Malaysia Geography

Malaysia occupies two landmasses. Peninsular Malaysia hangs south from Thailand, with a mountainous spine — the Titiwangsa range — dividing a developed, industrial west coast on the Strait of Malacca from a quieter east coast on the South China Sea.

Sabah and Sarawak occupy the northern third of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. Their rainforest is among the oldest on earth at roughly 130 million years, considerably older than the Amazon.

Mount Kinabalu in Sabah reaches 4,095 metres and is still rising. Gunung Mulu in Sarawak holds Sarawak Chamber, the largest known cave chamber by area anywhere.

The Strait of Malacca on the west coast has been one of the world's most important shipping lanes for six centuries, and is the reason Melaka and Penang exist in the form they do.