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 (403mi) 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 percent 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/13,450ft) in Sabah is one of the highest peaks in South-East Asia.
More than 60 per cent of the country is still rainforest, but a government plan to build a huge hydroelectric dam in Sarawak is expected to decimate 27,600ha (69,000ac) 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. Fauna includes elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards, tapirs, sun bears, orangutans 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°C (68-86°F); humidity is usually 90 per cent. The region has a monsoonal 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.
Population
24.4 million (UN, 2003)
Area
329,733 sq km
Ethnicity/ Race
Malay:49.0%, Chinese:25.0%, Other Indigenous:11.0%, Other:8.0%, Indian:7.0%
Major Languages
Malay (official), English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam
www.nst.com: PulauLangkawi is the world’s 52nd Geological Park and the first in the South East Asia, following an official inception in the Unesco Global Network Geoparks on June 1.
The 99-island archipelago makes Malaysia the third country in Asia, after China and Iran, to have a geological park or geopark. The largest concentration of geoparks is in Europe.
The title encompasses all the unique facets of Langkawi, including the colourful lifestyle and culture, the amazing biodiversity and unique geological make-up of the landscape.
Unesco defines a geopark as a “territory encompassing one or more sites of scientific importance, not only for geological reasons but also by virtue of its archaeological, ecological or cultural value”.
Experts from Unesco visited the island in late March to make their assessment and will table their findings at the second International Symposium Development Within Geopark Environment Protection and Education in China.
Langkawi prides itself on the 550 million-year-old Gunung Mat Chinchang range, fossilised remains of pre-historic sea creatures and insects and impressive geological rock formations.
With these, Langkawi has the potential to be one of the best such geoparks in the world.
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