Malaysia

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups and languages
  - Peninsular Malaysia
  - Sarawak
  - Sabah
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
  - Rural settlement
  - Urban settlement
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Prehistory and the rise of Indianized states
- The advent of Islam
- Early European intrusions and emerging sultanates
- Malaya and northern Borneo under British control
  - Malaya
  - Sarawak
  - North Borneo
- The impact of British rule
- Political transformation
- Malaysia from independence to c. 2000
- Malaysia in the 21st century

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

Learn about Malaysia by traveling from Kuala Lumpur's skyscrapers to villages of longhouses in the rainforest

Malaysia: rainforest

Malaysia: rainforest

For Students

Malaysia summary

Discover

Battle of the Alamo from "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, 1897. Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.

6 Wars of Independence

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Causes of the Great Depression

New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.

Where Is “Old Zealand”?

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

Titanic infographic. The 30th anniversary of its discovery is September 1, 2015. SPOTLIGHT VERSION.

Timeline of the Titanic’s Final Hours

Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,

Which Religion Is the Oldest?

Malaysia: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

China’s leader ends Southeast Asia tour touting Beijing's reliability vs. US tariff threats • Apr. 18, 2025, 10:50 AM ET (AP)

Xi says China will stand with Southeast Asian countries in face of economic shocks • Apr. 17, 2025, 12:36 AM ET (AP)

China's Xi Jinping says there are no winners in a tariff war as he visits Southeast Asia • Apr. 14, 2025, 2:43 PM ET (AP)

Former Malaysian leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who extended political freedoms, dies at 85 • Apr. 14, 2025, 9:58 AM ET (AP)

As China and the US spar, countries brainstorm over how to cope with the trade war • Apr. 8, 2025, 7:31 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Anwar Ibrahim
Capital	Kuala Lumpur²
Administrative Centre	Putrajaya³
Population	(2025 est.) 33,357,000
Currency Exchange Rate	1 USD equals 4.768 Malaysian ringgit
Head Of State	Paramount Ruler: (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) Sultan Ibrahim of Johor
Form Of Government	federal constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate [70¹]; House of Representatives [222])
Official Language	Malay
Official Religion	Islam
Official Name	Malaysia
Total Area (Sq Km)	330,877
Total Area (Sq Mi)	127,752
Monetary Unit	ringgit (RM)
Population Rank	(2025) 49
Population Projection 2030	37,532,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 261.1
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 100.8
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2020) 75.1% • Rural: (2020) 24.9%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2022) 71.3 years • Female: (2022) 75.8 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2022) 97% • Female: (2022) 95%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 411,380
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 11,710
¹Includes 44 appointees of the paramount ruler; the remaining 26 are indirectly elected. ²Location of the first royal palace and both houses of parliament.³Location of the second royal palace, the prime minister’s office, and the Federal Court.

Photos and Videos

Malaysia: rainforest

Malaysia: rainforest

Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque

Learn about Malaysia by traveling from Kuala Lumpur's skyscrapers to villages of longhouses in the rainforest

Explore Malaysia's noncontiguous Southeast Asian peninsula and island of Borneo and the people therein

National anthem of Malaysia

See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

Anwar Ibrahim Mahathir bin Mohamad Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d’Urville Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Najib Razak Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj Hussein Onn Tun Ismail bin Datoʿ Abdul Rahman Tun Haji Abdul Razak bin Hussein Asia United States Kuala Lumpur - Facts India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Anwar Ibrahim

Malaysian politician

Mahathir bin Mohamad

Mahathir bin Mohamad

prime minister of Malaysia

Dumont d'Urville, engraving by Émile Lassalle after Maurin

Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d’Urville

French explorer

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

prime minister of Malaysia

Najib Razak

Najib Razak

prime minister of Malaysia

Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj

prime minister of Malaysia

Hussein Onn

prime minister of Malaysia

Tun Ismail bin Datoʿ Abdul Rahman

Malay politician

Tun Haji Abdul Razak bin Hussein

prime minister of Malaysia

A map of the continent of Asia, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities, as well as parts of Europe, Africa, and surrounding oceans.

Asia

continent

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

national capital, Malaysia

Sarawak: fishing village

Sarawak

state, Malaysia

Melaka city

Melaka

Malaysia

Sabah

Sabah

state, Malaysia

Pahang

region, Malaysia

Johor

Johor

state, Malaysia

Pangkor Island

Perak

region, Malaysia

George Town

George Town

Malaysia

Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu

Malaysia

Sandakan

Sandakan

Malaysia

Selangor

region, Malaysia

Negeri Sembilan

state, Malaysia

Terengganu

region, Malaysia

Quiz

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The Country Quiz

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Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz

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Get to Know Asia

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Countries of the World

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Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

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You Name It!

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Countries & Their Features

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Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz

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Geography Fun Facts

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Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz

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Which Country Is Larger? Quiz