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Malaysia is divided into two
distinct parts: Peninsular Malaysia and the East Malaysian
provinces of Sabah and Sarawak in North Borneo. The two
regions are 650km apart, separated by the South China Sea.
Peninsular Malaysia shares borders with Thailand and
Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak border Kalimantan (the
Indonesian part of Borneo), and Sarawak surrounds the tiny
enclave of Brunei. The Andaman Sea is on the west coast of
the peninsula. The east coast of the peninsula, Sabah and
Sarawak all adjoin the South China Sea.
Peninsular Malaysia accounts for 40% of the country's land
mass. Several mountain ranges run north-south along the
spine of the peninsula. There is a wide, fertile plain on
the west coast, and a narrow coastal plain on the east.
Sabah and Sarawak are covered by dense jungles and have
large river systems. Mt Kinabalu (4101m) in Sabah is one of
the highest peaks in South-East Asia. More than 60% of the
country is still rainforest, but a government plan to build
a huge hydroelectric dam in Sarawak is expected to decimate
69,000 acres of forest, which does not augur well for the
future. There are 8000 species of flowering plants in
Peninsular Malaysia alone, including 2000 tree species, 800
different orchids and 200 types of palm. Malaysia fauna
includes elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards, tapirs, sun
bears, orang-utans and gibbons. East Malaysia has one of the
most abundant and varied bird populations in the world.
Malaysia is hot and humid all
year. Temperatures are usually between 20-30 degrees
Celsius; humidity is usually 90%. The region has a monsoon
climate, but only the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia has
a real rainy season. The wettest season on the west coast of
the peninsula is between September and December; on the east
coast and in Sabah and Sarawak it's between October and
February. Rain, when it comes, generally interrupts the
sunshine only briefly; most of it falls in short, strong
bursts. |
