Country name |
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Malaysia local long form: none local short form: Malaysia former: Federation of Malaya etymology: the name means "Land of the Malays" |
Government type |
federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy note: all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers (commonly referred to as sultans) except Melaka (Malacca) and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls) |
Capital |
name: Kuala Lumpur; note - nearby Putrajaya is referred to as a federal government administrative center but not the capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
Administrative divisions |
13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu; and 1 federal territory (Wilayah Persekutuan) with 3 components, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya |
Independence |
31 August 1957 (from the UK) |
National holiday |
Independence Day (or Merdeka Day), 31 August (1957) (independence of Malaya); Malaysia Day, 16 September (1963) (formation of Malaysia) |
Constitution |
history: previous 1948; latest drafted 21 February 1957, effective 27 August 1957 amendments: proposed as a “bill” by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Parliament membership in the bill’s second and third readings; a number of constitutional sections are excluded from amendment or repeal; amended many times, last in 2010 (2017) |
Legal system |
mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Court at request of supreme head of the federation |
International law organization participation |
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
Citizenship |
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Malaysia dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 out 12 years preceding application |
Suffrage |
21 years of age; universal |
Executive branch |
chief of state: King MUHAMMAD V (formerly known as Tuanku Muhammad Faris Petra) (selected on 14 October 2016; installed on 13 December 2016); note - the position of the king is primarily ceremonial, but he is the final arbiter on the appointment of the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister MAHATHIR Mohamad (since 10 May 2018); Deputy Prime Minister WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismail (since 10 May 2018) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament with the consent of the king elections/appointments: king elected by and from the hereditary rulers of 9 states for a 5-year term; election is on a rotational basis among rulers of the 9 states; election last held on 14 October 2016 (next to be held in 2021); prime minister designated from among members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader who commands support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister election results: Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Najib Razak (UMNO) sworn in as prime minister for second term on 3 April 2009 |
Legislative branch |
description: bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 members appointed by the king and 26 indirectly elected by 13 state legislatures; members serve 3-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held on 9 May 2018 (next to be held in 2023) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - People's Alliance 45.6%, BN 33.8%, PAS 16.9%, WARISAN 2.3%, other 1.4%; seats by party/coalition - People's Alliance 113, BN 79, PAS 18, WARISAN 8, STAR 1, independent 3 |
Judicial branch |
highest court(s): Federal Court (consists of the chief justice, president of the Court of Appeal, chief justice of the High Court of Malaya, chief judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak and 7 judges); note - Malaysia has a dual judicial hierarchy of civil and religious (sharia) courts judge selection and term of office: Federal Court justices appointed by the monarch on advice of the prime minister; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65 subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; Sessions Court; Magistrates' Court |
Political parties and leaders |
National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN: Malaysian Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [LIOW Tiong Lai] Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongres India Malaysia) or MIC [S. SUBRAMANIAM] Progressive Democratic Party or PDP [TIONG King Sing] Sarawak People's Party (Parti Rakyat Sarawak) or PRS [James MASING] Sarawak United People's Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [Dr. SIM Kui Hian] United Malays National Organization or UMNO [Ahmad ZAHID Hamidi] United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Wilfred Madius TANGAU] United Sabah Party (Parti Bersatu Sabah) or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan] United Sabah People's (Party Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah) or PBRS [Joseph KURUP] United Traditional Bumiputera Party (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersata) or PBB [ Coalition of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) or PH (formerly the People's Alliance):: Democratic Action Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [TAN Kok Wai] Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) or PPBM [MAHATHIR Mohamad] National Trust Party (Parti Amanah Negara) or AMANAH [Mohamad SABU] People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismail] Other: Homeland Solidarity Party or STAR [Jeffrey KATINGAN] Islamic Party of Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang] Sabah Heritage Party or WARISAN [Shafie APDAL] |
Political pressure groups and leaders |
Bar Council BERSIH (electoral reform coalition) ISMA (Muslim NGO) PERKASA (defense of Malay rights) other: religious groups; women's groups; youth groups |
International organization participation |
ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CICA (observer), CP, D-8, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Diplomatic representation in the US |
chief of mission: Ambassador ZULHASNAN Rafique (since 9 January 2017) chancery: 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700 FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US |
chief of mission: Ambassador Kamala Shirin LAKHDIR (since 21 February 2017) embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000 FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207 |
Flag description |
14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the flag is often referred to as Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory); the 14 stripes stand for the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government; the 14 points on the star represent the unity between these entities; the crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam; blue symbolizes the unity of the Malay people and yellow is the royal color of Malay rulers note: the design is based on the flag of the US |
National symbol(s) |
tiger, hibiscus; national colors: gold, black |
National anthem |
name: "Negaraku" (My Country) lyrics/music: collective, led by Tunku ABDUL RAHMAN/Pierre Jean DE BERANGER note: adopted 1957; full version only performed in the presence of the king; the tune, which was adopted from a popular French melody titled "La Rosalie," was originally the anthem of Perak, one of Malaysia's 13 states |