HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
52,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian
Ethnic groups:
Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 24%, Indian 8%, others 10%
(2000)
Religions:
Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in
addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia
Languages:
Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese,
Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu,
Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East Malaysia
several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest are Iban and
Kadazan
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.7%
male: 92%
female: 85.4% (2002)
Government Malaysia
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Malaysia former: Federation of Malaysia
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
note: Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August
1957; Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore)
formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left Federation on 9 August 1965);
nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament
consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house;
all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka
and Penang; those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East
Malaysia have governors appointed by Malaysian Government; powers of
state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms
of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional
prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration
controls); Sabah - currently holds 20 seats in House of
Representatives and will hold 25 seats after the next election;
Sarawak holds 28 seats in House of Representatives