ps 10%; meadows and pastures
NEGL%; forest and woodland 63%; other 24%; includes irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: subject to flooding; air and water pollution

_#_Note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern
South China Sea

_*_People
_#_Population: 17,981,698 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 29 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 71 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Malaysian(s); adjective--Malaysian

_#_Ethnic divisions: Malay and other indigenous 59%, Chinese 32%,
Indian 9%

_#_Religion: Peninsular Malaysia--Malays nearly all Muslim, Chinese
predominantly Buddhists, Indians predominantly Hindu; Sabah--Muslim 38%,
Christian 17%, other 45%; Sarawak--tribal religion 35%, Buddhist and
Confucianist 24%, Muslim 20%, Christian 16%, other 5%

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

_#_Literacy: 78% (male 86%, female 70%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 6,800,000; agriculture 30.8%, manufacturing 17%,
government 13.6%, construction 5.8%, finance 4.3%, business services,
transport and communications 3.4%, mining 0.6%, other 24.5% (1989 est.)

_#_Organized labor: 660,000, 10% of total labor force (1988)

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: Federation of Malaysia formed 9 July 1963; constitutional
monarchy nominally headed by the paramount ruler (king) and a bicameral
Parliament; Peninsular Malaysian states--hereditary rulers in all
but Penang and Melaka, where governors are appointed by Malaysian
Government; powers of state governments are limited by federal
Constitution; Sabah--self-governing state, holds 20 seats in House of
Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and
other powers delegated to federal government; Sarawak--self-governing
state within Malaysia, holds 27 seats in House of Representatives, with
foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated
to feder