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Malaysia: East Malaysia
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Malaysia is a tropical country in Southeast Asia. It is divided into two parts by the South China Sea. Its main land is located on the Malay Peninsula and faces the Straits of Malacca on its west coast and on the South China Sea on its east coast. The other part of this country, sometimes known as East Malaysia, is located on the northern part of the island of Borneo on the South China Sea. Kuala Lumpur on the Malay Peninsula is its capital, but the federal capital was recently moved to Putrajaya, a newly created city for administration. It is a federal state made from 13 states.
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East Malaysia is an elongated strip of land approximately 700 miles long with a maximum width of about 170 miles. The coastline of 1,400 miles is paralleled inland by a 900-mile land boundary with Kalimantan. For most of its length, the relief consists of three topographic features. The first is the flat coastal plain. In Sarawak, where the coastline is regular, the plain averages 20 to 40 miles in width, while in Sabah, where the coastline is rugged and deeply indented, it is only 10 to 20 miles wide. Inland from the coastal plain is the second topographic feature, the hill-and-valley region.
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Malaysia has a combined population of over 18 million people. Because of its central location, between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, Malaysia has traditionally been a meeting point for traders and travelers from both the East and West. As a result, Malaysia has a multicultural and multiracial population consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous peoples. Although Malay is the official language, English is widely spoken, especially in business, and the English language is a compulsory subject in all schools. With such a varying ethnic composition, it is no surprise that a great diversity of religions is prevalent throughout Malaysia. Although the official religion is Islam, freedom of worship is practiced.
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Although it makes up only 31% of the country's area, West Malaysia has more than 80% of its people. Of the total population, most of which is concentrated on the west coast, some 50% are ethnically Malay, almost 25% are Chinese, over 10% are of indigenous descent, and about 7% are South Asian. In West Malaysia, Malays comprise about one half of the population, Chinese one third, and South Asians one tenth. In East Malaysia, the two largest groups are the Chinese and the Ibans (Sea Dyaks), an indigenous people, who together make up about three fifths of the total. Conflict between the ethnic groups, particularly between Malays and Chinese, has played a large role in Malaysian history.
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Malaysia lies in the ever-wet tropics and the natural vegetation is tropical forest, from coastal mangroves and peat swamps to montane forests. In the west, where the Malay Peninsula extends southward from mainland Asia, the fauna includes gaur, tapir, elephants, tigers, great hornbills, and bearded pigs. The northern part of Borneo forms East Malaysia, with species endemic to Borneo, including orangutan, proboscis monkeys, Bornean ‘pygmy’ elephants, and Bulwer’s pheasants. WCS has worked for many years to help provide federal and state governments with ecological and population status information for policy making.
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Malaysia maintains an embassy in the U.S. at 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008, tel. (202) 572-9700; a Consulate General at 550 South Hope Street, Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90071, tel. (213) 892-1238; and a Consulate General at 313 East 43rd Street, New York City, NY 10017, tel. (212) 490-2722/23.
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East Malaysia