Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam
Area:
total: 329,750 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km
Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons
Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Economy
GDP: $290.2 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 5.3% (2005 est.)
GDP per capita: $12,100 (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 3% (2005 est.)
Currency: ringgit (MYR)
Exchange rates: ringgits per US dollar - 3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004), 3.8 (2003), 3.8 (2002), 3.8 (2001)
People
Population: 24,385,858 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 1.78% (2006 est.)
Religions: Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia
Languages:
note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan
