Malaysia's geography is striking. From north to south, the country stretches between the eighth and first parallels north of the equator; from west to east, it lies between the 100th and 120th meridians. Encompassing the Malaysian peninsula and the two states on Borneo, Sarawak and Sabah, its territory covers 128,430 square miles (330,422 sq. km), an area larger than Poland.
The country's two sections are separated by some 434 miles (700 km) of the South China Sea, crisscrossed by trade routes since time immemorial. To the west, the country is bordered by the Straits of Malacca, a funnel for EastWest shipping traffic. Time and again, the waterway has been a bone of contention between foreign powers seeking to safeguard their foothold on the Malaysian peninsula and thus gain control of Southeast Asia.
Malaysia has been uniquely singled out by nature; the monsoon winds create a distinctive climate. The north and south monsoons actually meet on the peninsula; both have an effect, to varying degrees, in the heavy rainfall and hot, humid climate. These conditions are ideal for rain forests, which once covered the entire area, and for their singular fauna. Furthermore, it's this climate which, for thousands of years, has enabled human beings, in spite of floods and storms, to develop the science of rice-paddy cultivation. This autonomous, independent form of agriculture is the basis of the culture and civilization of many of the peoples and countries of Asia. Although rubber and oil-palm plantations have won Malaysia a place in the world's agricultural markets, rice cultivation - partly because of its time-intensive nature - remains the backbone of village life in Southeast Asia.
Tourists are still something of a rarity in the Sultanate of Brunei, the fossil-fuelrich state between Sarawak and Sabah. Its wealth flows from the earth in the form of oil and gas. Foreigners are brought in to do the hard work of drilling for oil and running the wells; while the Bruneians sit back, take it easy, and pray to Allah that the oil keep gushing.
Location: Southeastern Asia, peninsula and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 2 30 N, 112 30 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 329,750 sq km land: 328,550 sq km water: 1,200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 2,669 km border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km
Coastline: 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons
Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m
Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 12% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 68% other: 17% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,941 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding, landslides
Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea
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Malaysia's geography is striking. From north to south, the country stretches between the eighth and first parallels north of the equator; from west to east, it lies between the 100th and 120th meridians. Encompassing the Malaysian peninsula and the two states on Borneo, Sarawak and Sabah, its territory covers 128,430 square miles (330,422 sq. km), an area larger than Poland.
