Malaysia / Geography

Photo: Malaysia's North-South Expressway

Malaysia is composed of two parts. Peninsular Malaysia is a long portion of land which extends from the border of Thailand to Singapore. The northern part is mostly covered by dense jungle, while the central part is lightly populated. The western part is a fertile plain extending down to the sea.

East Malaysia, the other part of the country, is adjacent to the southern part of Indonesian state of Kalimantan. It is divided between Sarawak and Sabah, with the country of Brunei between them.

Malaysia comprises 13 states and two federal territories - Kuala Lumpur and Labuan (an island off the coast of Sabah). Nine of the states have a hereditary ruler respectively from which the Supreme Head of State, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong(King) is elected every five years.

The government is based on parliamentary democracy. The head of the government, the Prime Minister heads the Cabinet of Ministers.

Manufacturing forms the largest single component of Malaysia's economy. Malaysia is one of the world's largest producers of rubber, tin, palm oil, timber, pepper and petroleum. Tourism, too, is emerging as a major revenue earner.

Malaysia is 8 hours ahead of GMT and 16 hours ahead of the U. S. Pacific Standard Time.