Location: | Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, 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
water: 1,200 sq km
land: 328,550 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: | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea |
| 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 |
| Natural resources: | tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite |
| Land use: | arable land: 5.48%
other: 76.91% (2001)
permanent crops: 17.61% |
| Irrigated land: | 3,650 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: | flooding, landslides, forest fires |
| 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands |
| Geography - note: | strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea
Source: CIA World Factbook
|
