東南亞:
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| 馬來西亞 Malaysia 首都:吉隆坡 國家代碼: my |
 马来西亚 马来西亚 马来西亚 马来西亚 马来西亚 马来西亚國旗 呈橫長方形，長與寬之比為2:1。主體部分由14道紅白相間、寬度相等的橫條組成。左上方有一深藍色的長方形，上有一彎黃色新月和一顆14個尖角的黃色星。14道紅白橫條和14角星象徵馬來西亞的13個州和政府。藍色象徵人民的團结及馬來西亞與英聯邦的關係──英國國旗以藍色為旗底，黃色象徵國傢元首，新月象徵馬來西亞的國教伊斯蘭教。 國徽 中間為盾形徽。盾徽上面繪有一彎黃色新月和一顆14個尖角的黃色星，盾面上的圖案和顔色象徵馬來西亞的組成及其行政區劃。盾面上部列有5把入鞘的短劍，它們分別代表柔佛州、吉打州、玻璃市州、吉蘭丹州和丁加奴州。盾面中間部分繪有紅、黑、白、黃４條色帶，分別代表雪蘭莪州、彭亨州、霹靂州和森美蘭州。盾面左側繪有藍、白波紋的海水和以黃色為地並繪有３根藍色鴕鳥羽毛，這一圖案代表檳榔嶼。盾面右側的馬六甲樹代表馬六甲州。盾面下端左邊代表沙巴州，圖案中繪有強健的褐色雙臂，雙手緊握沙巴州州旗。盾面下端右邊繪有一隻紅、黑、藍３色飛禽，代表沙撈越州。盾面下部中間的圖案為馬來西亞的國花──木槿，當地人稱“班加拉亞”。盾徽兩側各站着一頭紅舌馬來虎，兩虎後肢踩着金色飾帶，飾帶上書寫着格言“團结就是力量”。在盾徽上還繪有一彎新月和一顆14角星。 國歌 《我的國傢》（馬來文：Negaraku） 國花 扶桑花 首都 吉隆坡(kuala lumpur) ，人口約120多萬。具有觀光和通訊兩大功能的吉隆坡塔，高達466米，是亞洲最高塔之一，如兩柄銀色利劍直插雲端。吉隆坡還是這個多民族、多宗教國傢的縮影，市內清真寺以及佛教、印度教的寺廟隨處可見，基督教的教堂也有20多座。新首都：普特拉賈亞(putrajaya) 位於吉隆坡以南35公裏處，總理府及部分政府工作人員於1999年6月遷入，2005年前搬遷完畢，人口約7000。 官方語言 馬來語 貨幣 林吉特 人口 27,170,000人（2007年）（世界第43名）。人口密度：69/km2（世界第97名），其中馬來人及其他原住民占66.1%，華人占25.3%，印度人占7.4%。砂撈越州原住居民中以伊班族為主，沙巴州以卡達山族為主。馬來語為國語，通用英語，華語使用也較廣泛。伊斯蘭教為國教，其他宗教有佛教、印度教、基督教、拜物教等。 自然地理 面積33萬平方公裏。位於東南亞，地處太平洋和印度洋之間。全境被南中國海分成東馬來西亞和西馬來西亞兩部分。西馬來西亞為馬來亞地區，位於馬來半島南部，北與泰國接壤，西瀕馬六甲海峽，東臨南中國南海，東馬來西亞為沙撈越地區和沙巴地區的合稱，位於加裏曼丹島北部。海岸綫部長4192公裏。屬熱帶雨林氣候。內地山區年均氣溫22℃~28℃，沿海平原為25℃~30℃。 獨立日 1957年8月31日 國慶日 8月31日 重要節日 馬來西亞節日很多，全國大大小小的節日約有上百個。但政府規定的全國性節日衹有10個，其中除少數有固定日期外，其餘的具體日期由政府在前一年統一公佈。主要節日有：元旦、開齋節（穆斯林）、春節（華人）、哈芝節（穆斯林）、屠妖節（印度人）、“五·一”節、聖誕節、衛塞節、現任最高元首誕辰。8月31日為馬來西亞國慶（又稱獨立日）。 災難意識日：12月26日（2005年馬來西亞政府决定設立。選擇這一天作為全國“災難意識日”，是因為馬來西亞過去在這一天多次遭受自然災難的襲擊。1996年這一天，東馬來西亞的沙巴州遭受強烈熱帶風暴襲擊，有100多人死亡，許多房屋和財産被毀；2004年12月26日，馬來西亞北部檳榔嶼等州部分地區遭到印度洋海嘯襲擊，共有60多人死亡。） 國傢格言 團结就是力量（馬來文：Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu） 國傢政要 國王叫米贊阿比丁，2007年4月26日加冕的；總理阿卜杜拉·艾哈邁德·巴達維 (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) ，2003年10月就任，2004年3月連任。 簡史 公元初馬來半島建立了羯荼、狼牙修等古國。15世紀初以馬六甲為中心的滿刺加王國統一了馬來半島的大部分，並發展成當時東南亞主要國際貿易中心。16世紀起先後遭到葡萄牙、荷蘭和英國侵略。1911年淪為英國殖民地。沙撈越、沙巴歷史上屬文萊，1888年兩地淪為英國保護國。二次大戰期間，馬來亞、沙撈越、沙巴被日本占領。戰後英國恢復其殖民統治。1957年8月31日馬來亞聯合邦在英聯邦內獨立。1963年9月16日，馬來亞聯合邦和新加坡、沙撈越、沙巴合併組成馬來西亞（1965年8月9日新加坡宣佈退出）。 行政區劃 全國分為13個州，包括西馬的柔佛、吉打、吉蘭丹、馬六甲、森美蘭、彭亨、檳城、霹靂、玻璃市、雪蘭莪、丁加奴以及東馬的沙巴、沙撈越，另有三個聯邦直轄區：首都吉隆坡、納閩和普特拉賈亞（Putra Jaya，聯邦政府行政中心）。 【政治】 實行君主立憲製。因歷史原因，沙撈越州和沙巴州擁有較大自治權。 以巫統為首的執政黨聯盟國民陣綫（簡稱“國陣”）長期執政，馬來人占政治主導地位，政局穩定。1997年金融危機和安瓦爾事件曾對馬政局造成衝擊。1999年第十屆全國大選中，國陣雖繼續保持國會三分之二以上議席，但在馬來人中支持率有所下降；反對黨伊斯蘭教黨勢力上升，在吉蘭丹和丁加奴兩州執政。“9·11事件”後，伊斯蘭教黨的極端宗教色彩受到質疑，處境被動。國陣在三次地方補選中獲勝，凝聚力增強，執政地位得到鞏固。 2003年10月31日，馬哈蒂爾辭去黨政職務，巴達維副總理接任總理及國陣、巫統主席，政權平穩過渡。巴達維延續馬哈蒂爾既定的內外政策，同時加強政府機構整頓和廉政建設，強調全民分享政治權力和經濟發展成果，受到民衆普遍歡迎和支持。 2004年3月，馬來西亞提前舉行第十一屆全國大選，國陣創下歷屆大選最好戰績，贏得219個國會議席中的199席和505個州議席中的452席。巴達維蟬聯總理，領導地位進一步鞏固。2005、2006年，馬來西亞政局繼續保持穩定，國陣執政基礎穩固。巴達維逐漸樹立起自己的執政理念和風格。 憲法 1957年頒布馬來亞憲法，1963年馬來西亞成立後繼續沿用，改名為馬來西亞聯邦憲法，後多次修訂。憲法規定：最高元首為國傢首腦、伊斯蘭教領袖兼武裝部隊統帥，由統治者會議選舉産生，任期5年。最高元首擁有立法、司法和行政的最高權力，以及任命總理、拒絶解散國會等權力。1993年3月，馬議會通過憲法修正案，取消了各州蘇丹的法律豁免權等特權。1994年5月修改憲法，規定最高元首必須接受並根據政府建議執行公務。2005年1月，馬議會再次通過修憲法案，决定將各州的水供事務管理權和文化遺産管理權移交中央政府。 統治者會議 由柔佛、彭亨、雪蘭莪、森美蘭、霹靂、丁加奴、吉蘭丹、吉打、玻璃市9個州的世襲蘇丹和馬六甲、檳州、沙撈越、沙巴4個州的州元首組成。其職能是在9個世襲蘇丹中輪流選舉産生最高元首和副最高元首；審議並頒布國傢法律、法規；對全國性的伊斯蘭教問題有最終裁决權；審議涉及馬來族和沙巴、沙撈越土著民族的特權地位等重大問題。未經該會議同意，不得通過有關統治者特權地位的任何法律。內閣總理和各州州務大臣、首席部長協助會議召開。 議會 也稱國會，最高立法機構。由上議院和下議院組成。2003年5月，國會通過重新劃分國會和州議會選區的動議，國會下議院議席從194增至219個，除沙撈越以外的12個州議席從422增至505個。議員任期5年。本屆國會於2004年3月第十一屆全國大選後組成。以巫統為首的國陣擁有199席，超過議席總數的90%。反對黨擁有19席，其中民主行動黨12席，伊斯蘭教黨6席，國民公正黨1席。無黨派獨立人士1席。下議院議長坦·斯裏·拉姆利·雅·塔利布（Tan Sri RAMLI Ngah Talib），2004年11月22日任職。上議院有70名議員，由全國13個州議會各選舉産生2名，其餘44名由最高元首根據內閣推薦委任，任期3年。上議院議長坦·斯裏·阿卜杜爾·哈密德（Tan Sri Dr. ABDUL HAMID bin Pawanteh），2003年7月7日任職。 政府 本屆政府於2004年3月組成，2006年2月進行了小幅改組，共設28個部門，現任內閣成員有：總理兼財政部長和國內安全部長達圖·斯裏·阿卜杜拉·艾哈邁德·巴達維（Datuk Seri ABDULLAH Ahmad Badawi），副總理兼國防部長達圖·斯裏·納吉布·敦·拉紮剋(Dato’Seri NAJIB Tun Razak)，總理府部長坦·斯裏·博納德·吉魯剋·東波（Tan Sri BERNARD GILUK DOMPOK）、達圖·斯裏·穆罕默德·納茲裏·阿卜杜爾·阿齊茲（Datuk Seri MOHD NAZIR Abdul Aziz）、達圖·斯裏·阿卜杜拉·瑪·辛（Dutuk Seri ABDULLAH Mat Zin）、達圖·邁剋希姆斯·翁科裏（Datuk MAXIMUS Ongkili）、達圖·斯裏·穆罕默德·阿芬迪（Dato’ Sri MOHD. EFFENDI）,第二財政部長坦·斯裏·諾爾·穆罕默德·雅各布（Tan Sri NOR MOHAMED Yakcop），內政部長達圖·斯裏·穆罕默德·拉德茲（Dato’ Seri MOHD RADZI bin Sheikh Ahmad），國際貿易和工業部長達圖·斯裏·拉菲達·阿齊茲(Datuk Seri RAFIDAH Aziz)，教育部長達圖·希沙慕汀·侯賽因（Dato’ HISHAMUDDIN bin Tun Hussein），高等教育部長達圖·姆斯塔法（Datuk MUSTAPA bin Mohamed），企業及合作社發展部長達圖·卡立德·諾丁（Datuk KHALED Nordin），房屋及地方政府部長達圖·斯裏·黃傢定（Datuk Seri ONG KA TING）,能源、供水及通訊部長達圖·斯裏·林敬益（Datuk Seri Dr. LIM KENG YAIK），新聞部長達圖·紮伊努丁（Datuk ZAINUDDIN bin Maidin），工程部長達圖·斯裏·薩米·維魯（Dato’ Seri SAMY VELLU）,自然資源及環境部長達圖·斯裏·哈吉·阿茲米（Dato’ Seri Haji AZMI bin Khalid），農業及農基産業部長坦·斯裏·穆希丁·雅辛（Tan Sri MUHYIDDIN Yassin）,外交部長達圖·斯裏·賽義德·哈密德·阿爾巴(Datuk Seri SYED Hamid Albar)，交通部長達圖·陳廣纔（Datuk CHAN KONG CHOY），人力資源部長達圖·馮鎮安（Datuk Dr. FONG CHAN ONN）,科技與創新部長達圖·賈瑪魯丁·達圖·穆罕默德·加吉斯（Dato’ Dr. JAMALUDIN bin Dato’ Mohd. Jarjis），藝術、文化及文化遺産部長達圖·斯裏·拉伊斯·亞蒂姆（Datuk Seri RAIS Yatim），婦女、家庭及社會發展部長達圖·斯裏·莎麗薩·阿卜杜爾·加利爾（Datuk Seri SHAHRIZAT Abdul Jalil），鄉村和土地發展部長達圖·阿卜杜爾·阿齊茲·山姆蘇丁(Datuk ABDUL AZIZ Shamsuddin)，國內貿易及消費者事務部長達圖·沙菲·阿博達爾（Datuk SHAFIE Apdal），種植業及原産品部長達圖·陳華貴（Datuk Peter CHIN FAH KUI），青年及體育部長達圖·阿紮麗娜·奧斯曼·賽義德（Datuk AZALINA Othman Said），衛生部長達圖·蔡細歷（Datuk Dr CHUA SOI LEK），聯邦直轄區部長達圖·哈吉·祖爾哈斯南·拉菲剋（Dato’ Haji ZULHASNAN bin Rafique），旅遊部長達圖·東姑·阿德南（Datuk TENGKU ADNAN bin Tengku Mansor）。 司法機構 最高法院於1985年1月1日正式成立。1994年6月改名為聯邦法院。設有馬來亞高級法院（負責西馬）和婆羅州高級法院（負責東馬），各州設有地方法院和推事庭。另外還有特別軍事法庭和伊斯蘭教法庭。聯邦法院首席大法官丹·斯裏·達圖·斯裏·艾哈邁德·法魯茲（Tan sri Dato’Sri AHMAD FAIRUZ），2003年3月就任。總檢察長坦·斯裏·阿卜杜爾·甘尼·帕泰爾（Tan Sri ABDUL GANI PATAIL），2002年1月1日就任。 政黨 註册政黨有40多個。由14個政黨組成國民陣綫聯合執政。2001年5月，沙巴人民正義黨解散，並入巫統。2002年1月，反對黨沙巴團结黨重返國民陣綫。 國民陣綫（National Front）：執政黨聯盟。1974年4月在馬來亞聯盟黨的基礎上擴大而成，成員黨相對獨立。大選時各黨采用統一的競選標志和宣言，候選人議席內部協商分配。強調發展經濟，協調各政黨利益，建立和平、穩定、繁榮、公正的社會。成員黨包括馬來民族統一機構，又稱巫統（United Malays National Organization）、馬來西亞華人公會（Malaysian Chinese Association）、馬來西亞印度人國大黨（Malaysian Indian Congress）、人民運動黨（又稱民政黨，The People’s Movement Party）、馬來西亞人民進步黨（The People’s Progressive Party of Malaysia）、沙撈越土著保守統一黨(Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu Sarawak)、沙撈越人民聯合黨（The Sarawak United People’s Party）、沙撈越國民黨（The Sarawak National Party）、沙撈越達雅剋族黨（Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak）、沙巴自由民主黨（The Liberal Democratic Party of Sabah）、沙巴進步黨（The Sabah Progressive Party）、沙巴人民團结黨（Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah）、沙巴民主黨（Parti Demokratik Sabah）、沙巴團结黨（Parti Bersatu Sabah）。國民陣綫主席通常由巫統主席兼任，現任主席為巴達維。 主要執政黨 馬來民族統一機構（The United Malays National Organization,簡稱巫統，UMNO）：馬來人政黨。成立於1946年5月11日。1987年4月因黨爭而分裂，被法庭判為非法組織。1988年2月馬哈蒂爾在原巫統基礎上重組“新巫統”（The New United Malays National Organization）。1996年，從巫統分裂出去的“四六”精神黨重返新巫統後再次還名為“巫統”。現有黨員280萬。巫統主席和署理主席代表國陣出任政府正、副總理。 馬來西亞華人公會（Malaysian Chinese Association，簡稱馬華公會，MCA）：最大的華人政黨。1949年2月27日成立，原名馬來亞華人公會，馬來西亞成立後改為現名。黨員103萬。2003年5月，林良實和林亞禮辭去馬華公會總會長和署理總會長職務，分別由黃傢定和陳廣纔接任。 馬來西亞印度人國大黨（Malaysian Indian Congress，簡稱印度人國大黨，MIC）：1946年8月2日成立。馬來西亞印度、巴基斯坦族政黨，旨在爭取和維護兩族利益。黨員55萬人。主席達圖·斯裏·薩米·維魯。 主要反對黨 伊斯蘭教黨（Parti Islam Malaysia）：原稱泛馬伊斯蘭教黨。以馬來穆斯林為主的宗教政黨，主要勢力在北馬。1951年8月23日成立，1973至1977年曾加入國民陣綫。1959至1978年和1990年至今在吉蘭丹州執政，1999至2003年在丁加奴州短期執政。1992年8月决定在吉蘭丹州實施伊斯蘭刑事法。黨員80萬。現任主席哈迪·阿旺（HADI AWANG）。 民主行動黨（The Democratic Action Party）：以華人為主的多民族政黨。1966年3月19日成立，前身是新加坡人民行動黨在馬來半島的分部。本屆國會最大反對黨。主席林吉祥（LIM KIT SIANG）。 國民公正黨(National Justice Party)：1999年4月4日成立，前身是1990年註册的伊斯蘭教社會聯盟。旨在聯合各政黨和非政府組織力量，抗衡政府，爭取公正。2003年7月，國民公正黨决定與反對黨人民黨合併為人民公正黨。黨主席為原公正黨主席、前副總理安瓦爾夫人旺·阿茲莎（Wan Azizah），署理主席為原人民黨主席賽義德·侯賽因（Syed Hussin）。 重要人物 端古·米贊·紮伊納爾·阿比丁：最高元首。1962年出生於丁加奴州瓜拉丁加奴。曾赴澳大利亞墨爾本語言學院深造，1983年畢業於英格蘭皇傢軍事學院，1988年獲美國國際歐洲大學國際關係學士學位。1979年被封為丁加奴州攝政王，1990年曾任丁加奴州代理蘇丹，1998年5月14日出任丁加奴州第十六任蘇丹，1999年4月至2006年12月任馬來西亞第十一任副最高元首。2006年12月13日就任第十三任最高元首，2007年4月26日登基。已婚，最高元首後潘斯裏·羅齊塔（Puan Seri Rozita），育有兩子一女。達圖·斯裏·阿卜杜拉·艾哈邁德·巴達維：總理兼財政部長和國內安全部長。1939年11月26日生於檳城。1964年畢業於馬來亞大學，獲伊斯蘭研究學學士學位。1978年當選國會議員，歷任聯邦直轄區部政務次長和副部長、總理府不管部長、總理府部長、教育部長、國防部長等職。1991年3月任外交部長，1999年1月任副總理兼內政部長。2003年10月任總理兼財政部長和內政部長，2004年3月大選後連任總理並兼任財政部長和國內安全部長。現任馬執政黨聯盟－國民陣綫主席以及巫統主席。信奉伊斯蘭教。個性內斂，風格平實。夫人恩東（Datin Edon Binti Datuk Mahmud）於2005年10月病逝。育有一子一女。達圖·斯裏·納吉布·敦·拉紮剋：副總理兼國防部長。馬第二任總理拉紮剋的長子。1953年7月24日生於彭亨州。獲英國諾丁漢大學經濟學士學位。1976年當選國會下議員，1978年任能源、電訊和郵電部副部長，是馬歷史上最年輕的下議員和副部長。此後歷任彭亨州州務大臣、文化、青年和體育部長、國防部長、教育部長等職。2004年1月起任現職，2004年3月大選後連任。巫統資深領袖，曾連續多次當選巫統副主席，2004年1月起任巫統署理主席。夫人達汀·斯裏·羅斯瑪·曼蘇爾（Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor），育有五名子女。 【經濟】 上世紀70年代前，經濟以農業為主，依賴初級産品出口。70年代以來不斷調整産業結構，大力推行出口導嚮型經濟，電子業、製造業、建築業和服務業發展迅速。同時實施馬來民族和原住民優先的“新經濟政策”，旨在實現消除貧睏、重組社會的目標。 80年代中期受世界經濟衰退影響，經濟一度下滑，後采取刺激外資和私人資本等措施，經濟明顯好轉。1987年起，經濟連續10年保持8％以上的高速增長。1991年提出“2020宏願”的跨世紀發展戰略，旨在於2020年將馬建成發達國傢。重視發展高科技，啓動了“多媒體超級走廊”、“生物𠔌”等項目。近年來，通過穩定匯率、重組銀行企業債務、擴大內需和出口等政策，經濟取得較快增長。巴達維上任後，在保持經濟持續穩定增長的同時，着力控製財政赤字，取消了一批耗資巨大的形象工程，將重點轉嚮農業等基礎産業建設，帶動鄉村發展。積極推動消費和投資，把私營經濟作為國傢經濟增長的新支柱。鼓勵發展旅遊、教育事業，實現經濟多元化。2006年4月，馬政府第九個五年計劃（2006~2010年）獲得國會通過，其主題是“共同邁嚮卓越、輝煌和昌盛”，施政重點是降低財政赤字，加強人力資源開發，加大農業投入，扶持中小企業，推動旅遊業發展。2006年馬主要經濟數字如下： 國內生産總值：5427.66億令吉。 國內生産總值增長率：5.9％。 貨幣名稱：令吉（Ringgit）。 匯率：1美元＝3.5 令吉（浮動匯率）。 通貨膨脹率：3.6%。 失業率：3.8％。 資源 自然資源豐富。橡膠、棕油和鬍椒的産量和出口量居世界前列。曾是世界産錫大國，但近年來産量逐年減少，2004年錫産量為3500噸。截至2005年1月1日，馬來西亞石油和天然氣總儲量為194.9億桶，可供分別開採19年和33年。此外還有鐵、金、鎢、煤、鋁土、錳等礦産。盛産熱帶硬木。 工業 政府鼓勵以本國原料為主的加工工業，重點發展電子、汽車、鋼鐵、石油化工和紡織品等。2006年製造業銷售收入5113億林吉特，增長11.2%，；就業人數108萬。 礦業 以錫、石油和天然氣開採為主，2005年礦業總産值估計為176.32億林吉特，增長0.8%。近幾年礦産品産量如下： 2004 2005 2006 石油（萬桶／日） 76.23 70.4 70 液化天然氣（萬噸） 2072.9 2194.8 2300 錫（萬噸） 0.27 0.29 （資料來源：馬來西亞統計局） 農牧漁林業 耕地面積約414萬公頃，占可耕地面積的30.6％。農業以經濟作物為主，主要有油棕、橡膠、熱帶水果等。稻米自給率為60％。2005年農、牧、漁、林業總産值為221.42億林吉特，增長4.8％，占國內生産總值的8.45%。近幾年主要農、林産品産量如下：（單位：萬噸）： 2004 2005 2006* 棕油 1345.0 1496.07 1588 橡膠 116.87 112.6 126 水稻 226.4 224 原木（千立方米） 22039 22119 21180 * 為估計數字。 （資料來源：馬來西亞統計局） 盛産熱帶林木。漁業以近海捕撈為主，近年來深海捕撈和養殖業有所發展。2001年水産産量估計為122.58萬噸，2002年同比減産1.7%。 服務業 範圍廣泛，包括水、電、交通、通訊、批發、零售、飯店、餐館、金融、保險、不動産及政府部門提供的服務等。70年代以來，馬政府不斷調整産業結構，使服務業得到了迅速發展，成為國民經濟發展的支柱性行業之一。2005年服務業增長6.5%，就業人數約535.36萬，占全國就業人口的50.76％，是就業人數最多的行業。自1996年設立“多媒體超級走廊”以來，創造了超過4萬個就業機會。截至2006年7月，多媒體超級走廊內1552傢註册公司銷售收入約60億林吉特。近幾年服務業産值及其占國內生産總值百分比如下： 2003 2004 2005 産值（億令吉）1335.31 1415.34 1511.44 占國內生産總值 57.6% 57.1% 57.7% （資料來源：馬來西亞統計局） 旅遊業 國傢第三大經濟支柱,第二大外匯收入來源。1990年和1994年舉辦兩屆馬來西亞觀光年。擁有飯店約1878,飯店入住率55.3%。主要旅遊點有：吉隆坡、雲頂、檳城、馬六甲、浮羅交怡島、刁曼島、熱浪島、邦咯島等。2006年赴馬外國遊客人數達1754萬人次，同比增長6.8%，旅遊外匯收入360.2億林吉特。 交通運輸 全國有良好的公路網，公路和鐵路主要幹綫貫穿馬來半島南北，航空業亦較發達。 公路：2003年全國公路總長75893公裏。截至2005年底，註册交通工具1480萬輛。 鐵路：2003年總長2267公裏，主要貫穿馬來半島。 水運：內河運輸不發達，海運80％以上依賴外航。共有各類船衹1008艘，其中100噸位以上的註册商船508艘，註册總噸位175.5萬噸；遠洋船衹50艘。共有19個港口。近年來大力發展遠洋運輸和港口建設，主要航運公司為馬來西亞國際船務公司，主要港口有巴生、檳城、關丹、新山、古晉和納閩等。 空運：民航主要由馬來西亞航空公司經營，有飛機110餘架，闢有航綫113條，其中80條為國際航綫。1996年11月，第二傢航空公司——亞洲航空公司投入運營。全國共有機場37個，其中有5個國際機場：吉隆坡國際機場、檳城、浮羅交怡、哥打基那巴魯和古晉。 財政金融 2006年9月，馬政府嚮國會提交2007年度財政預算案，其中總收入1348億林吉特，總支出1594億林吉特，預算赤字占國內生産總值的比例從2006年的3.5%降至2007年的3.4%。近幾年聯邦政府財政收支情況如下（單位：億令吉）： 2004 2005 2006 收入 993.97 1058.56 1184 支出 1193.11 1245.4 1368 盈餘 -199.14 -186.84 184 （資料來源：馬來西亞財政部2006/2007年度經濟報告） 截至2006年底，外債總額512億美元。截至2007年3月，馬外匯儲備為873億美元，是短期外債的9.1倍，可支付進口8.1個月。 〔對外貿易〕現為世界第18大貿易國。2006年主要出口電子電器（占總出口的47.7%）、棕櫚油(5.5％)、原油（5.4%）、木材産品(4.0％)、天然氣（4.0%）和石油産品（3.2%），主要出口市場為：美國、新加坡、歐盟、日本和中國。主要進口機械運輸設備、食品、煙草和燃料等。近年對外貿易情況如下（單位：億林吉特）： 2004 2005 2006 總 額 8803.7 9677.98 10694.42 進口額 3996.5 4340.1 4804.93 出口額 4807.2 5337.88 5889.49 差 額 810.7 997.78 1084.56 （資料來源：馬貿工部經濟數字） 外國資本 大力吸引外資。2003年外國投資總計156億林吉特，增長35%；2004年為131億林吉特,下降16％；2005年為179億令吉，增長37%；2006年為202億林吉特，主要外資來源地為日本、荷蘭、澳大利亞、美國和新加坡。 人民生活 根據馬財政部統計，截至2003年8月，馬個人存款占銀行存款總額58%，年增長率6%。根據馬能源、通訊和多媒體部統計，截至2004年6月，固定電話用戶454.7萬人；移動電話用戶1239.8萬人，城市和鄉村中的固定電話擁有率為23%和12%，移動電話擁有率為53%和12%。截至2006年4月，馬電腦用戶420萬人，互聯網使用人數占40%。 根據馬衛生部統計，2003年，全國平均每1377人1名醫生，共有病床34089張。2006年人均壽命男性為71.8歲，女性為76.3歲，嬰兒死亡率6.6‰。 【軍事】 陸軍的前身是1935年英國殖民地政府組建的馬來兵團。1958年馬從英國人手中接管原英殖民地海軍輔助部隊，1963年正式改為馬來西亞皇傢海軍。1958年6月1日正式建立馬來皇傢空軍。馬最高元首是三軍最高統帥。國防决策機構為國傢安全委員會，總理任主席。武裝部隊總司令是最高指揮官。實行志願兵役製，服役期為10年。 【文化教育】 馬、華、印各族都有自己獨特的文化。政府努力塑造以馬來文化為基礎的國傢文化，推行“國民教育政策”，重視馬來語的普及教育。華文教育比較普遍，有較完整的華文教育體係。 教育 實施小學免費教育。2003年、2004年教育經費開支約190.33億林吉特和215.17億林吉特，2005年教育經費預算為231.1億林吉特。2003年，小學適齡兒童入學率為98.5%，10歲以上人口識字率為95％。每18名小學生一名教師，每16名中學生一名教師。全國有馬來亞大學、國民大學等九所高等院校，近年來私立高等院校發展很快，有私立學院662間。2003年在校大學生29.05萬人。全國共有470多傢公共圖書館，藏書1130萬册。 新聞出版 約有50份報紙，用8種文字出版。主要報紙有：馬來文的《馬來使者報》、《每日新聞》、《祖國報》；英文的《新海峽時報》、《星報》、《馬來郵報》；華文的《光華日報》、《南洋商報》、《星洲日報》等。馬來西亞國傢新聞社（簡稱馬新社）是一個半官方的通訊社。馬來西亞廣播電臺屬官辦，建於1946年，擁有6個廣播網，用馬來語、英語、華語和泰米爾語廣播。馬來西亞之聲電臺建於1963年，用馬來語、阿拉伯語、英語、印尼語、緬甸語、他加祿語和泰語等8種語言對外廣播。馬來西亞電視臺屬官辦，建於1963年，設有兩個頻道，用馬來語、英語、華語和泰米爾語播放。另外還有第三電視臺（TV3）、城市電視（METRO VISION）和國民電視（NTV）三傢私營電視臺。近年開辦了ASTRO衛星有綫電視頻道。 【外交】 奉行獨立自主、中立、不結盟的外交政策。視東盟為外交政策基石，優先發展同東盟國傢關係。重視發展同大國關係。係英聯邦成員，與其他成員國交往較多。已同131個國傢建交。 大力開展經濟外交，積極推動南南合作，譴責西方國傢貿易保護主義。1998年主辦了第六次APEC領導人非正式會議。主張亞太經濟合作組織（APEC）保持鬆散的經濟論壇性質，反對其發展為地區性集團。重視東亞合作，倡導建立東亞共同體。1997年主辦了首屆東盟與中、日、韓（10+3）領導人非正式會議，2005年底主辦首次東亞峰會。積極緻力於東盟自由貿易區建設和湄公河盆地經濟開發合作。 積極發展同伊斯蘭國傢和不結盟國傢關係，關註伊斯蘭事務。主張伊拉剋戰後重建應尊重其主權獨立和領土完整，並符合伊人民意願。在中東問題上，認為巴勒斯坦人民的鬥爭不是宗教對抗，而是捍衛領土主權，獨立的巴勒斯坦國應得到國際社會承認。200 6年多次以伊斯蘭國傢會議組織和不結盟運動主席國身份召集會議，並緻信聯合國秘書長和各安理會常任理事國，尋求對伊拉剋問題和中東問題公正合理的解决。 反對西方強權政治，反對利用“民主”、“人權”等問題干涉別國內政，主張維護聯合國作為國際核心組織的地位，關註建立國際政治經濟新秩序問題。2004年5月當選2005－2007年聯合國人權委員會委員。2006年3月，第60屆聯大通過决議，决定成立聯合國人權理事會，取代原來的人權委員會。馬於同年5月當選人權理事會成員，任期3年（2006~2009年）。 支持國際反恐合作，強調反恐應解决恐怖主義産生的根源，否定伊斯蘭與恐怖主義的必然聯繫，推動宗教和文明間對話。 在朝核問題上，認為擁有核武器的朝鮮將危及東北亞乃至全世界的安全，呼籲有關各方保持剋製，贊賞六方會談為解决朝核問題發揮的積極作用。 與我國的雙邊關係： 一、雙邊政治關係回顧 兩國於1974年5月31日正式建立外交關係。建交後，兩國關係總體發展順利。進入90年代，中馬關係開始進入新的發展階段，雙方在政治、經濟、文化等各個領域的友好交流與合作全面展開，並取得豐碩成果。 兩國高層互訪和接觸頻繁。江澤民主席（1994年）、李鵬總理（1990、1997年）、朱鎔基總理（1999年）、李瑞環政協主席（1995年）、鬍錦濤副主席（2002年）、薑春雲副委員長（2002年）、李嵐清副總理（2003年）等分別訪馬。馬前三任最高元首阿茲蘭（1990、1991年）、賈阿法（1997年）和薩拉赫丁（2001年）先後訪華。前總理馬哈蒂爾和下議長紮希爾在職期間也多次訪華。 2004年1月，吳邦國委員長會見來華出席亞太議會論壇年會的馬下議長紮希爾；4月，馬前總理馬哈蒂爾訪華並出席博鰲亞洲論壇年會；5月，巴達維總理正式訪華並出席兩國建交30周年慶祝活動。雙方發表《聯合公報》，一致同意推進兩國戰略性合作。10月，唐傢璇國務委員訪馬，分別會見了巴達維總理和納吉布副總理。11月，溫傢寶總理在老撾出席中國與東盟領導人係列會議期間會見了巴達維總理。 2004年12月26日，印度洋發生強烈地震海嘯災難，馬北部部分地區遭受較大損失。災情發生後，鬍錦濤主席和溫傢寶總理分別緻電馬最高元首西拉傑丁和總理巴達維表示慰問。中國政府和人民還嚮馬提供了緊急救災援助。 2005年3月，馬最高元首西拉傑丁對華進行國事訪問。4月，全國政協主席賈慶林在海南會見了來華出席博鰲亞洲論壇年會的馬總理巴達維。5月，吳邦國委員長對馬進行正式友好訪問。9月，納吉布副總理訪華；12月，溫傢寶總理對馬來西亞進行正式訪問，雙方發表了《聯合公報》。 2006年3月，政協主席賈慶林訪馬。10月，巴達維總理赴南寧出席紀念中國-東盟建立對話夥伴關係15周年峰會，溫總理予以會見。 兩國外交部於1991年4月建立磋商制度，迄今已舉行10輪磋商。中方在馬來西亞古晉設有總領館，馬方在中國上海、廣州、昆明和香港設有總領館。 二、雙邊貿易關係和經濟技術合作 兩國簽有《避免雙重徵稅協定》、《貿易協定》、《投資保護協定》、《海運協定》、《民用航空運輸協定》等10餘項經貿合作協議。1988年成立經貿聯委會，迄已舉行7次會議。2002年4月成立中馬雙邊商業理事會。 2006年兩國貿易額371.12億美元，同比增長20.9%。其中中方出口135.37億美元；進口235.75億美元。馬來西亞是中國第八大貿易夥伴，也是中國在東盟國傢中第二大貿易夥伴。我自馬進口主要商品有集成電路、計算機及其零部件、棕油和塑料製品等；我嚮馬出口主要商品有計算機及其零部件、集成電路、服裝和紡織品等。 馬是我重要海外勞務承包市場。2003年9月，雙方簽署《雙邊勞務合作諒解備忘錄》，但迄未實施。2006年，我企業纍计在馬簽訂承包工程及勞務合同341個，新簽合同金額11.3億美元，完成營業額4.41億美元 兩國金融合作成效顯著。2000年，中國銀行和馬來亞銀行分別在吉隆坡和上海互設分行。2002年10月，中國人民銀行與馬來西亞國傢銀行簽署了雙邊貨幣互換協議。 三、其它領域的交往與合作 兩國在科技、教育、文化、軍事等領域的交流與合作順利發展。1992年簽署《科技合作協定》，成立科技聯委會，迄已舉行3次會議。雙方還簽署了《廣播電視節目合作和交流協定》（1992年），《促進中馬體育交流、提高體育水平的諒解備忘錄》（1993年），《教育交流諒解備忘錄》（1997年），《文化合作協定》（1999年），《中馬航空合作諒解備忘錄》（2002年），《空間合作及和平利用外層空間的協定》（2003年），《在外交和國際關係教育領域合作諒解備忘錄》（2004年）等合作協議。2005年，雙方簽署了《衛生合作諒解備忘錄》，並續簽了《教育合作諒解備忘錄》。目前我在馬留學生已達萬人，馬赴華留學生近千人。我新華社、中新社在吉隆坡設立分社，中央電視臺4套和9套節目在馬落地，《人民日報》海外版在馬出版發行。江蘇省與馬六甲州、廈門市與檳城市分別結為友好省市。 雙方簽署了《旅遊合作諒解備忘錄》。2006年馬來華遊客91萬人次，我首站訪馬遊客43.5萬人次，我已成為馬海外主要客源國之一。 1995年，兩國互設武官處，軍事交往增多，兩國海軍軍艦多次互訪。2002年，中央軍委副主席、國務委員兼國防部長遲浩田過境馬來西亞，與馬國防部長納吉布舉行會晤。2003年9月，中央軍委委員、總參謀長梁光烈訪馬。2004年7月，中央軍委副主席郭伯雄過境訪問馬來西亞，與馬副總理兼國防部長納吉布會晤。馬海軍軍艦訪問上海。9月，馬派員來華觀摩我軍事演習。2005年9月，馬副總理兼國防部長納吉布訪華期間兩國簽署了《防務合作諒解備忘錄》。12月，中方派團參加了馬國際海空展。我軍事科學院代表團訪馬。2006年4月，中央軍委副主席、國務委員兼國防部長曹剛川訪馬。5月，總參謀長助理章沁生少將率團訪馬，雙方舉行了首次防務磋商。 四、雙邊關係中的其他問題 兩國對中國南沙群島部分島礁的歸屬問題有爭議。雙方多次表示，將共同致力於維護南海地區的和平與穩定，並根據包括1982年《聯合國海洋法公約》在內的公認的國際法準則，積極尋求以雙邊友好協商和談判的方式解决有關爭議。雙方還表示願積極落實《南海各方行為宣言》的後續行動。 五、重要雙邊文件 1974年5月，馬來西亞總理拉紮剋訪華，周恩來總理與其簽署《中華人民共和國政府和馬來西亞政府關於兩國建立外交關係的聯合公報》。 1999年5月，馬來西亞外長賽義德·哈密德訪華，唐傢璇外長與其簽署《中華人民共和國政府和馬來西亞政府關於未來雙邊合作框架的聯合聲明》。 2005年12月，溫傢寶總理訪問馬來西亞，與馬來西亞總理巴達維發表《中華人民共和國和馬來西亞聯合公報》。 中國駐馬來西亞大使：程永華。館址：馬來西亞吉隆坡安邦路229號(229,Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur，Malaysia)。辦公室電話：603-21428495；21441966。領事部電話：21428585，傳真：21414552。商務處電話：42513555，傳真：42513233。電子信箱：CN@ TM.NET.MY 中國駐古晉總領事：謝福根。館址：馬來西亞沙撈越州古晉市道剛花園Lot3716-3719。電話：6-082-453344；570815。傳真：570814。電子信箱：ZHICUN @ TM.NET.MY. 馬來西亞駐華大使：達圖·賽義德·諾爾紮曼（DATO' SYED NORULZAMAN BIN SYED KAMARULZAMAN）。館址：北京朝陽區亮馬河北街2號。電話：65322531，傳真：65325032。商務處電話：84515109，傳真：84515110。簽證處電話：65326544，傳真：65326544。電子信箱：mwbjing @95777.com 同東盟國傢的關係 馬是東盟重要成員，同其他東盟國傢政治、經濟、文化關係密切，高層互訪頻繁，並註意在重大國際地區問題上相互協調立場。馬是東盟內部貿易的重要一員，2005年與其他東盟國傢的貿易額為2462億林吉特，占其對外貿易總額25.44％（馬方統計數據，下同）。重視地區安全合作。2004年7月開始與印尼、新加坡在馬六甲海峽進行協同巡邏，共同打擊海盜、走私和恐怖活動。 與印尼同為穆斯林人口占多數的國傢，相互關係十分密切。2005年馬印尼雙邊貿易額291.5億林吉特，占馬外貿總額的3.01%。兩國在西巴丹和利吉丹兩島主權歸屬問題上存在爭議。2002年海牙國際法院裁定馬對上述兩島擁有主權，印尼對此表示接受。2005年1月，巴達維總理在雅加達出席東盟地震和海嘯災後問題領導人特別會議期間會見蘇希洛諾總統，並嚮印尼提供了救災援助；4月，巴達維總理出席在印尼舉行的2005年亞非峰會和萬隆會議50周年紀念活動。2006年1月，巴達維總理在蘇門答臘與印尼總統蘇希洛舉行年度磋商；最高元首西拉傑丁訪問印尼。3月，印尼國會議長阿貢拉剋索訪馬。8月，印尼總統蘇希洛訪馬。12月，副總理兼國防部長納吉布訪問印尼。 與新加坡關係密切。新是馬第二大貿易夥伴和第二大外資來源地。2005年馬新雙邊貿易額1341.6億林吉特，占馬外貿總額的13.86%。兩國在馬嚮新開放領空及長期供水、新在柔佛海峽實施填海工程、白礁島主權歸屬、馬新大橋、馬在新鐵路關卡遷移等問題上存在分歧。巴達維就任總理後，積極通過對話協商解决問題，兩國關係得到改善。2005年3月，吳作棟國務資政與巴達維總理就雙邊關係問題再次在馬舉行會談。4月，納丹總統訪馬。同月，兩國就新在柔佛海峽填海問題簽署協議。6月，副總理兼國防部長納吉布出席在新加坡舉行的亞洲安全會議。9月，副總理兼國防部長納吉布出席在新加坡舉行的“2005年度東盟100領袖論壇”並演講。11月，新加坡副總理兼國傢安全統籌部長賈古瑪訪馬。2006年1月，最高元首西拉傑丁訪新。 與泰國關係良好。2005年馬泰雙邊貿易額516.1億林吉特，占馬外貿總額的5.33%。2006年7月，副總理兼國防部長納吉布赴泰國出席馬泰邊境委員會會議。 與菲律賓關係總體良好，但雙方在沙巴領土主權問題上存在爭議。兩國關係也曾因馬“安瓦爾事件”、菲在馬非法移民等問題受到過影響。近年來，馬為菲政府和摩洛伊斯蘭解放陣綫和談積極提供協助。2005年3月，菲外長羅慕洛訪馬。 與文萊同文同種同宗教，雙方關係十分密切。兩國有林夢主權歸屬和專屬經濟區重疊問題，同意協商解决。2005年8月，巴達維總理訪問文萊。2006年8月，巴達維總理與文萊蘇丹哈桑納爾舉行第十屆馬文雙邊會議。11月，最高元首西拉傑丁訪文。 重視發展同印支國傢關係。越、老、緬、柬加入東盟後，馬與四國往來有所增多，並逐步擴大在印支半島的投資和貿易。2005年12月，巴達維總理與來馬出席東盟係列峰會的緬甸總理梭溫舉行雙邊會談，敦促緬政府加快國內民主進程。2006年3月，柬埔寨國王西哈莫尼訪馬。11月，老撾總理波鬆訪馬。 同英國的關係 馬曾是英國殖民地，後加入英聯邦，並與英同為“五國聯防安排”成員，雙方關係密切。80年代初馬收購英資企業導致兩國關係趨於冷淡，後雖有所回升，但仍時有磨擦。1995至1996年間，馬哈蒂爾總理三度訪英，兩國關係有了較大改善。2005年3月，副總理兼國防部長納吉布訪英。9月，巴達維總理赴英國倫敦出席大馬全球促銷巡回發展會並發表演講。2006年7月，副總理兼國防部長納吉布訪英。 同日本的關係 兩國經貿關係密切。日是馬第一大外資來源地和主要貿易夥伴，也是嚮馬提供貸款最多的國傢之一。上世紀80年代，馬哈蒂爾總理就提出嚮日本學習的“嚮東看”政策，旨在通過引進日本的資金、技術和管理，加快馬來西亞的經濟建設。2005年，雙邊貿易額1129億林吉特，占馬外貿總額的11.67％。2005年5月，巴達維總理訪日，雙方同意於年底正式簽署自由貿易協定。12月，馬與日本簽署兩國《經濟夥伴關係協議》，成為繼新加坡和墨西哥之後第3個與日本簽署此類協議的國傢。2006年5月，巴達維總理訪日。6月，日本天皇明仁訪馬；副總理兼國防部長納吉布訪日。 同美國的關係 美近年來一直是馬最大的貿易夥伴和主要外來投資者。2005年，馬美雙邊貿易額1609.5億林吉特，占馬外貿總額的16.63％。1999至2003年6月，美對馬協議投資額纍计為50.74億美元。兩國在“民主”、“人權”等問題上矛盾較深，雙邊關係曾因“安瓦爾事件”受到一定影響。“9·11”事件後，美出於國際反恐合作的需要，重視馬在伊斯蘭國傢中的特殊作用，兩國政治關係有所改善，反恐合作加強。 同其他國傢的關係 2006年1月，沙特國王阿卜杜拉訪馬。2月，巴達維總理訪問澳大利亞。3月，伊拉總統內賈德訪馬。5月，巴達維總理訪問牙買加。6月，哈薩剋斯坦總統納紮爾巴耶夫訪馬；副總理兼國防部長納吉布訪問印度。7月，東帝汶總理奧爾塔訪馬。8月，委內瑞拉總統查韋斯訪馬。9月，巴達維總理赴芬蘭出席第6屆亞歐會議，赴古巴出席第14屆不結盟運動峰會，赴美國出席第61屆聯大。11月，巴達維總理訪問巴基斯坦。12月，巴達維總理訪問委內瑞拉。 2020宏願 馬來西亞第四任首相馬哈迪醫生提出了2020國傢宏願的計劃。馬來西亞要在2020年發展為先進國，他希望人民們都能同心協力，不分種族的達成這宏願。 【馬來西亞的旅遊資源】 沙巴可以是馬來西亞深藏未露的絶妙旅遊地，見識了沙巴，你就會驚訝馬來西亞豐富的旅遊資源. 世外桃源邦咯島(PangkorLaut) 尋找小醜魚。 在馬來西亞的邦咯島(PangkorLaut)上，你衹要潛入蔚藍的海裏，慢慢靠近大片的白色珊瑚和色彩斑斕的海葵，尼莫和他的朋友就會熱情地歡迎你。 生活在馬來西亞婆羅洲的普南族是一個神秘的民族，他們生活在熱帶雨林裏，保持着許多有趣的風俗傳統。 馬來西亞的風格就像這兒的天氣——熱情。無論是看到一張張友善的笑臉，聽到一句句濃濃的馬來音普通話“你好！” 古晉是馬來西亞沙撈越的首府。在馬來語中，“古晉”就是“貓”，因此這座城市也被稱為“貓城”。據，這裏是世界上唯一崇拜貓的城市。 中國人來，馬來西亞不是個陌生的國度。儘管是異域，但隨處可見的華文招牌以及通用的廣州話，會讓來自廣東的我們産生了在省內某個都市觀光的錯覺。 檳城，當年英國商船來此躲避風浪的時候，他們給這個美麗的海島起名為喬治市，華人則稱之為檳榔嶼。這裏最讓人着迷的是各種文化的交融聚集，既有南海姑娘的輕柔韻律，也有安娜與國王的感傷情懷。即使你沒有出境遊的經驗，即使你外語衹會yes，bye-bye，thankyou，檳城依然。 沙撈越是馬來西亞最大的州，分散着27種部落民族，是一個多文化的地域。在沙撈越，每公頃的樹林種類比整個北美洲還多，一棵參天大樹上有上千種昆蟲。 吉隆坡的夜生活充滿動感，到處是多姿多彩的娛樂，爵士樂、鄉謠和西方音樂縈繞酒吧、的士高舞廳，一派大都會的繁華景象.。吉隆坡住宿選擇相當多，高檔的諸如馬來王宮風格的伊思塔那大飯店，機場附近的高爾夫休假區等，主要供遊客和商務客人使用。在吉隆坡可以品嚐到世界各地的名菜，除了馬來菜、中國菜、印度大餐、西餐外，還有巴基斯坦餐飲和日本料理。吉隆坡各種商品薈萃，從古董到最具當地特色的手工藝品，從世界名牌時裝到物美價廉的電子産品…… 雲頂(Genting Highlands)高原是馬來西亞新開發的旅遊和避暑勝地，位於鼓亨州西南吉保山脈中段東坡，吉隆坡東北約50公裏處. 在首都吉隆坡，最引人註目的建築就是位於市中心丹也大樓面的國傢清真寺(NatlonalMosque)，以獨特的現代設計表達出傳統回教的藝術，裝飾和設計都十分精美，最大特色是傘形的屋頂，象徵一個獨立國傢的抱負. 吉隆坡是世界上節假日最多的地區之一。在馬來西亞，伊斯蘭教的節日是當地進行重大慶典活動的日子，聖誕節也是全國性的節假日，一年一度的中國春節在這裏更是熱鬧非凡. 吉隆坡是一個碩大無比的“世界建築博覽館”，外形別緻風格各異的建築遍布全城. 馬來西亞的旅遊資源十分豐富，陽光充足，氣候宜人 馬來西亞是個以農立國的民族，因此維持着許多原始信仰，特別是各民族濃厚的宗教色彩。其宗教融合了伊斯蘭教、印度教、佛教，其中以印度教影響尤為深遠。由於多民族的長期共同生活，形成一種多元的文化特色. 【馬來西亞旅遊景點】 馬門甲 馬門甲是馬來西亞歷史最悠久的古城，馬六甲州的首府。它位於馬六甲海峽北岸，馬六甲河穿城而過。該城始建於1403年，曾是滿刺加王國的都城。從16世紀起，歷受葡萄牙、荷蘭、英國的殖民統治。數百年來，華人、印度人、阿拉伯人、暹羅人及爪哇人相繼來到馬六甲，經過長期的交流，語言、宗教、風俗習慣等匯成特有的文化風貌。這裏有中國式的住宅，荷蘭式的紅色樓房和葡萄牙式的村落。市內古代修建的街道，至今依然保存較好，街道麯折狹窄，屋宇參差多樣，很多住房的墻上鑲着圖案精美的瓷磚，木門上裝着瑞獅門扣，窗上鑲竜嵌鳳，古色古香，處處顯示出馬六甲這個歷史古都的獨特風貌。 青雲亭 青雲亭是馬來西亞最古老的中國廟宇，位於馬六甲市西南，始建於1645年，後經重新裝修，成為一座用馬來西亞楠木建造的木結構廟宇。門口的匾額上寫着“南海飛來”四個大字。廟內主要供奉的是觀音菩薩，因此也稱“觀音亭”。 青雲亭是優美的中國式建築的典範，廟堂裏陳設的木雕和漆器，全是從中國運來的精品。寺內衹有一塊石碑，上面銘刻着紀念中國明代著名的航海傢、三保太監鄭和於1406年訪問馬六甲的事跡。鄭和是到達馬六甲最早的中國人。 寺內香火甚盛。廟門口有一金色的獅子，周身金光耀眼，衹有獅子的頭頂部，金色已脫落，原來信徒們認為走過獅子身旁，撫摸它們的頭頂，會帶來意想不到的好運。 中國山 中國山又名三保山，是馬來西亞為紀念中國明朝三保太監鄭和而命名的。此山位於馬六甲市郊。關於中國山，流傳着“一位中國公主和一口神奇的井”的故事。相傳在15世紀60年代，馬六甲的統治者是一個年 輕而聰明過人的蘇丹，曼斯國王。有一天，一艘中國船駛抵馬六甲，船的內部到處插滿了金針，船長給蘇丹送去一封信，聲稱他奉中國天子之命詔告蘇丹 “每一根金針代表我的一個臣民，要是你能數得清有多少根，你就會知道我的權力有多大。”蘇丹接到信後，派了一艘船去送回信，船上裝了好幾袋𠔌米，信中道“要是你能數得清這艘船上的𠔌米，你就能準確地猜到我有多少臣民，也就會知道我的權力有多大。” 荷蘭紅屋 跨越馬六甲河橋，到了河的東岸，映入眼簾的是一個整潔的廣場，廣場上有一座紅色的鐘塔和維多利亞時代所建的噴水池。廣場周圍都是荷蘭式的紅色建築物。面廣場最大的一座建築物就是古老的荷蘭式惹蘭叻參紅屋。它建於17世紀，是東南亞地區現存的最古老的荷蘭式建築物。300多年來，它一直是政府機關所在地，直至1980年纔改為馬六甲博物館。荷蘭式惹蘭叻參紅屋有厚厚的紅磚墻，笨重的硬木門，門前是寬闊的石級。館內保留了馬六甲各個時期的歷史遺物，包括荷蘭古代兵器，葡萄牙人16世紀以來的服裝，馬來人婚嫁服飾，金、銀、珠寶手工藝品以及在馬六甲港口停泊的各類古代船衹的圖片等。館內還收藏有稀有的古代錢幣和郵票。 葡萄牙城山 在馬六甲市西南，接近馬六甲河口，有一座山，是馬六甲蘇丹拜裏米蘇拉將中國明成祖贈送的金竜文箋勒石樹碑之處，明成祖曾封此山為“鎮國山”，後名聖保羅山。山的東南麓有一座“沒有墻的城門”，那是馬來西業歷史遺跡。 Malaysia as a unified state did not exist until 1963. Previously, a set of colonies were established by the United Kingdom from the late eighteenth century, and the western half of modern Malaysia was composed of several separate kingdoms. This group of colonies was known as British Malaya until its dissolution in 1946, when it was reorganized as the Federation of Malaya and later recognized as an independent nation in 1957. Singapore, Sarawak, British North Borneo and the Federation of Malaya joined to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963. The early years of the new union were marred by an armed conflict with Indonesia and the expulsion of Singapore. The Southeast Asian nation experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development during the late 20th century. With a GDP per capita standing at USD13,000, it has, from time to time, been considered a newly industrialized country. As one of three countries that control the Strait of Malacca, international trade plays a large role in its economy. At one time, it was the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world. Manufacturing has a large influence in the country's economy. The Malays form the majority of the population. Some Malays are of Arab descent and there are sizable Chinese and Indian communities. Islam is the largest as well as the official religion of the federation. The Malay language is the official language. Malay was originally written in Jawi, based on Arabic script, but nowadays, the Roman alphabet (Rumi) is more often used. Malaysia is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and participates in many international organizations such as the United Nations. As a former British colony, it is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is also a member of the Developing 8 Countries. The name "Malaysia" was adopted in 1963 when the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak formed a 14-state federation. However the name itself had been vaguely used to refer to areas in Southeast Asia prior to that. A map published in 1914 in Chicago has the word Malaysia printed on it referring to certain territories within the Malay Archipelago. The Philippines once contemplated naming their state "Malaysia", but Malaysia adopted the name first in 1963 before the Philippines could act further on the matter. Other names were contemplated for the 1963 federation. Among them was Langkasuka (Langkasuka was an old kingdom located at the upper section of the Malay Peninsula in the first millennium of the common era). Even farther back into history, the English ethnologist George Samuel Windsor Earl in volume IV of Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia in 1850 proposed to name the islands of Indonesia as Melayunesia or Indunesia though he favored the former. History Prehistory Archaeological remains have been found throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. The Semang have a deep ancestry within the Malay Peninsula, dating to the initial settlement from Africa over 50,000 years ago. The Senoi appear to be a composite group, with approximately half of the maternal lineages tracing back to the ancestors of the Semang and about half to Indochina. This is in agreement with the suggestion that they represent the descendants of early Austronesian speaking agriculturalists, who brought both their language and their technology to the southern part of the peninsula approximately 5,000 years ago and coalesced with the indigenous population. The Aboriginal Malays are more diverse, and although they show some connections with island Southeast Asia, some also have an ancestry in Indochina around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, followed by an early-Holocene dispersal through the Malay Peninsula into island Southeast Asia. Early history Ptolemy showed the Malay Peninsula on his early map with a label that translates as "Golden Chersonese", the Straits of Malacca were referred to as "Sinus Sabaricus". From the mid to the late first millennium, much of the Peninsula as well as the Malay Archipelago were under the influence of Srivijaya. There were numerous Malay kingdoms in the 2nd and 3rd century CE—as many as 30 according to Chinese sources. Kedah—known as Kedaram, Cheh-Cha (according to I-Ching) or Kataha, in ancient Pallava or Sanskrit—was in the direct route of invasions of Indian traders and kings. Rajendra Chola, Tamil Emperor who is now thought to have laid Kota Gelanggi to waste, put Kedah to heel in 1025 but his successor, Vir Rajendra Chola, had to put down a Kedah rebellion to overthrow the invaders. The coming of the Chola reduced the majesty of Srivijaya which had exerted influence over Kedah and Pattani and even as far as Ligor. The Buddhist kingdom of Ligor took control of Kedah shortly after, and its King Chandrabhanu used it as a base to attack Sri Lanka in the 11th century, an event noted in a stone inscription in Nagapattinum in Tamil Nadu and in the Sri Lankan chronicles, Mahavamsa. During the first millennium, the people of the Malay Peninsula adopted Hinduism and Buddhism and the use of the Sanskrit language until they eventually converted to Islam. A Famosa in Malacca. It was built by the Portuguese in the 15th century.There are reports of other areas older than Kedah—the ancient kingdom of Gangga Negara, around Beruas in Perak, for instance, pushes Malaysian history even further into antiquity. If that is not enough, a Tamil poem, Pattinapillai, of the second century CE, describes goods from Kadaram heaped in the broad streets of the Chola capital. A seventh century Sanskrit drama, Kaumudhimahotsva, refers to Kedah as Kataha-nagari. The Agnipurana also mentions a territory known as Anda-Kataha with one of its boundaries delineated by a peak, which scholars believe is Gunung Jerai. Stories from the Katasaritasagaram describe the elegance of life in Kataha. Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur houses the High Court of Malaya and the Trade Court. Kuala Lumpur was the capital of the Federated Malay States and is the current Malaysian capital.In the early 15th century, the Malacca Sultanate was established under a dynasty founded by Parameswara or Sultan Iskandar Shah, a prince from Palembang with bloodline related to the royal house of Srivijaya, who fled from Temasek (now Singapore). Parameswara decided to establish his kingdom in Malacca after witnessing an astonishing incident where a white mouse deer kicked one of his hunting dogs into a nearby river. He took this show of bravery by the mouse deer as a good sign and named his kingdom "Melaka" after the tree under which he was resting at the time. At its height, the sultanate controlled the areas which are now Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand (Patani), and the eastern coast of Sumatra. It existed for more than a century, and within that time period Islam spread to most of the Malay Archipelago. Malacca was the foremost trading port at the time in Southeast Asia. The first evidence of Islam in the Malay Peninsula dates from the 14th century in Terengganu, but according to the Kedah Annals, the 9th sultan of Kedah, Maharaja Derbar Raja, converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Muzaffar Shah. In 1511, Malacca was conquered by Portugal, which established a colony there. The sons of the last Sultan of Malacca established two sultanates elsewhere in the peninsula—the Sultanate of Perak to the north, and the Sultanate of Johor (originally a continuation of the old Malacca sultanate) to the south. After the fall of Malacca, three nations struggled for the control of Malacca Strait: the Portuguese (in Malacca), the Sultanate of Johor, and the Sultanate of Aceh. This conflict went on until 1641, when the Dutch (allied to the Sultanate of Johor) gained control of Malacca. British arrival Britain established its first colony in the Malay peninsula in 1786, with the lease of the island of Penang to the British East India Company by the Sultan of Kedah. In 1824, the British took control of Malacca following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 which divided the Malay Archipelago between Britain and the Netherlands, with Malaya in the British zone. In 1826, Britain established the crown colony of the Straits Settlements, uniting its three possessions in Malaya: Penang, Malacca and Singapore. The Straits Settlements were administered under the East India Company in Kolkata until 1867, when they were transferred to the Colonial Office in London. During the late 19th century, many Malay states decided to obtain British help in settling their internal conflicts. The commercial importance of tin mining in the Malay states to merchants in the Straits Settlements led to British government intervention in the tin-producing states in the Malay Peninsula. British gunboat diplomacy was employed to bring about a peaceful resolution to civil disturbances caused by Chinese gangsters and Malay gangsters, and the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 paved the way for the expansion of British influence in Malaya. By the turn of the 20th century, the states of Pahang, Selangor, Perak, and Negeri Sembilan, known together as the Federated Malay States (not to be confused with the Federation of Malaya), were under the de facto control of British Residents appointed to advise the Malay rulers. The British were "advisers" in name, but in reality they exercised substantial influence over the Malay rulers. Malaysia Day celebration in 1963. (Majulah Malaysia means "Onwards Malaysia")The remaining five states in the peninsula, known as the Unfederated Malay States, while not directly under rule from London, also accepted British advisers around the turn of the 20th century. Of these, the four northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu had previously been under Siamese control. The other unfederated state, Johor, was the only state which managed to preserve its independence throughout most of the 19th century. Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor and Queen Victoria were personal acquaintances, and recognized each other as equals. It was not until 1914 that Sultan Abu Bakar's successor, Sultan Ibrahim accepted a British adviser. On the island of Borneo, Sabah was governed as the crown colony of British North Borneo, while Sarawak was acquired from Brunei as the personal kingdom of the Brooke family, who ruled as White Rajahs. Following the Japanese Invasion of Malaya its occupation during World War II, popular support for independence grew. Post-war British plans to unite the administration of Malaya under a single crown colony called the Malayan Union foundered on strong opposition from the Malays, who opposed the emasculation of the Malay rulers and the granting of citizenship to the ethnic Chinese. The Malayan Union, established in 1946 and consisting of all the British possessions in Malaya with the exception of Singapore, was dissolved in 1948 and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the autonomy of the rulers of the Malay states under British protection. During this time, rebels under the leadership of the Malayan Communist Party launched guerrilla operations designed to force the British out of Malaya. The Malayan Emergency, as it was known, lasted from 1948 to 1960, and involved a long anti-insurgency campaign by Commonwealth troops in Malaya. Although the insurgency quickly stopped there was still a presence of Commonwealth troops, with the backdrop of the Cold War. Against this backdrop, independence for the Federation within the Commonwealth was granted on 31 August 1957. Post independence In 1963, Malaya along with the then-British crown colonies of Sabah (British North Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore, formed Malaysia. The Sultanate of Brunei, though initially expressing interest in joining the Federation, withdrew from the planned merger due to opposition from certain segments of its population as well as arguments over the payment of oil royalties and the status of the Sultan in the planned merger. Kuala Lumpur, the capital and largest city in MalaysiaThe early years of independence were marred by conflict with Indonesia (Konfrontasi) over the formation of Malaysia, Singapore's eventual exit in 1965, and racial strife in the form of racial riots in 1969. The Philippines also made an active claim on Sabah in that period based upon the Sultanate of Brunei's cession of its north-east territories to the Sulu Sultanate in 1704. The claim is still ongoing. After the 13 May racial riots of 1969, the controversial New Economic Policy—intended to increase proportionately the share of the economic pie of the bumiputras ("indigenous people", which includes the majority Malays, but not always the indigenous population) as compared to other ethnic groups—was launched by Prime Minister Abdul Razak. Malaysia has since maintained a delicate ethno-political balance, with a system of government that has attempted to combine overall economic development with political and economic policies that promote equitable participation of all races. Between the 1980s and the mid 1990s, Malaysia experienced significant economic growth under the premiership of Mahathir bin Mohamad. The period saw a shift from an agriculture-based economy to one based on manufacturing and industry in areas such as computers and consumer electronics. It was during this period, too, that the physical landscape of Malaysia has changed with the emergence of numerous mega-projects. The most notable of these projects are the Petronas Twin Towers (at the time the tallest building in the world), KL International Airport (KLIA), North-South Expressway, the Sepang F1 Circuit, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), the Bakun hydroelectric dam and Putrajaya, a new federal administrative capital. In the late 1990s, Malaysia was shaken by the Asian financial crisis as well as political unrest caused by the sacking of the deputy prime minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In 2003, Dr Mahathir, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, retired in favour of his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. On November 2007 Malaysia was rocked by two anti-government rallies. The 2007 Bersih Rally numbering 40,000 strong was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 10 campaigning for electoral reform. It was precipitated by allegations of corruption and discrepancies in the Malaysian election system that heavily favor the ruling political party, Barisan Nasional, which has been in power since Malaysia achieved its independence in 1957. The 2007 HINDRAF rally was held in Kuala Lumpur on 25 November. The rally organizer, the Hindu Rights Action Force, had called the protest over alleged discriminatory policies which favour ethnic Malays. The crowd was estimated to be between 5,000 to 30,000. In both cases the government and police were heavy handed and tried to prevent the gatherings from taking place. Government and politics The Parliament building, symbol of democracy in Malaysia. Malaysia PM's office, PutrajayaMalaysia 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 hereditary Sultans of the Malay states; the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the selection. The system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that of Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. In practice however, more power is vested in the executive branch of government than in the legislative, and the judiciary has been weakened by sustained attacks by the government during the Mahathir era. Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by a multi-party coalition known as the Barisan Nasional (formerly known as the Alliance). 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"). 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. The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of Parliament and is responsible to that body. 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 the rulers' discretions. Citizenship Most Malaysians are granted citizenship by lex soli. All Malaysians are Federal citizens with no formal citizenships within the individual states, except for the states of Sabah and Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan in East Malaysia, where state citizenship is a privilege and distinguishable from the Peninsula. Every citizen is issued a biometric smart chip identity card, known as MyKad, at the age of 12, and must carry the card at all times. A citizen is required to present his or her identity card to the police, or in the case of an emergency, to any military personnel, to be identified. If the card cannot be produced immediately, the person technically has 24 hours under the law to produce it at the nearest police station. Administrative divisions Map of the states of MalaysiaMain article: States of Malaysia Administratively, Malaysia consists of 13 states (11 in Peninsular Malaysia and 2 in Malaysian Borneo) and 3 federal territories. Geography Map of Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo)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 (13,435.7 ft) on the island of Borneo. The local climate is equatorial and characterized 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. The Strait of Malacca, lying between Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, is arguably the most important shipping lane in the world. Putrajaya is the newly created administrative capital for the federal government of Malaysia, aimed in part to ease growing congestion within Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur remains the seat of parliament, as well as the commercial and financial capital of the country. Other major cities include George Town, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Miri, Alor Star, Malacca Town, and Klang. 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 tobacco dominate the growth of the sector. Palm oil is also a major generator of foreign exchange. Regarding forestry resources, it is noted that logging only began to make a substantial contribution to the economy during the nineteenth 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 forest land is also 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 century, 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 coal together 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, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mustapa Mohamed, revealed that Malaysia's oil reserves stood at 4.84 billion barrels while natural gas reserves increased to 89 trillion cubic feet (2,500 km³). This was an increase of 7.2%. As of January 1, 2007, Petronas reported that oil and gas reserve in Malaysia amounted to 20.18 billion barrels equivalent. 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. Demographics Distribution of Bumiputra and Chinese populationMalaysia's population comprises many ethnic groups, with the Malays and other bumiputra groups in Sabah and Sarawak making up the majority, at 65% of the population. By constitutional definition, Malays are Muslims who practice Malay customs (adat) and culture. Therefore, technically, a Muslim of any race who practices Malay customs and culture can be considered a Malay and have equal rights when it comes to Malay rights as stated in the constitution. Non-Malay bumiputra groups make up more than half of the state of Sarawak's population (of which 30% are Ibans), and close to 60% of Sabah's population (of which 18% are Kadazan-Dusuns, and 17% are Bajaus). There also exist aboriginal groups in much smaller numbers on the Peninsula, where they are collectively known as Orang Asli. 26% of the population are Malaysians of Chinese descent, while Malaysians of Indian descent comprise 8% of the population. The majority of the Indian community are Tamils but various other groups are also present, including Malayalis, Punjabis and Gujaratis. Other Malaysians also include those whose origin, inter alia, can be traced to the Middle East, Thailand and Indonesia. Europeans and Eurasians include British who settled in Malaysia since colonial times, and a strong Portuguese community in Malacca. A small number of Cambodians and Vietnamese also settled in Malaysia as Vietnam War refugees. Population distribution is uneven, with some 20 million residents concentrated on the Malay Peninsula, while East Malaysia is relatively less populated. Due to the rise in labour intensive industries, Malaysia has 10 to 20% foreign workers with the uncertainty due in part to the large number of illegal workers, mostly Indonesian. There are a million legal foreign workers and perhaps another million unauthorized foreigners. The state of Sabah alone has nearly 25% of its 2.7 million population listed as illegal foreign workers in the last census. However, this figure of 25% is thought to be less than half the figure speculated by NGOs. Additionally, according to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Malaysia hosts a population of refugees and asylum seekers numbering approximately 155,700. Of this population, approximately 70,500 refugees and asylum seekers are from the Philippines, 69,700 from Myanmar, and 21,800 from Indonesia. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants named Malaysia as one of the Ten Worst Places for Refugees on account of the country's discriminatory practices toward refugees. Malaysian officials are reported to have turned deportees directly over to human smugglers in 2007, and Malaysia employs the RELA, a volunteer militia, to enforce its immigration law. Religion Masjid Ubudiah is a well-known historical mosque in Kuala Kangsar. Christ Church in Malacca Town was constructed in the 18th century by the Dutch.Malaysia is a multi-religious society and Islam is the official religion. According to the Population and Housing Census 2000 figures, approximately 60.4 percent of the population practiced Islam; 19.2 percent Buddhism; 9.1 percent Christianity; 6.3 percent Hinduism; and 2.6 percent traditional Chinese religions. The remaining 2 percent was accounted for by other faiths, including Animism and Sikhism. Until the twentieth century, most practiced traditional beliefs, which arguably still linger on to a greater degree than Malaysian officialdom is prepared to acknowledge. Although the Malaysian constitution theoretically guarantees religious freedom, in practice the situation is restricted. All ethnic Malays are Muslim as defined in the Malaysian constitution. Additionally, all non-Muslims who marry a Muslim must renounce their religion and convert to Islam. Meanwhile, non-Muslims experience restrictions in activities such as construction of religious buildings and the celebration of certain religious events in some states. Muslims are obliged to follow the decisions of Sharia courts when it comes to matters concerning their religion. The jurisdiction of Sharia court is limited only to Muslims over matters of Faith and Obligations as a Muslim, which includes marriage, inheritance, apostasy, conversion, and custody among others. No other criminal or civil offences are under the jurisdiction of the Sharia Courts. As a rule, the Civil Courts cannot overrule any decision made by the Sharia Courts - not even the Federal Court. The Sharia Courts have a similar hierarchy to the Civil Courts. Education Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) is one of the earliest boarding schools to be established in British Malaya. University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus.Education in Malaysia is monitored by the federal government Ministry of Education. Most Malaysian children start schooling between the ages of three to six, in kindergarten. Most kindergartens are run privately, but there are a few government-operated kindergartens. Children begin primary schooling at the age of seven for a period of six years. There are two major types of government-operated or government-assisted primary schools. They are the national schools (Sekolah Kebangsaan) which use Malay as the medium of instruction, and the national-type schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan) which use either Chinese or Tamil as the medium of instruction. Before progressing to the secondary level of education, students in Year 6 used to be required to sit for the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), or Primary School Assessment Examination. An exam called Penilaian Tahap Satu (PTS), First Level Assessment, was used to measure the ability of bright students, and to allow them to move from Year 3 to 5, skipping Year 4. However, this exam was removed in 2001. Secondary education in government secondary schools lasts for five years. Government secondary schools use Malay as the main medium of instruction. The only exceptions are the Maths and Science subjects as well as languages other than Malay. At the end of the third year or Form Three, students sit for the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR), Lower Secondary Assessment. The combination of subjects available to Form 4 students vary from one school to another. In the last year (Form 5), students sit for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Malaysian Certificate of Education, which is equivalent to the British Ordinary or 'O' Levels (now referred to as GCSE). The oldest in Malaysia is Penang Free School. Penang Free School is also the oldest school in South East Asia. Mathematics and Science subjects in government primary and secondary schools such as Biology, Physics, and Chemistry are taught in English. The reasoning was that students would no longer be hindered by the language barrier during their tertiary education in fields such as medicine and engineering. There are also 60 Chinese Independent High Schools in Malaysia, where most subjects are taught in Chinese. Chinese Independent High Schools are monitored and standardised by the United Chinese School Committees' Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM, more commonly referred to by its Chinese name, Dong Zong 董总), however, unlike government schools, every independent school is free to make its own decisions. Studying in independent schools takes 6 years to complete, divided into Junior Middle (3 years) and Senior Middle (3 years). Students sit for a standardised test by Dong Zong known as the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) in Junior Middle 3 (equivalent to PMR) and Senior Middle 3 (equivalent to AO level). A number of independent schools conduct classes in Malay and English in addition to Chinese, enabling the students to sit for the PMR and SPM as well. Malaysia's secondary schools are grouped into a few types, namely national schools which include daily schools and religious schools, Chinese independent schools, technical schools, residential schools, Mara Junior Science College and private-funding schools such as religious schools, international schools and private schools. Students who wish to enter public universities must complete one and a half more years of secondary schooling in Form Six and sit for the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), Malaysian Higher School Certificate; equivalent to the British Advanced or 'A' levels. As for tertiary education, there are public universities such as University of Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. In addition, five international reputable universities have set up their branch campuses in Malaysia since 1998. A branch campus can be seen as an ‘off-shore campus’ of the foreign university, which offers the same courses and awards as the main campus. Both local and international students can acquire these identical foreign qualifications in Malaysia for a cheaper price. The foreign university branch campuses in Malaysia are: Monash University Malaysia Campus, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Students also have the option of enrolling in private colleges after secondary studies. Most colleges have educational links with overseas universities especially in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Malaysian students abroad study mostly in the UK, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Japan. In addition to the National Curriculum, Malaysia has many international schools. International schools offer students the opportunity to study the curriculum of another country. These schools mainly cater to the growing expatriate population in the country. International schools include: the Australian International School, Malaysia (Australian curriculum), The Alice Smith School (British Curriculum), elc International school (British Curriculum), The Garden International School (British Curriculum), Lodge International School (British Curriculum), The International School of Kuala Lumpur (International Baccalaureate and American Curriculum), The Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur (Japanese Curriculum), The International School of Penang (International Baccalaureate and British Curriculum), Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur (French Curriculum) amongst others. Healthcare Malaysian society places importance on the expansion and development of health care, putting 5% of the government social sector development budget into public health care—an increase of more than 47% over the previous figure. This has meant an overall increase of more than RM 2 billion. With a rising and aging population, the Government wishes to improve in many areas including the refurbishment of existing hospitals, building and equipping new hospitals, expansion of the number of polyclinics, and improvements in training and expansion of telehealth. Over the last couple of years they have increased their efforts to overhaul the systems and attract more foreign investment. The Malaysian health care system requires doctors to perform a compulsory three years service with public hospitals to ensure the manpower of these hospitals is maintained. Recently foreign doctors have also been encouraged to take up employment here. There is still, however, a compound shortage of medical workforce, especially that of highly trained specialists resulting in certain medical care and treatment only available in large cities. Recent efforts to bring many facilities to other towns have been hampered by lack of expertise to run the available equipment made ready by investments. The majority of private hospitals are in urban areas and, unlike many of the public hospitals, are equipped with the latest diagnostic and imaging facilities. Private hospitals have not generally been seen as an ideal investment—it has often taken up to ten years before companies have seen any profits. However, the situation has now changed and companies are now looking into this area again, particularly in view of the increasing interest by foreigners in coming to Malaysia for medical care and the recent government focus to develop the health tourism industry. Currently, private Malaysia Hospitals are looking at international healthcare accreditation, which may be Australian, British or American sourced. Economy The Malay Peninsula and indeed Southeast Asia has been a centre of trade for centuries. Various items such as porcelain and spices were actively traded even before Malacca and Singapore rose to prominence. The Malaysian government Ministry of Finance building in Putrajaya.In the 17th century, they were found in several Malay states. Later, as the British started to take over as administrators of Malaya, rubber and palm oil trees were introduced for commercial purposes. Over time, Malaya became the world's largest major producer of tin, rubber, and palm oil. These three commodities, along with other raw materials, firmly set Malaysia's economic tempo well into the mid-20th century. Instead of relying on the local Malays as a source of labour, the British brought in Chinese and Indians to work on the mines and plantations. Although many of them returned to their respective home countries after their agreed tenure ended, some remained in Malaysia and settled permanently. As Malaya moved towards independence, the government began implementing economic five-year plans, beginning with the First Malayan Five Year Plan in 1955. Upon the establishment of Malaysia, the plans were re-titled and renumbered, beginning with the First Malaysia Plan in 1965. In 1970s, Malaysia began to imitate the four Asian Tiger economies (Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore) and committed itself to a transition from being reliant on mining and agriculture to an economy that depends more on manufacturing. With Japanese investment, heavy industries flourished and in a matter of years, Malaysian exports became the country's primary growth engine. Malaysia consistently achieved more than 7% GDP growth along with low inflation in the 1980s and the 1990s. During the same period, the government tried to eradicate poverty with the controversial New Economic Policy (NEP), after the May 13 Incident of racial rioting in 1969. Its main objective was the elimination of the association of race with economic function, and the first five-year plan to begin implementing the NEP was the Second Malaysia Plan. The success or failure of the NEP is the subject of much debate, although it was officially retired in 1990 and replaced by the National Development Policy (NDP). Recently much debate has surfaced once again with regards to the results and relevance of the NEP. Some have argued that the NEP has indeed successfully created a Middle/Upper Class of Malay businessmen and professionals. Despite some improvement in the economic power of Malays in general, the Malaysian government maintains a policy of discrimination that favors ethnic Malays over other races—including preferential treatment in employment, education, scholarships, business, access to cheaper housing and assisted savings. This special treatment has sparked envy and resentment between non-Malays and Malays. The Chinese control of the locally-owned sector of the country's economy, meanwhile, has been ceded largely in favour of the Bumiputras/Malays in many essential or strategic industries such as petroleum retailing, transportation, agriculture and etc. The minority of Indian descent has by and large been the most adversely affected by this policy. Indicators point to a higher incidence of crime and gang related activities among the Indians in recent years. The rapid economic boom led to a variety of supply problems, however. Labour shortages soon resulted in an influx of millions of foreign workers, many illegal. Cash-rich PLCs and consortia of banks eager to benefit from increased and rapid development began large infrastructure projects. This all ended when the Asian Financial Crisis hit in the fall of 1997, delivering a massive shock to Malaysia's economy. As with other countries affected by the crisis, there was speculative short-selling of the Malaysian currency, the ringgit. Foreign direct investment fell at an alarming rate and, as capital flowed out of the country, the value of the ringgit dropped from MYR 2.50 per USD to, at one point, MYR 4.80 per USD. The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange's composite index plummeted from approximately 1300 points to around 400 points in a matter of weeks. After the controversial sacking of finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, a National Economic Action Council was formed to deal with the monetary crisis. Bank Negara imposed capital controls and pegged the Malaysian ringgit at 3.80 to the US dollar. Malaysia refused economic aid packages from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, however, surprising many analysts. In March 2005, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published a paper on the sources and pace of Malaysia's recovery, written by Jomo K.S. of the applied economics department, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The paper concluded that the controls imposed by Malaysia's government neither hurt nor helped recovery. The chief factor was an increase in electronics components exports, which was caused by a large increase in the demand for components in the United States, which was caused, in turn, by a fear of the effects of the arrival of the year 2000 (Y2K) upon older computers and other digital devices. However, the post Y2K slump of 2001 did not affect Malaysia as much as other countries. This may have been clearer evidence that there are other causes and effects that can be more properly attributable for recovery. One possibility is that the currency speculators had run out of finance after failing in their attack on the Hong Kong dollar in August 1998 and after the Russian ruble collapsed. (See George Soros) Regardless of cause/effect claims, rejuvenation of the economy also coincided with massive government spending and budget deficits in the years that followed the crisis. Later, Malaysia enjoyed faster economic recovery compared to its neighbours. In many ways, however, the country has yet to recover to the levels of the pre-crisis era. While the pace of development today is not as rapid, it is seen to be more sustainable. Although the controls and economic housekeeping may not have been the principal reason for recovery, there is no doubt that the banking sector has become more resilient to external shocks. The current account has also settled into a structural surplus, providing a cushion to capital flight. Asset prices are now a fraction of their pre-crisis heights. The fixed exchange rate was abandoned in July 2005 in favour of a managed floating system within an hour of China's announcing of the same move. In the same week, the ringgit strengthened a percent against various major currencies and was expected to appreciate further. As of December 2005, however, expectations of further appreciation were muted as capital flight exceeded USD 10 billion. In September 2005, Sir Howard J. Davies, director of the London School of Economics, at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, cautioned Malaysian officials that if they want a flexible capital market, they will have to lift the ban on short-selling put into effect during the crisis. In March 2006, Malaysia removed the ban on short selling. Currently, Malaysia is considered a newly industrialized country. Infrastructure The Kuala Lumpur Tower enhances communication quality within Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. The Damansara Link section of Klang Valley's Sprint Expressway.Malaysia has extensive roads that connect all major cities and towns on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2006, the total length of the Malaysian expressway network is 1471.6 kilometres (914.4 miles). The network connects all major cities and conurbations such as Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang to each other. The major expressway, the North-South Expressway spans from the northern and the southern tips of Peninsular Malaysia at Bukit Kayu Hitam and Johor Bahru respectively. It is a part of the Asian Highway Network, which also connects into Thailand and Singapore. Roads in the East Malaysia and the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia are still relatively undeveloped. Those are highly curved roads passing through mountainous regions and many are still unsealed, gravel roads. This has resulted in the continued use of rivers and the necessary use of airplanes as the main or alternative mode of transportation for the interior residents. Train service in West Malaysia is operated by the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railways) and has extensive railroads that connect all major cities and towns on the peninsular, including Singapore. There is also a short railway in Sabah operated by Sabah State Railway that mainly carries freight. There are seaports throughout the country. The major ports are Port Klang and Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Johor. Other important ports can be found in Tanjung Kidurong, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuantan, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Miri, Sandakan and Tawau. Airports are also found throughout the country. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is the main airport of the country. Other important airports include Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Penang International Airport, Kuching International Airport, Langkawi International Airport, and Senai International Airport. There are also airports in smaller towns, as well as small domestic airstrips in rural Sabah and Sarawak. There are daily flight services between West and East Malaysia, which is the only convenient option for passengers travelling between the two parts of the country. Malaysia is the home of the first low-cost carrier in the region, AirAsia. It has Kuala Lumpur as its hub and maintains flights to Southeast Asia and China as well. In KL it operates out of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in KLIA. The intercity telecommunication service is provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay. International telecommunications are provided through submarine cables and satellite. One of the largest and most significant telecommunication companies in Malaysia is Telekom Malaysia (TM), providing products and services from fixed line, mobile as well as dial-up and broadband Internet access service. It has the near-monopoly of fixed line phone service in the country. In December 2004, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik reported that only 0.85% or 218,004 people in Malaysia used broadband services. However these values are based on subscriber number, whilst household percentage can reflect the situation more accurately. This represented an increase from 0.45% in three quarters. He also stated that the government targeted usage of 5% by 2006 and doubling to 10% by 2008. Lim Keng Yaik had urged local telecommunication companies and service provider to open up the last mile and lower prices to benefit the users. Culture Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multilingual society. The population as of February 2007 is 26.6 million consisting of 62% Malays, 24% Chinese, 8% Indians, with other minorities and indigenous peoples (Dept of Stats. Malaysia). Ethnic tensions have been rising in recent months. The Malays, who form the largest community, are defined as Muslims in the Constitution of Malaysia. The Malays play a dominant role politically and are included in a grouping identified as bumiputra. Their native language is Malay (Bahasa Melayu). Malay is the national language of the country. In the past, Malays wrote in Sanskrit or using Sanskrit-based alphabets. After the 15th century, Jawi (a script based on Arabic) became popular. Over time, romanized script overtook Sanskrit and Jawi as the dominant script. This was largely due to the influence of the colonial education system, which taught children in romanised writing rather than in Arabic script. The largest non-Malay indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number over 600,000. Some Iban still live in traditional jungle villages in long houses along the Rajang and Lupar rivers and their tributaries, although many have moved to the cities. The Bidayuhs, numbering around 170,000, are concentrated in the southwestern part of Sarawak. The largest indigenous tribe in Sabah is the Kadazan. They are largely Christian subsistence farmers. The 140,000 Orang Asli, or aboriginal peoples, comprise a number of different ethnic communities living in Peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists, many have been sedentarised and partially absorbed into modern Malaysia. The Chinese population in Malaysia is mostly Buddhist (of Mahayana sect) or Taoist. Chinese in Malaysia speak a variety of Chinese dialects including Mandarin Chinese, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew. A large majority of Chinese in Malaysia, especially those from larger cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Penang speak English as well. There has also been an increasing number of the present generation Chinese who consider English as their first language. Chinese have historically been dominant in the Malaysian business community. The Indians in Malaysia are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India who native language is Tamil, there are also other Indian communities which is Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi-speaking, living mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. Many middle to upper-middle class Indians in Malaysia also speak English as a first language. A vigorous 200,000-strong Tamil Muslim community also thrives as an independent subcultural group.there are also prevalent Tamil christian communities in major cities and towns. There is also a sizable Sikh community in Malaysia of over 83,000. Most Indians originally migrated from India as traders, teachers or other skilled workers. A larger number were also part of the forced migrations from India by the British during colonial times to work in the plantation industry. Eurasians, Cambodians, Vietnamese, and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population. A small number of Eurasians, of mixed Portuguese and Malay descent, speak a Portuguese-based creole, called Papiá Kristang. There are also Eurasians of mixed Filipino and Spanish descent, mostly in Sabah. Descended from immigrants from the Philippines, some speak Chavacano, the only Spanish-based creole language in Asia. Cambodians and Vietnamese are mostly Buddhists (Cambodians of Theravada sect and Vietnamese, Mahayana sect). Malaysian traditional music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms. The music is based largely around the gendang (drum), but includes other percussion instruments (some made of shells); the rebab, a bowed string instrument; the serunai, a double-reed oboe-like instrument; flutes, and trumpets. The country has a strong tradition of dance and dance dramas, some of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other artistic forms include wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre), silat (a stylised martial art) and crafts such as batik, weaving, including the ceremonial cloth pua kumbu, and silver and brasswork. Holidays Malaysians observe a number of holidays and festivities throughout the year. Some holidays are federal gazetted public holidays and some are public holidays observed by individual states. Other festivals are observed by particular ethnic or religion groups, but are not public holidays. Typical festive fare during Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Haji (clockwise from bottom left): beef soup, ketupat (compressed rice cubes), beef rendang and sayur lodeh.The most celebrated holiday is the "Hari Merdeka" (Independence Day) on August 31 commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya in 1957, while Malaysia Day is only celebrated in the state of Sabah on September 16 to commemorate the formation of Malaysia in 1963. Hari Merdeka, as well as Labour Day (May 1), the King's Birthday (first Saturday of June) and some other festivals are federal gazetted public holidays. Muslims in Malaysia celebrate Muslim holidays. The most celebrated festival, Hari Raya Puasa (also called Hari Raya Aidilfitri) is the Malay translation of Eid al-Fitr. It is generally a festival honoured by the Muslims worldwide marking the end of Ramadan, the fasting month. In addition to Hari Raya Puasa, they also celebrate Hari Raya Haji (also called Hari Raya Aidiladha, the translation of Eid ul-Adha), Awal Muharram (Islamic New Year) and Maulidul Rasul (Birthday of the Prophet). Chinese in Malaysia typically celebrate festivals that are observed by Chinese around the world. Chinese New Year is the most celebrated among the festivals which lasts for fifteen days and ends with Chap Goh Mei. Other festivals celebrated by Chinese are the Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition to traditional Chinese festivals, Buddhists Chinese also celebrate Vesak. The majority of Indians in Malaysia are Hindus and they celebrate Diwali, the festival of light, while Thaipusam is a celebration which pilgrims from all over the country flock to Batu Caves. Apart from the Hindus, Sikhs celebrate the Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year. Other festivals such as Good Friday (East Malaysia only), Christmas, Hari Gawai of the Ibans (Dayaks), Pesta Menuai (Pesta Kaamatan) of the Kadazan-Dusuns are also celebrated in Malaysia. Despite most of the festivals being identified with a particular ethnic or religious group, all Malaysians celebrate the festivities together, regardless of their background. For years, when Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year coincided, a slogan, Kongsi Raya, a combination of Gong Xi Fa Cai (a greeting used on the Chinese New Year) and Hari Raya (which could also mean "celebrating together" in Malay language) was coined. For years when the Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali coincide, a slogan, Deepa Raya, is similarly coined. |
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