Malaysia is a vibrant and thriving nation situated close to the equator within longitudes 1-7° North and 100-119° East, in the very heart of South-East Asia. It is a country of two land masses – Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo – which are 640km apart, separated by the South China Sea.
It shares a land border with Thailand in the north, while across the Straits of Johor in the south, just a short drive over the connecting Causeway, is the island nation of Singapore. Across the Straits of Malacca to the west lies the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Sabah and Sarawak are located on the northern coast of the island of Borneo, their neighbours being Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. The terrain for these two states is rugged, with a series of mountain ranges encompassing the interior regions of the states.
The crown jewel is Mount Kinabalu in Sabah which, at an impressive height of 4,095.2m, is the highest peak in South-East Asia.
Common geographical features in Malaysia include coastal plains that rise to form dramatic limestone cliffs (that beg to be scaled), deep caverns (a haven for spelunkers), and idyllic waterfalls (perfect for family getaways).
The total land area of Malaysia is 330,434km², about the size of Japan. Peninsular Malaysia has an area of 131,573km², while Sabah and Sarawak cover 73,711km² and 124,449km² respectively.
The coastline for the peninsula extends nearly 4,830km around, while the coastline of Sarawak and Sabah is 2,100km – that’s a lot of beach to explore!
The States of Malaysia
Malaysia comprises 14 states including the three Federal Territories – Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan – which collectively form the 14th “state”.
The states in Peninsular Malaysia are Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya; while Sabah and Sarawak make up the two remaining states. The Federal Territory of Labuan (area: 91km²) is located just off the west coast of Sabah.
The state of Sabah consists of five divisions, namely Tawau, Sandakan, Kudat, West Coast and Interior. Sarawak comprises 11 Divisions, namely Kuching, Sri Aman, Sibu, Miri, Sarikei, Limbang, Kapit, Bintulu, Kota Samarahan, Mukah and Betong.
The capital city of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the Federal Government. Both Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are centrally located along the west coast of the peninsula.
Just like how the Eiffel Tower is identified with Paris, the Petronas Twin Towers will forever be identified with Kuala Lumpur.
Climate
Malaysia’s tropical climate is the result of its proximity to the Equator. The country enjoys a perpetual summer with a high humidity of about 80% all year round. It has an annual rainfall of between 2,032mm and 2,540mm.
The climate is affected by the north-east and south-west monsoons, tropical winds that alternate during the course of the year. The north-east monsoon prevails from November to March and brings rain to the east coast of the peninsula. The south-west monsoon is from mid-May to September.
To know your seasons in the sun when you visit Malaysia, you’ll have to plan your itinerary around the literal winds of change.
Temperatures range from 21-32° Celcius in the lowlands, but if you plan to escape to cooler climes for a while, there’s always the highlands, with Cameron Highlands and Genting Highlands (both in Pahang) being the two most famous.
Flora & Fauna
About four-fifths of Malaysia is covered by tropical rainforests, forming part of the Indo-Malayan rainforests which are the oldest in the world.
Because these jungles lay undisturbed for an estimated 130 million years, they form one of the most complex and richest ecosystems in the world, home to over 15,000 species of flowering plants and trees (9% of the world’s total), and 185,000 animal species (16% of the world’s total).
Rafflesia
A total of 286 species of mammals, 736 species of birds, 165 species of amphibians, 300 species of reptiles, 300 species of fresh water fishes and more than 100,000 species of insects have been recorded in the country.
Among the jungle dwellers are tigers, elephants, black and white tapirs, rhinoceros, leopards, honey bears, mousedeer, gibbons, and orangutans. Species of birds include the Malayan peacock-pheasant, the milky stork, the mountain serpent eagle, and of course, the majestic hornbill.
Malaysia’s rainforests continue to excite the scientific community which believes that some as-yet-undetermined plants or animals within may hold cures for human diseases.
Apart from the rainforests, Malaysia also has an abundance of mangrove forests found along its coastline, which act as excellent spawning grounds for marine life, including shellfish and prawns.
Aware of the importance of conservation, the Malaysian Government has set aside more than 12.5 million hectares as Permanent Forest Estate, with an additional 1.2 million hectares as National Parks, Game Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Sadly however, poaching remains a prevalent problem.
Malaysian seas also boast their own “rainforests” in the form of coral reefs that abound in the coastal areas. In fact, the country is known for its great diversity of coral species, and the accompanying marine life (giant sea turtles, dugong/sea cow, etc). This makes Malaysian seas immeasurably attractive for scuba divers.
No surprise, then, that Pulau Sipadan, Malaysia’s only oceanic island, has been voted time and again as one of the world’s best dive sites.
To protect these underwater ecosystems, the Goverment has gazetted 38 of its coral islands as protected areas.
Population & People
Malaysia is a multi-racial and multi-religious country with a population of 23.27 million (ref: Population and Housing Census 2000; approx. 25 million today). The bumiputras (or “sons of the soil”) which comprise the Malays, the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak, and the aboriginal groups of Peninsular Malaysia (the Orang Asli) form the majority (65.1%), with the Chinese at 26.0%, the Indians at 7.7%, and other ethnic groups (Eurasians, Europeans, etc) accounting for the rest.
In Sarawak, the predominant ethnic group is the Ibans, who account for 30.1% of the state’s total Malaysian citizens, followed by the Chinese (26.7%) and Malays (23.0%). In Sabah, the predominant ethnic group is the Kadazan Dusun (18.4%), followed by the Bajau (17.3%) and Malays (15.3%).
The distribution of population is somewhat uneven, with some 20 million residents or over 80% concentrated in Peninsular Malaysia. Sabah and Sarawak, considerably larger than the peninsula in land area, are relatively less densely populated.
Given the rich ethnic mix, it is hardly surprising that there is a great variety of faiths in Malaysia. What’s surprising is the relative peace and harmony that the followers of different creeds enjoy. This becomes even more of an eye-opener when one takes into consideration the devoutness of the adherents of the different faiths. It only takes a religious festival such as the Hari Raya Puasa, Thaipusam, Wesak or Christmas for one to notice how real and palpable faith is in this small nation.
Although Islam is the official religion, the Constitution guarantees the freedom to practise other religions. Each faith tends to identify with a specific ethnic group. For instance, almost all Malays in this country are Muslims (in fact, by constitutional definition, Malays are Muslims who practice Malay customs or adat, and culture), while Chinese are predominantly Buddhist and Taoist, and the Indians, Hindus.
Christianity is multi-ethnic, embracing segments of the Indian and Chinese population, as well as the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak.
According to the Population and Housing Census 2000 figures, approximately 60.4% of the population practises Islam; 19.2% Buddhism; 9.1% Christianity; 6.3% Hinduism, and 2.6% traditional Chinese religions. The remaining 2.4% is accounted for by other faiths, including Sikhism and Animism.
Language also mirrors the multi-racial mix with most Malaysians being able to speak two or three languages and/or dialects fluently.
Bahasa Malaysia (Malay language) is the official language but listen to a few conversations on the street and you’ll soon understand why the tourism advertisements use the Malaysia, Truly Asia tagline. (Stay a while longer, and you’ll be completely sold on it.)
English is widely spoken and is deemed the unofficial second language; extensively used in commerce and industry. On the streets, you’ll hear a peculiar form of the language, a colloquial English which is famously known as Manglish (a portmanteau of the word Malay and English), mostly spoken by the non-Malays.
Then of course, there’s a variety of Chinese and Indian dialects such as Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew, and Hainanese (Chinese), and Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati and Urdu (Indian). Yes indeed, Malaysia is truly Asia.
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