Peninsular Malaysia is on the southernmost part of the Malay Peninsula, south of Thailand, north of Singapore and east of the Indonesian island of Sumatra; East Malaysia comprises most of the northern part of Borneo, and shares land borders with Brunei to the north and Indonesian Borneo to the south.

The lowlands have a similar temperature, but follow a more distinctive rainfall pattern and show very high humidity levels.

[5] The wettest place in Malaysia is Kuching, Sarawak with an average rainfall of 4,159 mm (163.7 in) with 279 days of rain a year.

Limestone that had accreted in East Malaysia during the Tertiary period later eroded, forming basins of sedimentary rocks that are rich in oil and natural gas.

[16] Harbours are only available on the peninsula's western side,[1] and the most fertile land occurs when river valleys flow out to the sea.

Much of southern Sarawak is coastal lowlands, which shifts to a series of plateaus going north, ending in the mountainous regions of Sabah.

[citation needed] Peninsular Malaysia contains numerous mountain ranges running parallel from north to south along the peninsula.

[citation needed] Numerous caves run through the country due to the karst landscape caused by water eroding limestone.

Over 80% of Sarawak's forests have been felled, and the logging throughout East Malaysia has polluted waterways, increased erosion, and damaged agriculture.

Tanjung Piai on the southern tip of Johor is the southernmost point of the Malay Peninsula, and thus of the whole of continental Eurasia.

The westernmost point is Perak Island, a sandstone rock which is part of Kedah state that rises at the center of the Strait of Malacca.

Facing the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia is the Strait of Malacca towards the south, and the Andaman Sea towards the north.

The Strait of Malacca, lying between Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, is arguably the most important shipping lane in the world.

[citation needed] Off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is the South China Sea,[3] while a small part in the north lies within the Gulf of Thailand.

[citation needed] In East Malaysia, the western coasts of Sabah and Sarawak face the South China Sea.

[33] It also has an exclusive economic zone of 334,671 km2 (129,217 sq mi) based on 200 metres (656 ft) nautical miles from its coastal baseline.

[34][failed verification] The territorial claim for the Strait of Malacca is shared between Malaysia and Indonesia in accordance to a treaty signed in 1970 known as the Treaty Between the Republic of Indonesia and Malaysia on Determination of boundary Lines of Territorial Waters of the two Nations at the Strait of Malacca.

It is located on a seismically stable plate that minimises direct risks of earthquakes and volcanoes, is partially protected from tsunamis by surrounding landmasses, and is a rare target for tropical cyclones.

[citation needed] Global climate change may exacerbate the situation with extreme weather events in Southeast Asia raising the economic, political and social risks for Malaysia.

However, tropical depressions as well as outlying storm patterns generated by passing cyclones have made landfall regularly, often leading to abnormally high rainfall and flooding, such as the tail of Typhoon Lekima striking the Malay Peninsula in August 2018, and the path of 2021's Tropical Depression 29W across central Peninsular Malaysia contributing to record precipitation and protracted flooding in the region between December 2021 and January 2022.

East Malaysian states, particularly Sabah, are at risk of more moderate interplate and intraplate earthquakes due to its closer proximity to active tectonic activities along the Ring of Fire, with record earthquakes in the country occurring in Sabah in 1923, 1951, 1976 and 2015 at an average of 6.0–6.5 Mw.

[45] The fringes of Sabah also lay host to a series of the country's only volcanoes at the Tawau volcanic field and off the state's coast.

[citation needed] Interest towards tsunami risks to Malaysia has also heighten since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Although the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia was largely shielded by Sumatra from the full effects of waves generated by the earthquake, weaker deflected tsunami waves led to damage and casualties along the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, affecting coastal Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak.

The disaster also highlights the risk of further tsunamis that may strike coasts in direct line of undersea faults, primarily around the South China Sea.

[47] Malaysia also produces liquefied natural gas as well as various other related products, most of which are found off the coasts of Terengganu, Sabah, and Sarawak.

Other notable natural resources includes tin, timber, copper, iron, ore, and bauxite.

[48] There are significant deposit of gold in the Pahang towns of Raub and Kuala Lipis and also Kelantan's district of Gua Musang.

Other major cities include George Town, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu.

Maritime border disputes between Brunei and Malaysia and a Bruneian claim on Limbang, Sarawak were resolved in an exchange of letters between the two countries on 16 March 2009 after 20 years of negotiations.