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Malaysia

Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy located in Southeast Asia, made up of two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. The two regions are separated by the South China Sea and connected by the Straits of Malacca. Peninsular Malaysia is situated on the southern half of the Malay Peninsula and is bordered by Thailand to the north. East Malaysia is situated on the northwestern part of the island of Borneo and consists of Sarawak and Sabah.

Malaysia has a total area of 330,411 square kilometers (127,572 square miles) and a population of 32,989,000 (est. 2023). The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur. With its strategic location on the heavily traveled Strait of Malacca, Malaysia is home to a diverse population including Malays, Chinese, indigenous peoples, and South Asians. The official language of Malaysia is Malay while other languages spoken include Chinese and assorted Austronesian and Indo-European languages. The official religion is Islam, although Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism are also practiced. The currency of Malaysia is the ringgit.

The country's landscape is largely mountainous with rainforests covering much of it. Tree crops such as rubber and palm oil are the most important cash crops while rice is the primary staple crop. Other industries include petroleum drilling and production, tin mining, electronic product manufacturing, rubber goods production, cement making, and iron and steel production.

Malaysia is led by a paramount ruler, who is head of state, and a prime minister, who serves as head of government. There are two legislative houses: the Senate (701 members) and the House of Representatives (222 members).

The life expectancy at birth for males is 72.6 years (2020) and 77.6 years for females (2020). The literacy rate for males aged 15 and over is 96% (2019), while the rate for females is 94% (2019). The Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is US$10,580 (2020).