Status: Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democratic government
Malaysia's monarchy: The king is elected by the council of rulers from the sultans of the 11 states, to serve a 5-year term.
Head of Government: Prime Minister (Current Prime Minister: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi);
Country territories: 13 states and 2 federal territories (under the federal government); 11 states are on the Malaysian peninsular (West Malaysia) and 2 states on the island of Borneo in East Malaysia.
- States in West Malaysia: Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang (Penang), Perak, Kelantan, Terrenganu, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Pahang and Johor.
- States in East Malaysia: Sabah, Sarawak
Ethnic groups: Malays (55 %), Chinese (26%), Indians (8%) and other races
Religious practices: Islam is the official religion, Other religious practices are Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Hinduism, etc.
Language: Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) is the official language; English is adopted as a second language but Chinese and Tamil widely spoken.
National flower: Hibiscus (Rosa Sinensis)/ Bunga Raya
Flag of Malaysia: Adopted on September 16, 1963. It has 14 red and white stripes. The crescent moon and star are symbols of Islam, the national religion of Malaysia. The 14 stripes and the 14 points of the star represent the 14 states in Malaysia. The blue of the canton symbolizes the unity of the country; yellow represents the monarchy in Malaysia.
Weather: The weather in Malaysia is equatorial, humid, with a uniform temperature and rainfall the whole year round. The maximum temperature can go up above 32°C between June and August. Nights are fairly cool, with the temperature falling to about 25°C. The annual rainfall averages 200-250cm. Malaysia's daily weather report
Time Zone: The standard Malaysian time is eight hours ahead of GMT (GMT + 8). Currency: Malaysian ringgit (RM). Money Matters here
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