14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US.
Kuala Lumpur Note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur.
Administrative divisions:
13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) and 2 federal territories* (wilayah-wilayah persekutuan, singular - wilayah persekutuan): Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Labuan* (E), Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah (E), Sarawak (E), Selangor, Terengganu, and Wilayah Persekutuan*. The city of Kuala Lumpur is located within the federal territory of Wilayah Persekutuan, the terms therefore are not interchangeable, there is a new federal territory named Putrajaya, but this change has not yet been approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN).
For DXCC purposes Malaysia is divided into 2 Entities: East Malaysia and West Malaysia.
Population:
24,821,286 (July 2007 est.) West - 19,857,147; East - 4,964,139
Languages:
Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of which are Iban and Kadazan
Geographic coordinates:
2° 30' N, 112° 30' E
Area total:
332,633 sq. km West - 131,313; East - 201,320
Land area:
331,433 sq. km
Water area:
1,200 sq. km
Total land boundaries:
2,669 km
Borders with neighbor countries:
Brunei 381 km (E), Indonesia 1,782 km (E), Thailand 506 km (W)
Coastline:
4,675 km - West (Peninsular) Malaysia (W) 2,068 km, East Malaysia (E) 2,607 km
Elevation extremes:
Indian Ocean 0 m - Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m
Internet country code:
.my
Currency:
ringgit (MYR)
Name - conventional long form:
none
Name - conventional short form:
Malaysia
Former name:
Federation of Malaysia
Independence:
31 August 1957 (from UK)
Constitution:
31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963
Government type:
constitutional monarchy Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August 1957, Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore) formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left the federation on 9 August 1965), nominally headed by the paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house, Peninsular Malaysian states - hereditary rulers in all but Melaka, Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak, where governors are appointed by the Malaysian Government, powers of state governments are limited by the federal constitution, under terms of the federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., the right to maintain their own immigration controls), Sabah - holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government, Sarawak - holds 28 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government