chief of mission: Ambassador Amelia Ellen SHIPPY
embassy: address NA, in new development area in Lilongwe
mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top),
red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black
band
Economy
Economy--overview: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least
developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with
about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture
accounts for 45% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. The economy
depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF,
the World Bank, and individual donor nations. The new government
faces strong challenges, e.g., to spur exports, to improve
educational and health facilities, and to deal with environmental
problems of deforestation and erosion.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$8.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3.2% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$940 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 45%
industry: 30%
services: 25% (1995 est.)
Population below poverty line: 54% (1990-91 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 83.4% (1995)
Labor force: 3.5 million
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 86%, wage earners 14%
(1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $530 million
expenditures: $674 million, including capital expenditures of $129
million (1993)
Industries: tea, tobacco, sugar, sawmill products, cement,
consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: 0.9% (1995)
Electricity--production: 800 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 2.5%
hydro: 97.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 800 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn,
potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats
Exports: $405 million (f.o.b., 1995)
Exports--commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts, wood
products
Exports--partners: US, South Africa, Germany, Japan
Imports: $475 million (f.o.b., 1995)
Imports--commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures,
consumer goods, transportation equipment
Imports--partners: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Japan, US, UK, Germany
Debt--external: $2.3 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $416.5 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala
Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas (MK) per US$1--43.5426 (January
1999), 31.0727 (1998), 16.4442 (1997), 15.3085 (1996), 15.2837
(1995), 8.7364 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March
Communications
Telephones: 43,000 (1985 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: fair system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and radiotelephone communications stations
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 0
Radios: 1.011 million (1995)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997 est.)
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways:
total: 789 km
narrow gauge: 789 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 28,400 km
paved: 5,254 km
unpaved: 23,146 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi); Shire River, 144 km
Ports and harbors: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota
Airports: 45 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 40
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 23 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment),
Police (includes paramilitary Mobile Force Unit)
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 2,314,509 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,186,341 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $17 million (FY96/97)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 0.8% (FY96/97)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: dispute with Tanzania over the boundary
in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
======================================================================
@Malaysia
--------
Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, peninsula and northern one-third of
the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea,
south of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 2 30 N, 112 30 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 329,750 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 2,669 km
border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km
Coastline: 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia
2,607 km)
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation;
specified boundary in the South China Sea
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and
northeast (October to February) monsoons
Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m
Natural resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore,
natural gas, bauxite
Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 12%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 68%
other: 17% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,941 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding, landslides
Environment--current issues: air pollution from industrial and
vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation;
smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and
southern South China Sea
People
Population: 21,376,066 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 3,879,012; female 3,680,895)
15-64 years: 61% (male 6,478,910; female 6,482,909)
65 years and over: 4% (male 369,639; female 484,701) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.08% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 26.05 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.29 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
note: does not include illegal immigrants--large numbers from
Indonesia and smaller numbers from the Philippines, Bangladesh,
Burma, China, and India
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.68 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.67 years
male: 67.62 years
female: 73.9 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.35 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian
Ethnic groups: Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 26%,
Indian 7%, others 9%
Religions: Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity,
Sikhism; note--in addition, Shamanism is practiced on East Malaysia
Languages: Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects
(Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil,
Telugu, Malalalam, Panjabi, Thai; note--in addition, in East Malaysia
several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of which are
Iban and Kadazan
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5%
male: 89.1%
female: 78.1% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia
former: Malayan Union
Data code: MY
Government type: constitutional monarchy
note: Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August
1957; Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore)
formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left the federation on 9 August 1965);
nominally headed by the paramount ruler (king) and a bicameral
Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected
lower house; Peninsular Malaysian states--hereditary rulers in all
but Melaka, Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak, where governors are
appointed by the Malaysian Government; powers of state governments
are limited by the federal constitution; under terms of the
federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional
prerogatives (e.g., the right to maintain their own immigration
controls); Sabah--holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with
foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers
delegated to federal government; Sarawak--holds 27 seats in House of
Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security,
and other powers delegated to federal government
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Administrative divisions: 13 states (negeri-negeri,
singular--negeri) and 2 federal territories* (wilayah-wilayah
persekutuan, singular--wilayah persekutuan); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan,
Labuan*, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau
Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu, Wilayah Persekutuan*
note: the city of Kuala Lumpur is located within the federal
territory of Wilayah Persekutuan; the terms therefore are not
interchangeable
Independence: 31 August 1957 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 31 August (1957)
Constitution: 31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of
the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Paramount Ruler TUANKU JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku
Abdul Rahman (since 26 April 1994) and Deputy Paramount Ruler Sultan
TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin
Alam Shah (since 26 April 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since
16 July 1981); Deputy Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi
(since 8 January 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the
members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler
elections: paramount ruler and deputy paramount ruler elected by and
from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year
terms; election last held 4 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
prime minister designated from among the members of the House of
Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader of the
party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives
becomes prime minister
election results: TUANKU JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman
elected paramount ruler; Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah
ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah elected deputy paramount
ruler
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of
nonelected Senate or Dewan Negara (69 seats; 43 appointed by the
paramount ruler, 26 appointed by the state legislatures) and the
House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (192 seats; members elected
by popular vote directly weighted toward the rural Malay population
to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives--last held 24-25 April 1995 (next
to be held by April 2000)
election results: House of Representatives--percent of vote by
party--National Front 63%, other 37%; seats by party--National Front
162, DAP 9, PBS 8, PAS 7, Spirit of '46 6; note--subsequent to the
election there was a change in the distribution of seats, the
current distribution is--National Front 168, DAP 8, PAS 8, PBS 5,
independents 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the paramount
ruler on the advice of the prime minister
Political parties and leaders:
Peninsular Malaysia: National Front (a confederation of 13 political
parties dominated by United Malays National Organization or UMNO
Sarawak: National Front, composed of the Party Pesaka Bumiputra
note: subsequent to the election, the following parties were
president] and Sabah United Party (Parti Bersatu Sabah) or PBS
International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C,
CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIL, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dato' GHAZZALI Sheikh Abdul Khalid
chancery: 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador B. Lynn PASCOE
embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
mailing address: P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur; American
Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152
Flag description: 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top)
alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the
upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow
fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional
symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US
Economy
Economy--overview: After a decade of 8% average GDP growth, the
Malaysian economy--severely hit by the regional financial
crisis--declined 7% in 1998. Malaysia will likely remain in recession
for the first half of 1999; official statistics continue to show
anemic exports, and some private financial analysts forecast a
further drop in GDP of 1% in 1999. Prime Minister MAHATHIR has
imposed capital controls to protect the local currency while cutting
interest rates to stimulate the economy. Kuala Lumpur also announced
an expansionary budget for 1999 to combat rising unemployment.
Malaysia continues to seek funding from domestic and international
sources to help finance its budget deficit and recapitalize its
weakened banking sector.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$215.4 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: -7% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$10,300 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 13%
industry: 46%
services: 41% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: 15.5% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 37.9% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% (1998)
Labor force: 8.398 million (1996 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: manufacturing 25%, agriculture,
forestry, and fisheries 21%, local trade and tourism 17%, services
12%, government 11%, construction 8% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 2.6% (1996 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $22.6 billion
expenditures: $22 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.3
billion (1996 est.)
Industries: Peninsular Malaysia--rubber and oil palm processing
and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin
mining and smelting, logging and processing timber; Sabah--logging,
petroleum production; Sarawak--agriculture processing, petroleum
production and refining, logging
Industrial production growth rate: 14.4% (1995)
Electricity--production: 48 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 83.33%
hydro: 16.67%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 47.977 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 174 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 151 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: Peninsular Malaysia?rubber, palm oil, rice;
Sabah--subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice;
Sarawak--rubber, pepper; timber
Exports: $74.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: electronic equipment, petroleum and
petroleum products, palm oil, wood and wood products, rubber,
textiles
Exports--partners: US 21%, Singapore 20%, Japan 12%, Hong Kong 5%,
UK 4%, Thailand 4%, Germany 3% (1995)
Imports: $59.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, food
Imports--partners: Japan 27%, US 16%, Singapore 12%, Taiwan 5%,
Germany 4%, South Korea 4% (1995)
Debt--external: $39.8 billion (1998)
Economic aid--recipient: $125 million (1995)
Currency: 1 ringgit (M$) = 100 sen
Exchange rates: ringgits (M$) per US$1--3.8000 (January 1999),
3.9244 (1998), 2.8133 (1997), 2.5159 (1996), 2.5044 (1995), 2.6243
(1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 2,550,957 (1992 est.)
Telephone system: international service good
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia
mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio
relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic
satellite system with 2 earth stations
international: submarine cables to India, Hong Kong and Singapore;
satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific
Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 28, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 8.08 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 27 (of which 26 are
government-owned and one is independent and has 15 high-power
repeater stations to relay its programs) (1997)
Televisions: 2 million (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 1,798 km
narrow gauge: 1,798 km 1.000-m gauge (148 km electrified) (1998 est.)
Highways:
total: 94,500 km
paved: 70,970 km (including 580 km of expressways)
unpaved: 23,530 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 7,296 km (Peninsular Malaysia 3,209 km, Sabah 1,569
km, Sarawak 2,518 km)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,307 km; natural gas 379 km
Ports and harbors: Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching,
Kudat, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Port
Dickson, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung
Kidurong, Tawau
Merchant marine:
total: 378 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,059,272
GRT/7,428,623 DWT
ships by type: bulk 62, cargo 128, chemical tanker 30, container 58,
liquefied gas tanker 19, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 61,
passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6,
specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 7 (1998 est.)
Airports: 115 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 6 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 83
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 74 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal
Malaysian Air Force, Royal 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 islands grouped into 26 atolls;
archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes
in Indian Ocean
People
Population: 300,220 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47% (male 72,414; female 68,764)
15-64 years: 50% (male 76,446; female 73,275)
65 years and over: 3% (male 4,944; female 4,377) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.37% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 39.3 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.63 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 38.14 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.29 years
male: 66.53 years
female: 70.15 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.73 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Maldivian(s)
adjective: Maldivian
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, African
Religions: Sunni Muslim
Languages: Maldivian Divehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived
from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.2%
male: 93.3%
female: 93% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Maldives
conventional short form: Maldives
local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
Data code: MV
Government type: republic
Capital: Male
Administrative divisions: 19 atolls (atholhu, singular and
plural) and 1 other first-order administrative division*; Alifu,
Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu,
Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale*, Meemu, Noonu, Raa,
Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu
Independence: 26 July 1965 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
Constitution: 4 June 1968
Legal system: based on Islamic law with admixtures of English
common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal