c coordinates: 2 30 N, 112 30 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 329,750 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km
water: 1,200 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:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation;
specified boundary in the South China Sea
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

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: 3%
permanent crops: 12%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 68%
other: 17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,941 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding, landslides

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, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and
southern South China Sea

People

Population: 21,376,066 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 3,879,012; female 3,680,895)
15-64 years: 61% (male 6,478,910; female 6,482,909)
65 years and over: 4% (male 369,639; female 484,701) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.08% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 26.05 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.29 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
note: does not include illegal immigrants--large numbers from
Indonesia and smaller numbers from the Philippines, Bangladesh,
Burma, China, and India

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/fema