IM IN CHARGE OF Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The federal head of state of Malaysia is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the King of Malaysia. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected to a five-year term among the nine hereditarySultans of the Malay states; the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the selection.[46]
The system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that ofWestminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by a multi-party coalition known as the Barisan Nasional (formerly known as the Alliance).[47]
Legislative power is divided between federal and state legislatures. The bicameral parliament consists of the lower house, the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (literally the "Chamber of the People") and the upper house, the Senate or Dewan Negara (literally the "Chamber of the Nation").[48][49][50] The 222-member House of Representatives are elected from single-member constituencies that are drawn based on population for a maximum term of five years. All 70 Senators sit for three-year terms; 26 are elected by the 13 state assemblies, two representing the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, one each from federal territories of Labuan and Putrajaya, and 40 are appointed by the king. Besides the Parliament at the federal level, each state has a unicameral state legislative chamber (Malay: Dewan Undangan Negeri) whose members are elected from single-member constituencies. Parliamentary elections are held at least once every five years, with the last general election being in March 2008.[47] Registered voters of age 21 and above may vote for the members of the House of Representatives and in most of the states, the state legislative chamber as well. Voting is not compulsory.[51]
Executive power is vested in the cabinet led by the prime minister; the Malaysian constitution stipulates that the prime minister must be a member of the lower house of parliament who, in the opinion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commands a majority in parliament.[52] The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of Parliament and is responsible to that body.[53]
State governments are led by Chief Ministers (Menteri Besar in Malay states or Ketua Menteri in states without hereditary rulers), who is a state assembly member from the majority party in the Dewan Undangan Negeri. In each of the states with a hereditary ruler, the Chief Minister is required to be a Malay Muslim, although this rule is subject to the rulers' discretions.
[edit]Administrative divisions
Administratively, Malaysia consists of 13 states (11 in peninsular Malaysia and 2 in Malaysian Borneo) and 3 federal territories. Each state is further divided into districts (daerah or jajahan in Kelantan) and a subdivision of a district is called mukim. As Malaysia is a federation, the governance of the country is divided between the federal and the state governments.
Name  | Capital | Pop. | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur | — | 1,887,674 | 243 |
 Federal Territory of Labuan | Bandar Labuan | 85,000 | 92 |
 Federal Territory of Putrajaya | — | 50,000 | 46 |
 Johor | Johor Bahru | 3,300,000 | 19,984 |
 Kedah | Alor Setar | 1,818,188 | 9,426 |
 Kelantan | Kota Bharu | 2,100,000 | 14,922 |
 Melaka | Bandar Melaka | 733,000 | 1,650 |
 Negeri Sembilan | Seremban | 1,004,807 | 6,645 |
 Pahang | Kuantan | 1,396,500 | 35,964 |
 Perak | Ipoh | 2,260,576 | 21,006 |
 Perlis | Kangar | 215,000 | 810 |
 Pulau Pinang | George Town | 1,503,000 | 1,046 |
 Sabah | Kota Kinabalu | 3,387,880 | 76,115 |
 Selangor | Shah Alam | 5,000,000 | 7,956 |
 Sarawak | Kuching | 2,500,000 | 124,450 |
 Terengganu | Kuala Terengganu | 1,150,286 | 12,955 |
[edit]Geography
Malaysia is the 43rd most populated country and the 66th largest country by total land area in the world, with a population of about 27 million and a land area of over 320,000 km2 respectively. It is comparable in population to Saudi Arabia andVenezuela, and is roughly similar in size toNorway and Vietnam, along with the U.S. state ofNew Mexico.
The two distinct parts of Malaysia, separated from each other by the South China Sea, share a largely similar landscape in that both West and East Malaysia feature coastal plains rising to often densely forested hills and mountains, the highest of which is Mount Kinabalu at 4,095.2 metres (13,436 ft) on the island ofBorneo. The local climate is equatorial and characterised by the annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February)monsoons.
Tanjung Piai, located in the southern state of Johor, is the southernmost tip of continental Asia.[54][55] TheStrait of Malacca, lying between Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, is arguably the most important shipping lane in the world.[56]
Kuala Lumpur is the official capital and largest city of Malaysia. Putrajaya is the federal administrative capital. Although many executive and judicial branches of the federal government have moved there (to ease growing congestion within Kuala Lumpur), Kuala Lumpur is still recognised as the legislative capital of Malaysia since it houses the seat of the Parliament of Malaysia. It is also the main commercial and financial centre of the country.
Other major cities include George Town, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Miri, Alor Star,Malacca Town, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, Kuantan and Petaling Jaya.
[edit]Natural resources
Malaysia is well-endowed with natural resources in areas such as agriculture, forestry and minerals. In terms of agriculture, Malaysia is one of the top exporters of natural rubber and palm oil, which together with sawn logs and sawn timber, cocoa, pepper, pineapple and tobaccodominate the growth of the sector. Palm oil is also a major generator of foreign exchange.
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Regarding forestry resources, it is noted that logging only began to make a substantial contribution to the economy during the 19th century. Today, an estimated 59% of Malaysia remains forested. The rapid expansion of the timber industry, particularly after the 1960s, has brought about a serious erosion problem in the country's forest resources. However, in line with the Government's commitment to protect the environment and the ecological system, forestry resources are being managed on a sustainable basis and accordingly the rate of tree felling has been on the decline.
In addition, substantial areas are being silviculturally treated and reforestation of degraded forestland is being carried out. The Malaysian government provide plans for the enrichment of some 312.30 square kilometers (120.5 sq mi) of land with rattan under natural forest conditions and in rubber plantations as an inter crop. To further enrich forest resources, fast-growing timber species such as meranti tembaga, merawan and sesenduk are also being planted. At the same time, the cultivation of high-value trees like teak and other trees for pulp and paper are also encouraged. Rubber, once the mainstay of the Malaysian economy, has been largely replaced by oil palm as Malaysia's leading agricultural export.
Tin and petroleum are the two main mineral resources that are of major significance in the Malaysian economy. Malaysia was once the world's largest producer of tin until the collapse of the tin market in the early-1980s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, tin played a predominant role in the Malaysian economy. It was only in 1972 that petroleum and natural gas took over from tin as the mainstay of the mineral extraction sector. Meanwhile, the contribution by tin has declined. Petroleum and natural gas discoveries in oil fields off Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu have contributed much to the Malaysian economy. Other minerals of some importance or significance include copper, bauxite, iron-ore and coaltogether with industrial minerals like clay, kaolin, silica, limestone, barite, phosphates and dimension stones such as granite as well as marble blocks and slabs. Small quantities of gold are produced.
In 2004, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mustapa Mohamed, revealed that Malaysia's oil reserves stood at 4.84 billion barrels (769,000,000 m3) while natural gas reserves increased to 89 trillion cubic feet (2,500 km3). This was an increase of 7.2%.[citation needed] As of 1 January 2007, Petronas reported that oil and gas reserve in Malaysia amounted to 20.18 billion barrels (3.208×109 m3) equivalent.[57]
The government estimates that at current production rates Malaysia will be able to produce oil up to 18 years and gas for 35 years. In 2004, Malaysia is ranked 24th in terms of world oil reserves and 13th for gas. 56% of the oil reserves exist in the Peninsula while 19% exist in East Malaysia. The government collects oil royalties of which 5% are passed to the states and the rest retained by the federal government.[citation needed]
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