Malaysia flag

Basic Facts of Malaysia
Official name: Federation of Malaysia
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Area: 329,758 sq km ,127,320 sq mi ]
Population: 25,259,428 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate: 1.74 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 77 persons per sq km 199 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 65 percent
Share rural 35 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest: Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh , Kelang , Petaling Jaya, Johor Baharu
Languages: Bahasa Malaysia (official), Chinese (various dialects), English, Tamil, Iban
Religious affiliations:
Muslim 48 percent
Folk religions 24 percent
Christian 8 percent
Buddhist 7 percent
Hindu 7 percent
Other 6 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 73 years
Female 75.9 years
Male 70.3 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 89.9 percent
Female 86.8 percent
Male 93 percent (2005 estimate)

Introduction:
Malaysia, constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia on the South China Sea. Malaysia is divided into two regions, known as West Malaysia and East Malaysia. West Malaysia, also known as Peninsular Malaysia, consists of the southern portion of the Malay Peninsula and nearby islands. Thailand borders West Malaysia on the north, and Singapore lies off the southern coastal tip. East Malaysia occupies the northern section of Borneo Island, as well as offshore islands. East Malaysia shares Borneo with Brunei, which lies on a small section of the northern coast, and with the Kalimantan region of Indonesia, which lies to the south. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and 3 federal territories. The city of Kuala Lumpur, coextensive with the federal territory of the same name, is the capital and largest city. Located near Kuala Lumpur is the administrative center of the federal government, Putrajaya, which also makes up a federal territory.From the late 18th to the early 19th century, Britain gradually gained control of Peninsular Malaysia, and most of northern Borneo fell into private British hands. During the same period, the largely Malay population became diversified, as ethnic Chinese and Indians immigrated to work in Malaysia’s tin and rubber industries. Since independence in 1957, ethnic tensions, especially between Chinese and Malays, have dominated political and economic issues. Despite the tensions, however, Malaysia has experienced rapid economic growth, particularly in the manufacturing sector, and economists include the country among Asia’s newly industrialized economies (NIEs).

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

Completed in 1998, the Petronas Towers, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, stand 452 m (1,483 ft) tall at their pinnacles. The towers are connected by a skyway at the 41st and 42nd floors. The architect, Argentine American Cesar Pelli, found inspiration for the buildings’ design in traditional Malaysian Islamic architecture.

Office of the Prime Minister, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur

Sultan Ahmad Shah Mosque

The Sultan Ahmad Shah Mosque is one of the more modern mosques in the country of Malaysia. The Islamic faith spread throughout Malaysia during the 15th century after Parameswara, the founder of the kingdom of Malacca, converted to the religion. The kingdom of Malacca prospered on the Malay Peninsula until the early 16th century; the spread of Islam is one of its most enduring legacies.

Convention Center in Putrajaya, Malaysia

This world-class convention center opened in 2003 in Putrajaya, the new administrative center of Malaysia’s federal government. Putrajaya is situated in a recently developed high-technology corridor south of Kuala Lumpur.

Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu, located in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, is the highest peak in the Malay Archipelago, rising to a height of 4,101 m (13,455 ft).

Putrajaya city

The map of Putrajaya

Putrajaya

Malaysia began its search for a new administrative centre in the 1980s to provide a more balanced development away from Kuala Lumpur. A site in the southern Prang Besar district was chosen, and in 1995 the project, named after the country's first Prime Minister, YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj, was launched. Construction for Malaysia's biggest ever real-estate project began in August 1995, with a target completion date of 2010. The entire project has been designed and constructed by Malaysian companies, and only 10 percent of the materials has had to be imported. While Kuala Lumpur will remain as the country's financial and commercial capital, Putrajaya will act as the new Federal Government administrative centre. Most of the Government agencies will have moved in by 2005, and when the project is completed, some 40 percent of the resident population are expected to comprise those in the private sector.

Mahathir bin Mohamad

Mahathir bin Mohamad served as prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. He is widely credited with modernizing the country.