des

Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial and
vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Desertification

Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and
southern South China Sea

@Malaysia:People

Population: 20,491,303 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 3,776,400; female 3,587,445)
15-64 years: 60% (male 6,153,173; female 6,171,287)
65 years and over: 4% (male 350,523; female 452,475) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.15% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 26.94 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.43 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population : 1.01 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 23.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 70.06 years
male: 67.08 years
female: 73.22 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian

Ethnic groups: Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 26%, Indian 7%,
others 9%

Religions: Peninsular Malaysia - Muslim (Malays), Buddhist (Chinese),
Hindu (Indians); Sabah - Muslim 38%, Christian 17%, other 45%; Sarawak
- tribal religion 35%, Buddhist and Confucianist 24%, Muslim 20%,
Christian 16%, other 5%

Languages: Peninsular Malaysia - Malay (official), English, Chinese
dialects, Tamil; Sabah - English, Malay, numerous tribal dialects,
Chinese (Mandarin and Hakka dialects predominate); Sarawak - English,
Malay, Mandarin, numerous tribal languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5%
male: 89.1%
female : 78.1% (1995 est.)

@Malaysia:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia
former : Malayan Union

Data code: MY

Government type: constitutional monarchy
note: Federation of Malaysia formed 9 July 1963; nominally headed by
the paramount r