Facts on Malaysia

Total Area
330,000 square kilometres (127,000 square miles)

Political Structure
A federation with 13 states (11 in peninsular Malaysia and 2 in Malaysian Borneo) and 3 federal territories. As a federation, the governance of the country is divided between the federal and the state governments

System of Government
Parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch

Head of State
DYMM Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin

Prime Minister
YAB Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Hj Abd Razak

Population
27.73 million (2008)

Major Ethnic Groups
Malays, Chinese, Indian, Kadazans, Ibans

Major Languages
Bahasa Malaysia (official language), English, Mandarin, Tamil

Major Religions
Islam, Budhism, Christianity, Hinduism

Time
GMT +8 hours
US Eastern Standard Time +13 hours

Climate Tropical
warm an sunny throughout the year.
Daily temparatures range from 33°C (90°F)
in the afternoon to 22°C (70°F) during the night.

Currency
Ringgit Malaysia(RM) which is divided into 100 sen.

Exchange Rate
The ringgit exchange rate operates on a managed-float regime
against a trade-weighted basket of currencies.