- Wikipedia. Malaysia. Accessed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia on January 28, 2007.
- The Economist. Country briefings: Malaysia. Accessed at http://www.economist.com/countries/Malaysia/ on January 28, 2007.
- Asian Development Bank. Malaysia Country Report. Accessed at http://www.adb.org/Malaysia/default.asp on January 28, 2007.
South China Sea's tiger
Geography & climateMalaysia has 2 distinct parts. The Western part is located on the Southeast Asian peninsula and the Eastern part on the north and northeastern parts of Borneo. The South China Sea separates both areas.
Malaysia is a country of coastal plains and densely forested hills and mountains, peaking at 4,095m with Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo. The climate is equatorial, with annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons.
NatureA tropical equatorial location has bestowed Malaysia with lowland and montane forests, coastal mangroves and peat swamps. On the Malay Peninsula, species include gaur, tapir, elephants, tigers, great hornbills, and bearded pigs.
The northern part of Borneo, which forms East Malaysia, has orangutans, proboscis monkeys, Bornean ‘pygmy’ elephants and Bulwer’s pheasants.
Malaysia’s natural resources, such as rubber, palm oil, timber, cocoa, tin and petroleum are some of the country’s major exports.
Population and religionThe Malay peninsula’s strategic trade location has attracted many ethnic groups over the centuries.
In addition to the politically dominant Malays, who make up the majority of the population, about 30% of the population consists of Malaysians of Chinese descent, followed by Malaysians of Indian descent.
Various non-Malay groups are indigenous, mostly in East Malaysia, making up about 7% of the population.
The four main religions are Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism.
Economy & DevelopmentIn 1970s, Malaysia made a transition from a reliance on mining and agriculture to an economy based more on manufacturing. In the 1980s and 90s, the country consistently achieved more than 7% GDP growth, coupled with low inflation.
Although the pace of development today in Malaysia is not as fast, it is seen to be more sustainable. This growth has delivered "impressive and steady" achievements on poverty reduction, with Malaysia performing well on problems such as maternal mortality, infant mortality and enrollment in secondary schools.