Malaysia - Languages



Bahasa Malaysia, or Malay, is the national language and the lingua franca of all Malaysia. The traditional Bahasa Malaysia script is Jawi, which derives from Arabic script, but Rumi, based

LOCATION: Peninsular Malaysia: 1°17′ to 6°43′ N; 99°38′ to 104°39′ E. Sarawak: 0°52′ to 4°59′ N; 109°38′ to 155°43′ E. Sabah: 4°6′ to 7°22′ N; 115°7′ to 119°17′ E. BOUNDARY LENGTHS: Peninsular Malaysia: Thailand, 506 kilometers (316 miles); coastline, 2,068 kilometers (1,292 miles). East Malaysia: Brunei, 381 kilometers (238 miles); Indonesia, 1,728 kilometers (1,080 miles); coastline, 2,607 kilometers (1,629 miles). Total boundary length, land and coastline: 7,290 kilometers (4,555 miles). TERRITORIAL SEA LIMIT: 12 miles.
LOCATION: Peninsular Malaysia: 1°17′ to 6°43′ N ; 99°38′ to 104°39′ E. Sarawak: 0°52′ to 4°59′ N ; 109°38′ to 155°43′ E. Sabah: 4°6′ to 7°22′ N ; 115°7′ to 119°17′ E. BOUNDARY LENGTHS: Peninsular Malaysia: Thailand, 506 kilometers (316 miles); coastline, 2,068 kilometers (1,292 miles). East Malaysia: Brunei, 381 kilometers (238 miles); Indonesia, 1,728 kilometers (1,080 miles); coastline, 2,607 kilometers (1,629 miles). Total boundary length, land and coastline: 7,290 kilometers (4,555 miles). TERRITORIAL SEA LIMIT: 12 miles.

on the Roman alphabet, is officially used in government, education, and business. English is widely employed in government and commerce and is a compulsory subject in all schools. Chinese (notably the Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, and Foochow dialects), Tamil, Telugu, Malalalam, Punjabi, and Thai are spoken. In addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of which are Iban and Kadazan. Most Malaysians are bilingual or multilingual.

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