in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most
widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.7%
male: 92%
female: 85.4% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

6.2% of GDP (2004)

Government
Malaysia

Country name:

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia
local long form: none
local short form: Malaysia
former: Federation of Malaya

Government type:

constitutional monarchy
note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament
consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house;
all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka
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); Sabah holds 25 seats in House of
Representatives; Sarawak has 31 seats

Capital:

name: Kuala Lumpur
geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital;
Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur

Administrative divisions:

13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan,
Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah,
Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu; and one federal territory
(wilayah persekutuan) with three components, city of Kuala Lumpur,
Labuan, and Putrajaya

Independence:

31 August 1957 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)

Constitution:

31 August 1957 (amended many times, latest in 2007)

Legal system:

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in
the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation;
Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of family law and
religion; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin (since 13
December 2006)
head of gover