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Geographical information
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 650 km apart, and separated by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia borders on Thailand and Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak border on Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo). Peninsular Malaysia accounts for 40 per cent 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) in Sabah is one of the highest peaks in South-East Asia. More than 60 per cent of the country is still rainforest.
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Nature
| Flora | More than 60 per cent of the country is covered with rainforest. There are 8000 species of flowering plants in Peninsular Malaysia alone, including 2000 tree species, 800 different orchids and 200 types of palm trees. | | Fauna | Fauna in Malaysia includes elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards, tapirs, sun bears, orang-utans and gibbons. East Malaysia has one of the most abundant and varied bird populations in the world. |
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Climate
Malaysia has a tropical climate without extremely high temperatures. It brings hot and humid days all year. Temperatures are usually between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Days are very warm, while nights are fairly cool. Rainy seasons occur in all parts of the country. On the east coast of the peninsula the rains generally last from October to February. On the west coast, August to December is the wettest period. Rain, when it comes, generally interrupts the sunshine only briefly; most of it falls in short, strong bursts.
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