countries and territories, ranking the Malaysian passport the 20th most accepted in the world. This term was applied to describe the strong current of the river Melayu in Sumatra. Dumont d'Urville described Malaysia as "an area commonly known as the East Indies". The state that gained independence from the United Kingdom in took the name the " Federation of Malaya ", chosen in preference to other potential names such as " Langkasuka ", after the historic kingdom located at the upper section of the Malay Peninsula in the first millennium CE.
Their presence resulted in strong Indian and Chinese influences on the local cultures, and the people of the Malay Peninsula adopted the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Sanskrit inscriptions appear as early as the fourth or fifth century. By the 13th and the 14th century, the Majapahit empire had successfully wrested control over most of the peninsula and the Malay Archipelago from Srivijaya.
Melaka was an important commercial centre during this time, attracting trade from around the region. In , Melaka was conquered by Portugal , [49] after which it was taken by the Dutch in The British obtained the town of Singapore in , [50] and in took control of Melaka following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty. By , the British directly controlled Penang, Melaka, Singapore, and the island of Labuan , which they established as the crown colony of the Straits Settlements. By the 20th century, the states of Pahang , Selangor , Perak , and Negeri Sembilan , known together as the Federated Malay States , had British residents appointed to advise the Malay rulers, to whom the rulers were bound to defer to by treaty.
Development on the peninsula and Borneo were generally separate until the 19th century. Under British rule the immigration of Chinese and Indians to serve as labourers was encouraged. During this time, ethnic tensions were raised and nationalism grew. The Malayan Union, established in , and consisting of all the British possessions in the Malay Peninsula with the exception of Singapore , was quickly dissolved and replaced on 1 February by the Federation of Malaya , which restored the autonomy of the rulers of the Malay states under British protection.
The Malayan Emergency lasted from to , and involved a long anti-insurgency campaign by Commonwealth troops in Malaya. The date of federation was planned to be 31 August so as to coincide with the anniversary of Malayan independence; however, federation was delayed until 16 September in order for a United Nations survey of support for federation in Sabah and Sarawak, called for by parties opposed to federation including Indonesia 's Sukarno and the Sarawak United Peoples' Party , to be completed.
Federation brought heightened tensions including a conflict with Indonesia as well continuous conflicts against the Communists in Borneo and the Malayan Peninsula which escalates to the Sarawak Communist Insurgency and Second Malayan Emergency together with several other issues such as the cross border attacks into North Borneo by Moro pirates from the southern islands of the Philippines, Singapore being expelled from the Federation in , [62] [63] and racial strife.
This strife culminated in the 13 May race riots in The economy shifted from being agriculturally based to one based on manufacturing and industry. Numerous mega-projects were completed, such as the Petronas Towers , the North—South Expressway , the Multimedia Super Corridor , and the new federal administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy , and the only federation in Southeast Asia. The system of government is closely modelled on that of the Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. The King is elected to a five-year term by and from among the nine hereditary rulers of the Malay states ; the other four states, which have titular Governors , do not participate in the selection. By informal agreement the position is systematically rotated among the nine, [67] and has been held by Muhammad V of Kelantan since December Legislative power is divided between federal and state legislatures.
The bicameral federal parliament consists of the lower house , the House of Representatives and the upper house , the Senate. All 70 senators sit for three-year terms; 26 are elected by the 13 state assemblies, and the remaining 44 are appointed by the King upon the Prime Minister's recommendation. Currently Malaysia is governed by Pakatan Harapan political alliance. Each state has a unicameral State Legislative Assembly whose members are elected from single-member constituencies.
State governments are led by Chief Ministers , [49] who are state assembly members from the majority party in the assembly. In each of the states with a hereditary ruler, the Chief Minister is normally required to be a Malay , appointed by the ruler upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Voting is not mandatory. Executive power is vested in the Cabinet , led by the Prime Minister. The prime minister must be a member of the House of Representatives, who in the opinion of the King, commands the support of a majority of members. The Cabinet is chosen from members of both houses of Parliament. Malaysia's legal system is based on English Common Law. Malaysia also has a special court to hear cases brought by or against royalty.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia. Race is a significant force in politics. However, it has generated greater interethnic resentment. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories.
Each state is divided into districts , which are then divided into mukim. In Sabah and Sarawak districts are grouped into divisions. Governance of the states is divided between the federal and the state governments, with different powers reserved for each, and the Federal government has direct administration of the federal territories. The 13 states are based on historical Malay kingdoms, and 9 of the 11 Peninsular states, known as the Malay states , retain their royal families. The King is elected by and from the nine rulers to serve a five-year term. Each state has a unicameral legislature known as the State Legislative Assembly , and its own written constitution.
Malaysia's foreign policy is officially based on the principle of neutrality and maintaining peaceful relations with all countries, regardless of their political system. Historically the government has tried to portray Malaysia as a progressive Islamic nation [] while strengthening relations with other Islamic states. The Spratly Islands are disputed by many states in the area, and a large portion of the South China Sea is claimed by China.
Unlike its neighbours of Vietnam and the Philippines , Malaysia historically avoided conflicts with China. Malaysia has never recognised Israel and has no diplomatic ties with it, [] and has called for the International Criminal Court to take action against Israel over its Gaza flotilla raid. The Malaysian Armed Forces have three branches: There is no conscription, and the required age for voluntary military service is The military uses 1. The Five Power Defence Arrangements is a regional security initiative which has been in place for almost 40 years.
Because of this, Malaysia began to increase its border security. The country also has maritime boundaries with Vietnam [] and the Philippines. Malaysia is the only country with territory on both the Asian mainland and the Malay archipelago. The two parts of Malaysia, separated from each other by the South China Sea , share a largely similar landscape in that both Peninsular and East Malaysia feature coastal plains rising to hills and mountains. Much of it has been eroded, creating a karst landscape. Around these two halves of Malaysia are numerous islands , the largest of which is Banggi.
Local climates can be divided into three regions, highland, lowland, and coastal. Climate change is likely to affect sea levels and rainfall, increasing flood risks and leading to droughts. Malaysia signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity on 12 June , and became a party to the convention on 24 June A high number of endemic bird species are also found in Malaysian Borneo. Nearly 4, species of fungi, including lichen-forming species have been recorded from Malaysia. Of the two fungal groups with the largest number of species in Malaysia, the Ascomycota and their asexual states have been surveyed in some habitats decaying wood, marine and freshwater ecosystems, as parasites of some plants, and as agents of biodegradation , but have not been or have been only poorly surveyed in other habitats as endobionts, in soils, on dung, as human and animal pathogens ; the Basidiomycota are only partly surveyed: Without doubt, many more fungal species in Malaysia have not yet been recorded, and it is likely that many of those, when found, will be new to science.
UNdata | country profile | Malaysia
At higher altitudes, oaks, chestnuts, and rhododendrons replace dipterocarps. Logging , along with cultivation practices has devastated tree cover, causing severe environmental degradation in the country. The Malaysian government aims to balance economic growth with environmental protection, but has been accused of favouring big business over the environment. Malaysia is a relatively open state-oriented and newly industrialised market economy. Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6. In , current Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad outlined his ideal in Vision , in which Malaysia would become a self-sufficient industrialised nation by Najib Razak has said Malaysia could attain developed country status much earlier from the actual target in , adding the country has two program concept such as Government Transformation Programme and the Economic Transformation Programme.
The report also says "The electronic equipment, petroleum, and liquefied natural gas producer will see a substantial increase in income per capita. Malaysian life expectancy, relatively high level of schooling, and above average fertility rate will help in its rapid expansion". In the s, the predominantly mining and agricultural-based economy began a transition towards a more multi-sector economy. Since the s, the industrial sector, with a high level of investment, has led the country's growth.
The Chinese make up about one-quarter of the population, but accounts for 70 per cent of the country's market capitalisation. International trade, facilitated by the shipping route in adjacent Strait of Malacca , and manufacturing are the key sectors. Manufacturing has a large influence in the country's economy, [] although Malaysia's economic structure has been moving away from it. In an effort to diversify the economy and make it less dependent on export goods, the government has pushed to increase tourism to Malaysia.
As a result, tourism has become Malaysia's third largest source of foreign exchange, although it is threatened by the negative effects of the growing industrial economy, with large amounts of air and water pollution along with deforestation affecting tourism. The state of the airline, which had been unprofitable for 3 years, prompted the government in August to nationalise the airline by buying up the 30 per cent it did not already own.
This in part was the result of the Malaysia My Second Home programme to allow foreigners to live in the country on a long-stay visa for up to 10 years. Warm climate with British colonial background made foreigners easy to interact with the locals. The country has developed into a centre of Islamic banking , and is the country with the highest numbers of female workers in that industry. The privatisation has created defence industry, which in was brought under the Malaysia Defence Industry Council. The government continues to promote this sector and its competitiveness, actively marketing the defence industry.
The country is one of the world's largest exporters of semiconductor devices, electrical devices, and IT and communication products. The overall infrastructure of Malaysia is one of the most developed in Asia [] and ranked 8th in Asia and 25th in the world. During the colonial period, development was mainly concentrated in economically powerful cities and in areas forming security concerns. Although rural areas have been the focus of great development, they still lag behind areas such as the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Malaysia's energy infrastructure sector is largely dominated by Tenaga Nasional , the largest electric utility company in Southeast Asia , with over RM The other two electric utility companies in the country are Sarawak Energy and Sabah Electricity.
In , Malaysia's total power generation capacity was over 29, megawatts. Total electricity generation was , Most of the federal roads in Malaysia are 2-lane roads. In town areas, federal roads may become 4-lane roads to increase traffic capacity. Nearly all federal roads are paved with tarmac except for parts of the Skudai—Pontian Highway which are paved with concrete , while parts of the Federal Highway linking Klang to Kuala Lumpur are paved with asphalt.
Heavy rail is mostly used for intercity passenger and freight transport as well as some urban public transport, while LRTs are used for intra-city urban public transport. The sole monorail line in the country is used for public transport in Kuala Lumpur , while the only funicular railway line is in Penang. The railway network covers most of the 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia. In East Malaysia, only the state of Sabah has railways. Malaysia has airports, of which 38 are paved. The national airline is Malaysia Airlines , providing international and domestic air services.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the main and busiest airport of Malaysia. In , it was the world's 13th busiest airport by international passenger traffic , recording over It was also the world's 20th busiest airport by passenger traffic , recording over Other major airports include Kota Kinabalu International Airport , which is also Malaysia's second busiest airport and busiest airport in East Malaysia with over 6. Malaysia is strategically located on the Strait of Malacca , one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.
Malaysia has two ports that are listed in the top 20 busiest ports in the world, Port Klang and Port of Tanjung Pelepas , which are respectively the 2nd and 3rd busiest ports in Southeast Asia after the Port of Singapore. Port Klang is Malaysia's busiest port, and the 13th busiest port in the world in , handling over Port of Tanjung Pelepas is Malaysia's second busiest port, and the 19th busiest port in the world in , handling over 7.
According to the Malaysian Department of Statistics , the country's population was 28,, in , [7] making it the 42nd most populated country. According to a estimate, the population is increasing by 1. People within the 15—64 age group constitute In , when the first official census was recorded in Malaysia, the population was 8. They play a dominant role politically. Non-Malay bumiputera make up more than half of Sarawak's population and over two thirds of Sabah's population. Other minorities lack bumiputera status. Immigrants from India, the majority of them Tamils , began arriving in Malaysia early in the 19th century.
Dual citizenship is not permitted. Every citizen is issued a biometric smart chip identity card known as MyKad at the age of 12, and must carry the card at all times. The education system features a non-compulsory kindergarten education followed by six years of compulsory primary education, and five years of optional secondary education. In the final year of secondary education, students sit for the Malaysian Certificate of Education examination.
However, in the matriculation system, only 10 per cent of places are open to non- bumiputera students. The infant mortality rate in was 6 deaths per births, and life expectancy at birth in was 75 years. This is a decline compared to , the previous year. There was also a decline in crude birth rate from Male babies account for The highest crude birth rate was reported at Putrajaya The Julau district has the highest crude birth rate nationwide at The total fertility rate in Malaysia remains below the replacement level at 1.
This is a decline of 0. The highest crude death rate was reported in Perlis at 7. Kuala Penyu was the district with the highest crude death rate while Kinabatangan recorded the lowest crude death rate in the country. Of this population, approximately 79, are from Burma, 72, from the Philippines, and 17, from Indonesia. Malaysian officials are reported to have turned deportees directly over to human smugglers in , and Malaysia employs RELA , a volunteer militia with a history of controversies, to enforce its immigration law. Kuala Lumpur George Town. The constitution grants freedom of religion and makes Malaysia an officially secular state, while establishing Islam as the "religion of the Federation".
The Malaysian constitution strictly defines what makes a "Malay", considering Malays those who are Muslim, speak Malay regularly, practise Malay customs, and lived in or have ancestors from Brunei , Malaysia and Singapore.
The majority of the Indian population follow Hinduism Christianity is the predominant religion of the non-Malay bumiputera community Muslims are obliged to follow the decisions of Syariah courts in matters concerning their religion. The Islamic judges are expected to follow the Shafi'i legal school of Islam, which is the main madh'hab of Malaysia.
No other criminal or civil offences are under the jurisdiction of the Shariah courts, which have a similar hierarchy to the Civil Courts. Despite being the supreme courts of the land, the Civil Courts do not hear matters related to Islamic practices. The official and national language of Malaysia is Malaysian , [] a standardised form of the Malay language. English remains an active second language , with its use allowed for some official purposes under the National Language Act of Malaysian English is widely used in business, along with Manglish , which is a colloquial form of English with heavy Malay , Chinese, and Tamil influences.
The government discourages the use of non-standard Malay but has no power to issue compounds or fines to those who use improper Malay on their advertisements. Many other languages are used in Malaysia, which contains speakers of living languages. Iban is the main tribal language in Sarawak while Dusunic and Kadazan languages are spoken by the natives in Sabah. Tamil is used predominantly by Tamils, who form a majority of Malaysian Indians. Other South Asian languages are also widely spoken in Malaysia, as well as Thai. Malaysia has a multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual society.
The original culture of the area stemmed from indigenous tribes that inhabited it, along with the Malays who later moved there. Substantial influence exists from Chinese and Indian culture, dating back to when foreign trade began. Other cultural influences include the Persian , Arabic , and British cultures. Due to the structure of the government, coupled with the social contract theory, there has been minimal cultural assimilation of ethnic minorities. In , the government created a "National Cultural Policy", defining Malaysian culture.
It stated that Malaysian culture must be based on the culture of the indigenous peoples of Malaysia, that it may incorporate suitable elements from other cultures, and that Islam must play a part in it. Both Chinese and Indian associations have submitted memorandums to the government, accusing it of formulating an undemocratic culture policy. Some cultural disputes exist between Malaysia and neighbouring countries, notably Indonesia. The two countries have a similar cultural heritage, sharing many traditions and items.
However, disputes have arisen over things ranging from culinary dishes to Malaysia's national anthem. This is the population pyramid for Malaysia. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top.
The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
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For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab. Dependency ratios are a measure of the age structure of a population. They relate the number of individuals that are likely to be economically "dependent" on the support of others. Changes in the dependency ratio provide an indication of potential social support requirements resulting from changes in population age structures. This entry is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older.
It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. Currently, the median age ranges from a low of about 15 in Niger and Uganda to 40 or more in several European countries and Japan. See the entry for "Age structure" for the importance of a young versus an older age structure and, by implication, a low versus a high.
The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus or deficit of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative. The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure e.
Rapid population growth can be seen as. This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per 1, persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population.
This entry gives the average annual number of deaths during a year per 1, population at midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country, accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population growth.
This indicator is significantly affected by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at all ages, as declining. This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1, persons based on midyear population.
An excess of persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration e. The net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall level of population chan. This entry provides two measures of the degree of urbanization of a population. The first, urban population, describes the percentage of the total population living in urban areas, as defined by the country. The second, rate of urbanization, describes the projected average rate of change of the size of the urban population over the given period of time. Additionally, the World entry includes a list of the ten largest urban agglomerations.
An urban agglomeration is defined as comprising th. Major urban areas - population: This entry provides the population of the capital and up to six major cities defined as urban agglomerations with populations of at least , people. An urban agglomeration is defined as comprising the city or town proper and also the suburban fringe or thickly settled territory lying outside of, but adjacent to, the boundaries of the city. For smaller countries, lacking urban centers of , or more, only the population of the capital is presented.
This entry includes the number of males for each female in five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons.
This will affect future marriage patterns and fertilit. The maternal mortality rate MMR is the annual number of female deaths per , live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management excluding accidental or incidental causes. The MMR includes deaths during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, for a specified year.
This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1, live births in the same year. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. Life expectancy at birth: This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future.
Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures. This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age.
The total fertility rate TFR is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential for population change in the country. A rate of two children per woman is considered the replaceme. This field gives the percent of women of reproductive age who are married or in union and are using, or whose sexual partner is using, a method of contraception according to the date of the most recent available data.
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It is also useful in understanding, past, present, and future fertility trends, especially in developing countries. This entry provides the total expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP. This entry gives the number of medical doctors physicians , including generalist and specialist medical practitioners, per 1, of the population.
Medical doctors are defined as doctors that study, diagnose, treat, and prevent illness, disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans through the application of modern medicine. They also plan, supervise, and evaluate care and treatment plans by other health care providers. The World Health Organization estimates that f. This entry provides the number of hospital beds per 1, people; it serves as a general measure of inpatient service availability. Hospital beds include inpatient beds available in public, private, general, and specialized hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
In most cases, beds for both acute and chronic care are included. Because the level of inpatient services required for individual countries depends on several factors - such as demographic issues and the burden of disease - there is. This entry provides information about access to improved or unimproved drinking water sources available to segments of the population of a country.
Improved drinking water - use of any of the following sources: Unimproved drinking water - use of any of the following sources: This entry provides information about access to improved or unimproved sanitation facilities available to segments of the population of a country. Improved sanitation - use of any of the following facilities: Unimproved sanitation - use of any of the following facilities: This entry gives an estimate of all people adults and children alive at yearend with HIV infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS.
This entry gives an estimate of the number of adults and children who died of AIDS during a given calendar year. This entry lists major infectious diseases likely to be encountered in countries where the risk of such diseases is assessed to be very high as compared to the United States. These infectious diseases represent risks to US government personnel traveling to the specified country for a period of less than three years.
The degree of risk is assessed by considering the foreign nature of these infectious diseases, their severity, and the probability of being affected by the diseases present. Obesity - adult prevalence rate: This entry gives the percent of a country's population considered to be obese. BMI is calculated by taking a person's weight in kg and dividing it by the person's squared height in meters. Children under the age of 5 years underweight: This entry gives the percent of children under five considered to be underweight.
Underweight means weight-for-age is approximately 2 kg below for standard at age one, 3 kg below standard for ages two and three, and 4 kg below standard for ages four and five. This statistic is an indicator of the nutritional status of a community. This entry provides the public expenditure on education as a percent of GDP. This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy.
Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measu.
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education: School life expectancy SLE is the total number of years of schooling primary to tertiary that a child can expect to receive, assuming that the probability of his or her being enrolled in school at any particular future age is equal to the current enrollment ratio at that age. Caution must be maintained when utilizing this indicator in international comparisons. For example, a year or grade completed in one country is not necessarily the same in terms of educational content or qualit.
Unemployment, youth ages This entry gives the percent of the total labor force ages unemployed during a specified year. This entry includes all forms of the country's name approved by the US Board on Geographic Names Italy is used as an example: Also see the Terminology note. This entry gives the basic form of government. Definitions of the major governmental terms are as follows. Note that for some countries more than one definition applies.
Absolute monarchy - a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered, i. Anarchy - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought about by the absence of governmental authority. Authoritarian - a form of government in whic. This entry gives the name of the seat of government, its geographic coordinates, the time difference relative to Coordinated Universal Time UTC and the time observed in Washington, DC, and, if applicable, information on daylight saving time DST.
Where appropriate, a special note has been added to highlight those countries that have multiple time zones. Kuala Lumpur; note - nearby Putrajaya is referred to as a federal government administrative center but not the capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur. This entry generally gives the numbers, designatory terms, and first-order administrative divisions as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names BGN.
Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on by the BGN are noted. Geographic names conform to spellings approved by the BGN with the exception of the omission of diacritical marks and special characters. For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship.
For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. For a number of countries, the establishment of statehood.
This entry gives the primary national day of celebration - usually independence day. The history subfield includes the dates of previous constitutions and the main steps and dates in formulating and implementing the latest constitution. This entry provides the description of a country's legal system. A statement on judicial review of legislative acts is also included for a number of countries.
The legal systems of nearly all countries are generally modeled upon elements of five main types: International law organization participation: This entry provides information related to the acquisition and exercise of citizenship; it includes four subfields: This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted. This entry includes five subentries: Chief of state includes the name, title, and beginning date in office of the titular leader of the country who represents the state at official and ceremonial functions but may not be involved with the day-to-day activities of the government.
Head of government includes the name, title of the top executive designated to manage the executive branch of the government, a. Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament with the consent of the king. This entry has three subfields. The description subfield provides the legislative structure unicameral — single house; bicameral — an upper and a lower house ; formal name s ; number of member seats; types of constituencies or voting districts single seat, multi-seat, nationwide ; electoral voting system s ; and member term of office.
The elections subfield includes the dates of the last election and next election. Senate or Dewan Negara 70 seats; 44 members appointed by the king and 26 indirectly elected by 13 state legislatures; members serve 3-year terms House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms. Senate - appointed House of Representatives - last held on 9 May next to be held in Senate - appointed; composition - men 54, women 14, percent of women The highest court s subfield includes the name s of a country's highest level court s , the number and titles of the judges, and the types of cases heard by the court, which commonly are based on civil, criminal, administrative, and constitutional law.
A number of countries have separate constitutional courts. The judge selection and term of office subfield includes the organizations and associated officials responsible for nominating and appointing j. Federal Court consists of the chief justice, president of the Court of Appeal, chief justice of the High Court of Malaya, chief judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak, 8 judges, and 1 "additional" judge ; note - Malaysia has a dual judicial hierarchy of civil and religious sharia courts.
Federal Court justices appointed by the monarch on advice of the prime minister; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 66 with the possibility of 6-month extensions. Political parties and leaders: This entry includes a listing of significant political parties, coalitions, and electoral lists as of each country's last legislative election, unless otherwise noted. This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates in some other way. Diplomatic representation in the US: This entry includes the chief of mission, chancery address, telephone, FAX, consulate general locations, and consulate locations.
Malaysia: A country profile
Such ambassadors fulfill all diplomatic functions except meeting with or appearing at functions attended by the president until such time as they formally present their credentials at a White Hou. Los Angeles, New York. Diplomatic representation from the US: This entry includes the chief of mission, embassy address, mailing address, telephone number, FAX number, branch office locations, consulate general locations, and consulate locations. This entry provides a written flag description produced from actual flags or the best information available at the time the entry was written. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag.
Some disputed and other areas do not have flags. A national symbol is a faunal, floral, or other abstract representation - or some distinctive object - that over time has come to be closely identified with a country or entity. Not all countries have national symbols; a few countries have more than one. A generally patriotic musical composition - usually in the form of a song or hymn of praise - that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions, or struggles of a nation or its people. National anthems can be officially recognized as a national song by a country's constitution or by an enacted law, or simply by tradition.
Although most anthems contain lyrics, some do not. This entry briefly describes the type of economy, including the degree of market orientation, the level of economic development, the most important natural resources, and the unique areas of specialization. It also characterizes major economic events and policy changes in the most recent 12 months and may include a statement about one or two key future macroeconomic trends.
GDP purchasing power parity: Retrieved October 20, , from https: Cabinet holds first meeting since being sworn in.
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