Malaysia Geography - 2024

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: 329,847 sq km

land: 328,657 sq km

water: 1,190 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than New Mexico

Area comparison map:

Land boundaries

total: 2,742 km

border countries (3): Brunei 266 km; Indonesia 1,881 km; Thailand 595 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

highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,095 m

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 419 m

Natural resources

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

Land use

agricultural land: 23.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 19.4% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.)

forest: 62% (2018 est.)

other: 14.8% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

4,420 sq km (2020)

Population distribution

a highly uneven distribution with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula

Natural hazards

flooding; landslides; forest fires

Geography - note

strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea