Land, People and Government

Formed in 1963 through a federation of the former British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, including the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, Malaysia is located in the southeastern Asia peninsula and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam.

Malaysia's population, estimated at 22,662,365 (July 2002), comprises ethnic groups of dominated by Malays. Chinese make up a quarter of the population, while, Malaysians of Indian descent comprise about 7% and include Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians. About 85% of the Indian community is Tamil.

Non-Malay indigenous groups make up more than half of Sarawak's population and about 66% of Sabah's. European and Middle Eastern make up the rest of the population.

Sabah

Land, People and Government

Sabah, formerly known as North Borneo, is the second largest of the 13 states of Malaysia, with a landmass of 73,711 km2 and a coastline of 1,450 km. Strategically located in the middle of South East Asia on the northern tip of the island of Borneo, it is bounded by the South China Sea at the west, Sulu Sea at the north east, Sulawesi Sea at the south east and by Sarawak and Kalimantan of Indonesia at the south.

Sabah has a multi-racial population estimated at 2.7 million in 2002. Bahasa Malaysia is the official language, while other languages, such as Chinese and English are also widely spoken. Islam is the official religion in Malaysia.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, headed by the Yang di Pertuan Agong, (King), who is elected by the Council of Rulers from among the 9 rulers (9 of the 13 states in Malaysia have hereditary rulers). The country's political system is based on a bicameral parliament, consisting of a senate and a house of representative. Malaysia has a 3-tier system of government: Federal, State, and Local Government.

State and Federal Constitution govern Sabah, which has a unicameral Legislative Assembly that enacts laws on matters under its jurisdiction such as, land and forestry matters. Administratively, Sabah is divided into 5 divisions: Kudat Division; West Coast Division; Interior Division; Sandakan Division; and Tawau Division. These are further divided into municipalities, districts and sub-districts. To date there are 2 municipalities, 21 districts and 10 sub-districts. Kota Kinabalu had attained city status in February 2000.

Economy

Sabah's economy is dominated by the agriculture, forestry, mining, and fishing sectors contributing to 43.7% of the state's total GDP. Agriculture, livestock and fishing contributed 41.9%, mining - 10.6% and forestry - 1.8%. The manufacturing sector accounted for about 9.0% of the State's GDP in 2002, while the wholesale and retail sector, 11.1%.

Infrastructure

Roads

A network of all-weather road links the main towns in the state making them easily accessible. Sabah has about 4,000 km of sealed roads and another 6,000 km of gravelled roads. These are continually being maintained and upgraded while new ones being constructed. A total budget of about RM1.9 billion has been allocated to the State Public Works Department for federal road projects under the 8th Malaysia Plan, the nation's 5year development plan covering the period 2001 to 2005.

Airports

Sabah has modern airports serving its major towns. The Kota Kinabalu International Airport, the nation's second busiest, handled about 36,000 domestic and international flights yearly. It can accommodate the Boeing 747. Kota Kinabalu is within only about three hours' flight to major Asian cities, including, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bandar Seri Begawan. The availability of direct flights from Kota Kinabalu to these cities makes Sabah easily accessible. The airport in Tawau can land the Airbus A300 while that in Sandakan, the Boeing 737. Together they handled about 18,000 domestic flights yearly. There is also a minor airport at Lahad Datu and Kudat.

Seaports

Sabah has three main seaports at: Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau. Four minor ports are located at Lahad Datu, Kudat, Kunak and Semporna and a port handling bulk liquid cargo at Sapangar Bay. The main ports are capable of handling containers and are equipped with modern mechanical equipment, warehouses, open storage facilities and deep berths ranging from 5m to 12m. A modern container port is to be built at the Sepangar Bay, 5 km from the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park, a new industrial facility in Sabah. Total volume of cargo handled by ports in was about 17.6 million tonnes.

Ports projects costing RM309.7 million are being planned for under the 8MP. The Sapangar Bay container port is easily the most important of these projects, costing RM206. Expected to be completed in 2003, the Sapangar Bay Port would be equipped with modern container handling equipment. Other major projects include the Sapangar Oil Jetty expansion, the Lahad Datu New Oil Jetty, and the Sandakan Port Container Yard.

Telecommunications

Sabah is linked internationally by excellent telecommunication facilities. Telekoms Malaysia is the main telecommunication company operating in Sabah, providing fixed lines and cellular phone facilities. Five other telecommunication companies also operate in the state but these currently provide only cellular phone facilities.

Main imports comprise petroleum products, passenger & commercial vehicles, fertilizers, tubes, pipes, fittings of iron & steel, cigarettes, rice, parts for construction & mining machinery and flat-rolled products of iron and steel.

Sarawak

Sarawak lies on the north west coast of Borneo with an extensive coastline of 720 kilometers on the South China Sea. Brunei Darussalam bound it on the north, Sabah on the northeast and Kalimantan Indonesia on the south. Sarawak, with Kuching City as capital, covers a total area of 125,000sq kilometers and is the largest of the 13 states that make up the Federation of Malaysia.

Considered the most multiracial state in Malaysia with 27 ethnic groups living together, coming from diverse backgrounds, Sarawak has an estimated population of 2,027,100 (1999).

Economy

Sarawak's economy is largely export-oriented and primary commodities dominated. The primary sectors (i.e., mining, agriculture, and forestry) make up about 40% of the state's total real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), followed by the secondary sector (i.e., manufacturing and construction) with about slightly more than 30% of total real GDP. LNG and petroleum provided the mainstay of the state's economy for decades. Sarawak is also one of the world's largest exporter of tropical hardwood timber.

Infrastructure

Ports

Sarawak has modern port facilities and a road network system linking all the major towns. A new deep-water Port in Senari complements the facilities and services provided by the Kuching Port. Other port facilities are located in the other industrial centres of Sibu, Tanjung Manis, Bintulu and Miri.

Airports

The major airports in Sarawak are Kuching, Miri, Sibu and Bintulu airports. The Kuching Airport is the most important sub-hub and entry point for Sarawak. The national carrier, Malaysia Airlines offers air services within Malaysia as well as to more than 70 international destinations in 36 countries and 6 continents. Sarawak has also rural airstrips serving rural settlements.

Telecommunications

Following the merger of the Telecommunications Departments of Sabah and Sarawak with that of Peninsular Malaysia on 1 January 1968, telecommunications in the state has developed at an amazing rate. Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Malaysia's pioneer telecommunication provider has set-up an infrastructure enabling telephone facilities in even the most remote villages in the state. Most of Sarawak also receives cellular telecommunication coverage via the various service providers in the country. The state-wide fibre optic network provides transmission circuits to all major towns and offers fibre optic link up to business, government departments and agencies as well as households.

Labuan

Labuan, is a 92 sq km tropical island located off the northwest coast of Borneo Island, at the mouth of the Brunei Bay, and comprises Pulau Labuan and six smaller islands namely Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Daat, Pulau Rusukan Besar, Pulau Rusukan Kecil, Pulau Papan and Pulau Burung. It lies approximately 10 km southeast off the coast of the East Malaysian state of Sabah.

Labuan has a central position in Southeast Asia, particularly in the ASEAN region, being 1258 km from Manila, 3037 km from Bangkok, 1552 km from Kuala Lumpur, 1368 km from Singapore and 1500 km from Jakarta.

Labuan has a population of 78,000 growing at an annual rate of 3.6%, and comprises Malays (24,400), Chinese (9,400), Indian (900), other races (20,900), and foreigners (22,400).

Economy

As Malaysia's only deepwater anchorage, Labuan is a free port, a Federal Territory, and an International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC). The currency is the Malaysian Ringgit (RM).

The economy is largely dominated by the mining sector, oil and gas production and its related industries, followed by the manufacturing sector, wholesale, retail, hotel and restaurants sector. The finance sector is gaining significantly with its GDP contribution increasing from 5.7% in 1991 to nearly 10% in 1998. In the future, the manufacturing and mining sectors are expected to play a less significant role.

Infrastructure

Telecommunications

Labuan boasts of a modern satellite telecommunication system and well-developed infrastructure. The island has state-of-the-art satellite communication system with a capacity for 16,000 lines connecting Labuan via voice, text, video and data to 217 countries and major global communication networks around the world. There is a full range of telecommunication facilities such as telephones, cellular mobile service, intelsat business satellite services, cable, telex, telefax, data and integrated service digital network (ISDN) which allows video conferencing, high speed fax and multimedia applications.

Seaport

Its unusually deep bay provides ideal conditions for very large vessels to anchor. This further enhances its potential as a ship bunkering and integrated port.

Key Indicators links:

Malaysia - http://www.matrade.gov.my/economy-trade/msia-fact.htm

Information on population from - http://www.nationbynation.com/Malaysia/Population.html

Sabah - http://www.sabah.gov.my/didr/english/IntroSabah.htm

Economy - http://www.sabah.gov.my/didr/english/EcoDevelop.htm

Roads - http://www.sabah.com.my/borneotrade/e7.htm

Airport - http://www.sabah.com.my/borneotrade/e1.htm

Seaports - http://www.portsworld.com/portauthorities/sabah%20ports.htm

Telecommunications - http://www.sabah.com.my/borneotrade/e2.htm

Sarawak - http://www.mid.sarawak.gov.my/sarawak_geography.htm

Population - http://www.mid.sarawak.gov.my/sarawak_people.htm

Economy - http://www.sarawak.gov.my/contents/economy/economy.shtml

Ports - http://www.sarawakchambers.net/info/tze15.htm

Airport - http://www.sarawak.gov.my/contents/transportation/transportation.shtml

Labuan - http://www.labuantourism.com.my/aboutlabuan/About%20Labuan.htm

Economy - http://www.lowtax.net/lowtax/html/jlbcfir.html#economy

International Offshore Financial Center - http://www.lofsa.gov.my/lofsa5/index.htm