Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country occupying parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. It's known for its beaches, rainforests and mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultural influences. The capital, Kuala Lumpur, is home to colonial buildings, busy shopping districts such as Bukit Bintang and skyscrapers such as the iconic, 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers.
Languages: Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan
Ethnic Groups: Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8%
Belief Systems: Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8%
Demographics:
Population: 30.3 million people (World Rank: 44th) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 238 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 118th) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: 1.59 %/yr (World Rank: 78th) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 75 years (World Rank: 97th) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: 26.1 years (World Rank: 102nd) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Malaysia
Worldatlas.com
Country Profile for Malaysia
United Nations
Malaysia - Facts and Information 1
Encyclopedia.com
Malaysia - Facts and Information 2
World Factbook
Culture and Tourism:
Traveling to Malaysia 1
from travelnotes.org
Travel Guide for Malaysia
Wikitravel.org
Language Resources:
Malay language, alphabets, and pronunciation
Omniglot.com
Malay Language Games
Digitaldialects.com
Learn Malay Online
Mylanguages.org
Government Related:
Embassy of Malaysia
in Washington D.C.
Government Websites of Malaysia
by Gunnar Anzinger
