GEOGRAPHY OF MALAYSIA

Located in Southeastern Asia Peninsular Malaysia & East Malaysia is separated

by roughly 400 – 1000 miles of South China Sea Malaysia bordered by:

Thailand Indonesia and Brunei Singapore

Bounded by water : South China Sulu Celebes sea Straits of Malacca

Total area about 330 000 sq km

CLIMATE

Categorised as equatorial,being hot and humid

Average daily temperatures 21°C – 32°C in lowland 16 °C in highland

Rainfall total about 80 to 120 inches or more a year

Wettest place in Malaysia : Kuching, Sarawak ( 4128 mm = 247 days of rain)

Driest place : Chuping,Perlis (1746 mm) Two distinct seasons:

Dry season : south-west monsoon ( from May till Sept) Rainy season: northeast monsoon (from mid Nov till

March)

MOUNTAIN RANGE

Peninsular is divided into east coast and west coast by Main Range : Banjaran Titiwangsa

The highest peak in the Peninsular is Mount Tahan (2,187 m) located on the Tahan Range

The highest mountain range in Malaysia is the Crocker Range in Sabah. This range houses Mount Kinabalu, , at 4,094 metres above sea level, the highest mountain in the country.

Highlands has been developed as tourism destination : Genting Highland,Pahang Berjaya Hills,Pahang Cameron Highland, Pahang Fraser Hill,Pahang Bukit Bendera, Penang Maxwell Hill ,Perak

FOREST Malaysian forests can be categorised as

tropical rainforest , divided into dipterocarp swamps mangrove

The management of these reserves as under control of the Department of Wildlife and National Park

(PERHILITAN), the Forest Department of Sarawak, the Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Foundation, Sabah Parks

World Heritage Sites under the natural category: Kinabalu National Park and Gunung Gunung Mulu National Park.

In Malaysia's forests live elephants, rhinoceroses, wild oxen, tigers, leopards, tapirs, wild pigs, monkeys, and other mammals.

ISLAND

The largest island is Banggi Island in Sabah The largest island shared with another

country is Borneo The reefs can be usually found around

islands such as Sipadan Island, Swallow Reef, and Redang Island.

EXTREME POINTS

Tanjung Piai (1° 15′ 58″ N, 103° 30′ 39″ E) is a cape in Johor which is the southernmost point of Peninsular Malaysia and thus the most southern point of mainland Asia.

The southernmost point of Malaysia is located in the district of Serian in Sarawak.

The easternmost point is found on the tip of Dent Peninsular in Lahad Datu district in Sabah.

The northernmost point is found on the northern tip of Banggi Island, Sabah.

The westernmost point is found on the western tip of Pulau Langkawi in Kedah.

Tanjung Simpang Mengayau, is also known as the Northernmost tip of Borneo

LAKES

The Bera Lake in Pahang is one of the largest lakes in Malaysia (35 km long and 20 km wide).

Pedu Lake is a 12km-long lake located 5 km from the Malaysian-Thai border

Kenyir Lake is the largest artificial lake in Southeast Asia.

RIVER

The longest is the Rejang River in Sarawak with a length of 763 km.

The longest river in the Peninsular Malaysia is Pahang River with a length of 435 km

ECONOMY

Malaysia has a more prosperous economy and a higher standard of living than any other country in Southeast Asia except Singapore.

FORESTRY

Large areas of land are used as palm oil plantations, rubber plantations, and paddy fields

All parks and reserves in Peninsular Malaysia are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Malaysia (PERHILITAN)