Major Holidays/Events
New Year's Day Hari Raya Aidiladha* Federal Territory Day ** Chinese New Year* Awal Muharam* Birthday of Prophet Muhammad* Labour Day* Wesak Day* King's Birthday* National Day* Deepavali# Hari Raya Aidilfitri* Christmas*
Note: (*) - National holidays (**) - Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur & Labuan only (#) - Except Labuan & Sarawak
Population and Demographic
Malaysia is a land of ready smiles and incredible variety. The rich diversity of experiences and contrasts beckons the worldly traveler, from city-lovers to adventure-seekers and much, much more. This is the land of friendly and fascinating people, where one can get a taste of all of Asia in a single destination.
Visitors can mingle with the country's population of more than 27 million people, which consists of Malays, Chinese, Indian, and other indigenous groups including the Orang Asli, Dayaks, Kadazan Dusun, Melanau, Murut and more. Joining them are groups of mixed descent, such as the Baba-Nyonyas and Eurasians of Portuguese and other European ancestry, as well as other immigrant Asian ethnicities. The Malays and the native tribal groups make up approximately 60% of the total population, while Chinese comprise 30%, and Indians comprise 8% of this melting pot of races and cultures. Four-fifths of the population resides in West Malaysia.
Religion
Although the official religion of Malaysia is Islam, each person is free to practice his or her own faith. The abundance of temples, mosques, churches and other places of worship bears testament to this. Islam in Malaysia is rather tolerant and does not comply with the fundamental belief of extremists.
Economy
Malaysia remains one of the world's largest producers of rubber, palm oil, timber and tin. In recent years, the manufacturing and service (notably the tourism sector) industries have become main contributors to the economy. Exports of electronic products are one of the main contributors of the nation's economic growth. In fact, Malaysia is one of the few Asian countries that has its own car manufacturing industry. The stability of the economy and its political scenario has managed to attract tremendous foreign investment into the country. The country's major trading partners are Japan, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Germany.