The Federation of Malaysia comprises Peninsular Malaysia in the East and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo at the West side. The country is a peaceful blend of moderate weather and friendly people.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Located between 2 and 7 degrees north of the Equator, Peninsular Malaysia is separated from the states of Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. To the north of Peninsular Malaysia is Thailand while its southern neighbour is Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak are in Borneo Island.

AREA
329,758 sq km in total land area

POPULATION
Approximately 25 million people

CAPITAL
Kuala Lumpur

PEOPLE
Malays who make up about 57% of the population, followed in order by the Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups.

LANGUAGE
Bahasa Malaysia is the national language which everyone speaks to a certain degree, but English is widely spoken. The Chinese and Indians are able to speak a variety of dialects while the ethnic groups have their own unique language.

RELIGION
Malaysians live in a multireligious society. Islam is the official religion but other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism are practised.

CLIMATE
Malaysia has a tropical climate with warm weather all year round with consistent rainfall, more towards the year-end. Temperatures range from 21°C to 32°C. Annual rainfall varies from 2,000mm to 2,500mm.

GOVERNMENT
Malaysia practises a Parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislative system. The Head of State is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister.

CURRENCY
The unit of currency is the Malaysian Ringgit (RM). US$1 is roughly equivalent to RM3.50 (2007) and £1 is roughly equivalent to RM6.90 (2007). Foreign currency can be converted at banks and money changers.

TIME
Eight hours ahead of GMT and 16 hours ahead of US Pacific Standard Time.

COUNTRY CODE
+60