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: Mount Kinabalu 4,100 m

Natural resources tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite

Land use
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 12%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 68%
other: 17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land 3,400 sq km (1993 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

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea

NOTE: The information regarding Malaysia on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Malaysia Geography 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Malaysia Geography 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.