Country |
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The Federation of Malaysia comprises of Peninsular Malaysia made up of 11 states, 3 federal territories and the states of Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo. |
Geographical Location |
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Located between 2 and 7 degrees north of the Equator. To the north of Peninsular Malaysia is Thailand while its southern neighbor is Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak are bounded by Indonesia while Sarawak also shares a border with Brunei. |
Area |
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329,758 sq km |
Population |
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25 million |
Capital |
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Kuala Lumpur |
Time |
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Eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and 16 hours ahead of United States Pacific Standard Time. |
Climate |
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Malaysia has a tropical climate and the weather is warm all year round. Temperatures range from 21°C to 32 °C and the annual rainfall varies from 2,000mm to 2,500mm. |
People |
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Malays make up about 57% of the population and are the predominant group with Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups making up the rest. |
Religion |
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Islam is the official religion but all other religions are practiced freely. |
Government Type: |
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Parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislative system. |
Entry Requirement: |
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Visitors to Malaysia must be in possession of a valid passport or travel document with a minimum validity of six months beyond the period of stay. Most nationalities do not require visas for social or business visits. |
Currency |
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The unit of currency is the Malaysian Ringgit, which is indicated as RM. |
Language |
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The national language is Malay, or Bahasa Malaysia, although English is widely spoken. Chinese dialects and Tamil are also spoken. |
