Malaysia

Malaysia covers an area of 329,800 square kilometres and has a population of 30.7 million. The capital is Kuala Lumpur.

The Supreme Leader of Malaysia (King) is elected from the royal hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states to a five year term. Since December 2011, the country has been led by the Sultan of Kedah, Abdul Halim. The Prime Minister is Najib Razak.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Malaysia is 338.1 billion US dollars and enjoyed a growth rate of 4.7 percent in the third quarter of 2015. The GDP per capita averages 10,838 US dollars.

Diplomatic relations between Russia and Malaysia were established on 3 April 1967. The two countries cooperate in the aerospace sector, information and nanotechnology, and have stable interaction in the military and military-industrial sectors. In addition, culture is an important part of bilateral relations. Currently, Russian universities have over 4,000 students from Malaysia (mostly in medical specialties).

Interesting facts:

Besides national holidays, each state in Malaysia has its own holidays, for example, the birthday of their Sultan. The special days of religious and national communities in the country, such as the Hindu festival Deepavali, the Buddhist holiday Vesak, Chinese New Year, Christian Christmas and the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, all of them are also national holidays.