Malaysia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia. Its western part is located in the south of the Malacca Peninsula, and the eastern part is in the north of Kalimantan Island.
The country is a federal constitutional monarchy. Economically, Malaysia is quite developed, and the living conditions of the population are favorable. There is a large proportion of the middle class, and the poor and rich are relatively few. The main sectors of the Malaysian economy are industry, agriculture, foreign trade and tourism.
Geographic feature
The relief is quite diverse. Both on the island and on the mainland there are mountain ranges. The highest point is Mount Kinabalu. The climate in the plains is hot, humid, equatorial. The weather changes little throughout the year.
The average annual temperature is +27 degrees, and the annual precipitation is approx. 2500 mm. Weather significantly depends on the area. There is more rainfall on the hills than on the coast.
Most of Malaysia is forested. They are characterized by a large species diversity. However, every year their area decreases. This is due to intensive deforestation and expansion of agricultural land, especially plantings of oil palm. Now most of the forests are concentrated within the boundaries of national parks. Air pollution, fishing for fish and animals, and a large amount of municipal solid waste have a negative impact on the environment. Almost half of the rivers have low-quality water.
For the economy, the natural conditions of Malaysia are quite favorable. Here you can grow tropical fruits, palm trees, rubber trees. Forests have a lot of wood. In the seas you can fish and seafood. With the rational use of natural resources, the rapid development of tourism is possible.
Education and Health
The educational system in this country is quite well developed. Its development largely affects economic progress, making Malaysia closer to the developed than to the developing countries. There are as many as 2 ministries. There is a system of public free schools, however, residents can use the services of private or study at home. Only primary education is compulsory. However, more and more people have higher education, and teachers and teachers are quite wealthy people with good social status.
The main language in the educational system is Malay. Some schools use Chinese, and until 1981 there were also schools based on the English language. Such a narrow linguistic orientation causes dissatisfaction of representatives of other countries, especially China.
Medicine in Malaysia is divided into private and public. In the first case, the most modern equipment is used, and in the second, the situation is more variegated. State medicine is mainly developed precisely in large cities of the country.
Malaysian economy briefly
Malaysia is a fairly developed country. Among the countries of Southeast Asia, it is in third place in terms of economy, and in the world - only 38th. Here, high labor productivity, and a large number of specialists have higher education. Annual GDP growth was 6.5%, which is a very high indicator. In 2014, it amounted to 337 billion dollars. Until the 80s of the 20th century, the extraction of raw materials and agriculture prevailed in the structure of the economy. Then industry began to grow rapidly. However, the country is still an important exporter of oil and other natural resources and agricultural products. The subsoil of this state contains approximately 4.3 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. Palm oil is produced in large quantities.
High-tech industries are also well developed. Malaysia manufactures and exports microelectronics products and electrical engineering. She is in first place in the world in terms of manufacturing household air conditioners and electronic chips. The automotive industry is booming. Defense enterprises are actively developing.
Unlike neighboring countries, the Malaysian economy quickly recovered from the 1997 economic crisis.
Tourism sector
Tourism plays an important role in the economy of this country. In 2009, Malaysia took 9th place in the attendance rating, being one line below Germany. As a source of foreign currency, tourism takes third place here. In 2018, revenue from tourism activities brought the country almost 60 billion dollars. People with different family budgets come here.
The greatest interest for visitors is virgin nature and wild beaches, sometimes suitable for diving. Important objects of the visit are national parks, the bulk of which is located in the eastern part (Kalimantan Island). Large cities are of some importance, where visitors visit objects of architecture (traditional, modern and colonial).
In many ways, the country faces a choice: to move along the industrial path to the detriment of tourism development, or vice versa. In the event of further deforestation and environmental pollution, the tourist attractiveness of the territory will be in jeopardy.
Transport sector
The transport system, as befits a developed economy, is well developed. There are a lot of airports in Malaysia (58, of which 37 are passenger and 8 with international status). The total length of roads is 98.7 thousand km, with paved surface - 80.3 thousand km, and motorways - 1.8 thousand km. In the peninsular part, the road network is much more developed than in the eastern part.
The total length of railways is 1.85 thousand km. There is 1 high speed train. D. highway.
Agriculture
The role of this sector in the economy of Malaysia is gradually decreasing. So, in the 60s of the 20th century, agricultural production accounted for 37% of Malaysia's GDP and most of the population worked in this area. In 2014, the share decreased to 7.1% of total GDP, and only slightly more than 10 percent of the total population were agricultural workers.
Nevertheless, Malaysia is in second place in the world in the production of palm oil and in first - in its export. One of its most important buyers is Russia. Another major producer of this product is Indonesia.
Now palm oil and rubber are the most important agricultural production in Malaysia. In the past, planting rice and coconut trees played a large role.
Industry Malaysia
The country's industrial sector is well developed. This is due to the high share of high-tech industries. At the same time, labor is cheaper than in developed countries. Therefore, foreign companies profitable to place their production here. Malaysia has 12 Japanese and 20 American industrial corporations.
Mostly industry is concentrated in the peninsular (western) part of the country. This is due to its transport capabilities and resource potential.
The most important industries in Malaysia are the manufacture of electronics, computers, electrical appliances. The country is a leader in the production of microchips and domestic air conditioners. Here are concentrated enterprises of various international companies, including Intel. The production of semiconductor products has been established.
Of the traditional industries, the most developed are the production of steel, tin, and wood products.
The automotive industry and light industry are well developed.
A lot of liquefied gas is produced (3rd place in the world), oil and gas processing products, production of rubber and natural rubber has been established. And also fertilizers, household pesticides, paints, varnishes.
Trade sector
Foreign trade is of great importance in the economy of this state. Malaysia supplies palm oil, oil, liquefied gas, textiles, rubber, electronics, wood products and wood to world markets. Plastic, steel, oil products, equipment, parts, chemicals, machinery are imported into the country. Malaysia is included in the World Trade Organization, ASEAN, APEC.
The most important economic partner is the United States. Countries such as China, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia are also important. At present, the role of China in trade relations with Malaysia is even higher than the United States. In 2017, the country exported goods totaling $ 188 billion, and imported $ 163 billion.
Banking system
The country has large amounts of financial resources and 27 different commercial banks, mostly foreign ones, operate. They are the most important suppliers of cash resources. It is assumed that the capital of the country - Kuala Lumpur - will become a major financial center.
Plans for the coming years
Malaysian authorities intend to quickly increase both state GDP and per capita income. It is assumed that the entire territory will gain access to broadband Internet. In the field of high technology, the priorities are the development of nuclear energy and the production of solar panels. More attention will be paid to raising residents' incomes, supporting education, and social obligations. An important priority is the support of the education system, which makes this country more attractive in terms of the development of high technologies, in comparison with neighboring Asian countries.
