Malaysian Police Force, Marine Police,
Sarawak Border Scouts

Military manpower--military age: 21 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 5,526,555 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,349,066 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 183,928 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $2.1 billion (1998)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.1% (1998)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: involved in a complex dispute over the
Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and
possibly Brunei; Philippines have not fully revoked claim to Sabah
State; two islands in dispute with Singapore; two islands in dispute
with Indonesia

Illicit drugs: transit point for some illicit drugs going to
Western markets; drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries
severe penalties

======================================================================

@Maldives
--------

Geography

Location: Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean,
south-southwest of India

Geographic coordinates: 3 15 N, 73 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area:
total: 300 sq km
land: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 644 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November
to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Terrain: flat, with white sandy beaches

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu
Atoll 2.4 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 84% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: low level of islands makes them very sensitive
to sea level rise

Environment--current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers
threatens water supplies

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography--note: 1,190 coral isla