Where is Malaysia in the World?

Where is Malaysia?

Malaysia, located in Southeast Asia, is a fascinating country comprised of two noncontiguous areas which are mostly part of larger islands and separated by about 640 kilometers of the South China Sea. Altogether, Malaysia is roughly 128,000 square kilometers.

Geography

Located just north of the equator, Malaysia hosts a hot, humid and rainy environment, averaging around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and ranging from 73-91 degrees throughout the year, with slight variances according to the seasons. Monsoons are a regular occurrence and drive rainfall totals quite high every year, leading to a large number of rainforests.

The western portion, Peninsular Malaysia (also called West Malaysia) borders Thailand and is on the Malay Peninsula. It also shares a border with the island republic of Singapore. Peninsular Malaysia is a mountainous, craggy region, and the eastern coast can receive well over 100 inches of rain a year. Kuala Lumpur is the capital and is in Peninsular Malaysia.

The eastern portion is Eastern Malaysia, located on the island of Borneo and sharing borders Brunei and Indonesia. The western part of Eastern Malaysia receives even more rain than Peninsular Malaysia, often upwards of 150 inches a year. Eastern Malaysia has a varied landscape, from a large coastal region on the western and northern parts to mountainous plateaus towards the center of the island. It is also home to Mount Kinabalu, which at 13,455 feet in height is the largest mountain in the Southern Asian archipelago.

Malaysia is so centered around monsoons that its climactic year is based upon "monsoon" seasons - the northwest and southeast monsoons, and an inter-monsoonal period between each.

Both the Peninsular and Eastern regions of Malaysia are riddled with myriad streams and rivers, which are fed by the numerous rains and provide a mode of transportation between Malaysia and its neighboring countries. However, the rainfall can also be detrimental when these rivers become overloaded and flood onto valuable agricultural land.

Wildlife and plant life are incredibly diverse and magnificent due to the tropical climate and rainforest biome which supports a vast variety of life. The Rafflesia flower is famous for being the largest flower in the world and only grows in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo - including Eastern Malaysia.

Population

Malaysia had a population of around 31 million in 2017, putting it at 45th in the world. Malaysians populate about half of the country. The remaining denizens include Chinese and Malays of Indian descent. Citizenship in the country is only granted to one born of two Malay parents.

The majority of the population of Malaysia exists in the Peninsular region. The government consists of a federal constitutional monarchy, with leadership invoked in a king and a prime minister (heads of state and government, respectively).

The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur comprised the tallest building in the world from 1998-2004 and are still the tallest twin buildings in the world.