MALAYSIA: Country Information
Area: 329,758 sq km (127,320 sq miles). Population: 22,229,040  Capital: Kuala Lumpur. Time: GMT + 8. Geography: Malaysia is situated in central South-East Asia, bordering on Thailand in the north, with Singapore and Indonesia to the south and the Philippines to the east. It is composed of Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the north coast of the island of Borneo, 650-950km (404-600 miles) across the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysiais an area of forested mountain ranges running north–south, on either side of which are low-lying coastal plains. The coastline extends some 1900km (1200 miles). The west coast consists of mangrove swamps and mudflats which separate into bays and inlets. In the west, the plains have been cleared and cultivated, while the unsheltered east coast consists of tranquil beaches backed by dense jungle. Sarawak has alluvial and, in places, swampy coastal plains with rivers penetrating the jungle-covered hills and mountains of the interior. Sabah has a narrow coastal plain which gives way to mountains and jungle. Mount Kinabalu, at 4094m (13,432ft), is the highest peak in Malaysia. The major islands are Langkawi (a group of 99 islands), Penang and Pangkor off the west coast; and Tioman, Redang, Kapas, Perhentian and Rawa off the east coast. Language: 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 of which are Iban and Kadazan. Religion: Muslim (53%) and Buddhist (19%) majorities. The remainder are Christian, Taoist, Confucianist, Hindu and Animist. Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Square 3-pin plugs and bayonet-type light fittings are generally used. Communication: Telephone: IDD service is available. Country code: 60. Outgoing international code: 00. Public coin-operated phones can be found in many areas, such as supermarkets and post offices. Local calls cost 10 sen. Telephone Card public phones can be found throughout the country. Cards can be purchased at airports, petrol stations and some shops for amounts ranging from R3-50. There are presently two types – Kadfon and Unicard – and these can only be used in their appropriate marked phonebooths.
Fax: Centres for public use are located in the main post offices of all large towns. Most main hotels also have facilities. Telegram: Telegrams can be sent from any telegraph office. Post: There are post offices in the commercial centre of all towns, open 0800-1700 Monday to Saturday. Press: The English-language dailies printed in Peninsular Malaysia are the Business Times, Malay Mail, New Straits Times, The Sun and The Star. There are also several English-language Sunday newspapers and periodicals. The Borneo Bulletin, published in Brunei, also circulates. There are many printed in other languages and several in two or three languages.