Malaysia
Located in South Asia, Malaysia consists of two separate regions. West Malaysia connects to the Asian continent and borders Thailand to the north. East Malaysia, which is across the South China Sea from West Malaysia, lies on an island and shares borders with Indonesia to the south.
Quick Facts
Population: 31.810 million
Ethnic Groups: Bumiputera (62%), Chinese (20.6%), Indian (6.2%), Other (0.9%), Non-Citizens (10.3%)
Languages: Bahasa Malaysia (Official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, others), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
Religions: Muslim (Official) (61.3%), Buddhist (19.8%), Christian (9.2%), Hindu (6.3%), Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions (1.3%), Other (0.4%), None (0.8%), Unspecified (1%)
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
CIA: The World Factbook — Last Updated December 27, 2019
Malaysians in Canada
Malaysian Population in Canada
16,925
Useful Links
Malaysia became independent from Britain in 1957. When Sabah and Sarawak (now East Malaysia) joined in 1963, the country became known as Malaysia. Today, Malaysia’s economy is quickly growing. Consequently, the improvement of living conditions and the reduction of poverty have both been significant in recent years. Sunni Islam is the official religion and there is legislation that discriminates against religious minorities. It is illegal in 10 of the 13 states for someone to attempt to convert Muslims to a different religion. In fact, it is illegal for a Muslim to decide to convert in 12 of the 13 states. This is despite the fact that the constitution guarantees religious freedom for all faiths.
- Central Intelligence Agency. (2019, December 18). The World Factbook: Malaysia. Retrieved December 27, 2019, from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malaysia/
- Encyclopedia of the Nations. (n.d.). Malaysia. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Malaysia.html
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- Mandryk, J. (2010). Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation (7th ed.). Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing.
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- Statistics Canada. (2011, April 7). 2006 Census of Canada: Topic-based tabulations/Ethnic Origin, Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses and Sex for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census – 20% Sample Data. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement