Malaysia

Malaysia

AREA	329,758 sq km (127,320 sq miles).
POPULATION	21,169,000 (1996)
POPULATION DENSITY	64.2 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Kuala Lumpur.
CAPITAL POPULATION	1,231,500 (1995).
GEOGRAPHY	Malaysia is situated in central South-East Asia, bordering on Thailand in the north, with Singapore and Indonesia to the south and the Philippines to the east. It is composed of Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the north coast of the island of Borneo, 650-950km (404-600 miles) across the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia is an area of forested mountain ranges running north–south, on either side of which are low-lying coastal plains. The coastline extends some 1900km (1200 miles). The west coast consists of mangrove swamps and mudflats which separate into bays and inlets. In the west, the plains have been cleared and cultivated, while the unsheltered east coast consists of tranquil beaches backed by dense jungle. Sarawak has alluvial and, in places, swampy coastal plains with rivers penetrating the jungle-covered hills and mountains of the interior. Sabah has a narrow coastal plain which gives way to mountains and jungle. Mount Kinabalu, at 4094m (13,432ft), is the highest peak in Malaysia. The major islands are Langkawi (a group of 99 islands), Penang and Pangkor off the west coast; and Tioman, Redang, Kapas, Perhentian and Rawa off the east coast.
GOVERNMENT	Constitutional monarchy since 1963. Gained independence from the UK in 1957. Head of State: King Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj (Sultan of Selangor) since 1999. Head of Government: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mahatir Mohammad since 1981.
LANGUAGE	Bahasa Malaysia is the national and official language, but English is widely spoken. Other languages such as Chinese (Mandarin), Iban and Tamil are spoken by minorities.
RELIGION	Muslim (53%) and Buddhist (19%) majorities. The

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