• Malaysia:
• Geography

Malaysia - Geography

Lying north of the equator in central South-East Asia, above Singapore and south of Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia is separated by about 540km of the South China Sea from the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, which share the island of Borneo with Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. Malaysian islands include Labuan, Penang and the Langkawi Islands.

The Federation of Malaysia has 13 states: Sabah, Sarawak and the 11 states of Peninsular Malaysia. These are: the nine sultanates of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu, plus Melaka and Penang. The Federation includes the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and the island of Labuan.

Area: 329,758 sq km

Main towns/conurbations: Kuala Lumpur (capital, pop. 1,482,400 in 2006), Subang Jaya (Selangor, contiguous with Kuala Lumpur, 954,300), Kelang (Selangor, 936,700), Johor Baharu (Johor, 838,900), Ipoh (Perak, 692,200), Ampang Jaya (Selangor, 682,100), Kuching (Sarawak, 602,100), Petaling Jaya (Selangor, 535,800), Shah Alam (Selangor, 521,200), Kota Kinabalu (Sabah, 493,700), Sandakan (Sabah, 419,500), Seremban (Negeri Sembilan, 390,600), Kuantan (Pahang, 382,600), Batu Sembilan Cheras (Selangor, 379,300), Kajang-Sungai Chua (Selangor, 355,100), Tawau (Sabah, 327,700), Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu, 290,300), Kota Baharu (Kelantan, 283,700), Alor Setar (Kedah, 222,700), Bukit Mertajam (Penang, 221,900), Taiping (Perak, 220,600), Melaka (Melaka, 187,100), George Town (Penang, 176,500).

Topography: Peninsular Malaysia has a mountainous spine (highest peak Gunong Tahan, 2,156m) with low plains on either side. In the west, mangrove swamps and mudflats at the coast give way to cultivated plains. Sandy beaches lie along the east coast. The main rivers are the Perak and the Pahang. Sabah’s mountains include Mount Kinabalu (4,094m), the highest peak in South-East Asia. Sarawak’s highest mountain is Murud (2,385m), its main river the Rejang.

Climate: Tropical, with heavy annual rainfall and high humidity. The daily temperature throughout Malaysia varies from 21–32°C. In Kuala Lumpur, April and May are the hottest months, December the coldest and April the wettest.

Environment: The most significant environmental issues are deforestation; air pollution by industrial and motor emissions; water pollution by raw sewage; and smoke or haze from Indonesian forest fires.

Vegetation: Dense tropical forest covers more than half the land area. Intensive logging and replanting operations are gradually changing the forest’s form. Most cleared areas are in the north-east and west of Peninsular Malaysia. Huge tracts of Sabah’s forests were felled in the 1970s and 1980s; the government is trying to curb logging. Forest covers 64% of the land area, having declined at 0.4% p.a. 1990–2005. Arable land comprises 5.5% and permanent cropland 18% of the total land area.

Wildlife: East Malaysia has one of the largest and most varied bird populations in the world, including many species of parrots, hornbills and broadbills. The endangered orang-utan, the proboscis monkey and massive wild ox, the seladang or Malayan gaur, also occur.

Transport: There are 71,810km of roads, 78% paved. A good network in Peninsular Malaysia including a motorway from north to south. Toll motorways (such as parts of the North–South Expressway) have been built by private groups.

There is a railway network of 1,667km operated by Malaysian Railway, in Peninsular Malaysia, linking with Singapore in the south and Thailand to the north. Express trains are modern. Sabah has a coastal line; Sarawak has no railway.

Kuala Lumpur’s light railway system commenced operations in the late 1990s. It combines underground and raised track and covers the entire city, connecting city centre with airports and suburbs.

Ferry services run between ports on the peninsula and link the peninsula with Sabah and Sarawak. River transport is well developed in the east and the only form of transport in remote areas.

The new Kuala Lumpur International Airport at Sepang, 55km to the south of Kuala Lumpur, was completed in 1998, in time for the Commonwealth Games. Other international airports are at Penang (16km south of George Town), Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), and Kuching (Sarawak).