I just wanted to share some information about the nation of Malaysia and the town of Sungai Petani.
The location and national flag of Malaysia…
The information below about Malaysia is from CIA World Factbook.
History: British had colonies and protectorates starting in the late 18th century, Japan occupied them during World War 2. gained independence in 1963
Economy: Mostly a middle class country. Major exporter of oil and gas, jhas benefited from higher energy prices, supplies more than 40% of government revenue
Problems: Destinationsource and trasit point for women and children being trafficked. High demand for synthetic drugs such as extasy and meth.
Capital: Kuala Lumpur, population 1.5 million (2009)
Area: 123,355 square miles, slightly larger than New Mexico
Ethnic Groups​: Malay – 50.4%, Chinese – 23.7%, India – 7.1%, Hindu – 6.3%, Other – 4.1%, None – 0.8% (2000)
Languages: Malaysian, English, Chinese, Tamil, Telugu, Panjabi, Thai
Religions: Muslim – 60.4%, Buddhist – 19.2%, Christian – 9.1%, Other – 0.1% (2000)
Population: just under 29.2 million (July 2012 estimate), 3.8% below poverty line (2009 estimate)
Age Structure: 0-14 – 29.4%, 15-64 – 65.5%, > 65 – 5.1%
Median Age: 27 (Male – 27, Female – 27)
Urbanization: 72% (2010)
Growth Rate: 1.5% (2012 estimate)
Infant Mortality: 14.6 per 1,000 live births
Life Expectancy: 74 (Male – 71, Female – 77)
Literacy Rate: 88.7%
Unemployment rate: 3.1% (2011 estimate)
Governemt Type: Constitutional monarchy
Suffrage: 21, universal
Gross Domestic Product Per Capita: $16,200 (2011 estimate)
Inflation: 3.2% (2011 estimate)
Currency: Ringgit (3/US$1)
Our ministry host for the month is Pastor Thomas Raj. We will living in the town of Sungai Petani, a large city of nearly 1 million people near the border with Thailand. During the month we will be prayer walking in the community where we live, making hospital visits and leading worship during the weekly services at Pastor Raj's church.
