Indonesia vs. Malaysia
Geography
| Indonesia | Malaysia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean | Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam |
| Geographic coordinates | 5 00 S, 120 00 E | 2 30 N, 112 30 E |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | Southeast Asia |
| Area | total: 1,904,569 sq km land: 1,811,569 sq km water: 93,000 sq km | total: 329,847 sq km land: 328,657 sq km water: 1,190 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than three times the size of Texas | slightly larger than New Mexico |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,958 km border countries (3): Malaysia 1881 km, Papua New Guinea 824 km, Timor-Leste 253 km | total: 2,742 km border countries (3): Brunei 266 km, Indonesia 1881 km, Thailand 595 km |
| Coastline | 54,716 km | 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands | tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons |
| Terrain | mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains | coastal plains rising to hills and mountains |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Puncak Jaya 4,884 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 367 m | highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,095 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 419 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver | tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite |
| Land use | agricultural land: 31.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 13% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 12.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 6.1% (2018 est.) forest: 51.7% (2018 est.) other: 17.1% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 23.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 19.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.) forest: 62% (2018 est.) other: 14.8% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 67,220 sq km (2012) | 3,800 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | occasional floods; severe droughts; tsunamis; earthquakes; volcanoes; forest fires volcanism: Indonesia contains the most volcanoes of any country in the world - some 76 are historically active; significant volcanic activity occurs on Java, Sumatra, the Sunda Islands, Halmahera Island, Sulawesi Island, Sangihe Island, and in the Banda Sea; Merapi (2,968 m), Indonesia's most active volcano and in eruption since 2010, has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; on 22 December 2018, a large explosion and flank collapse destroyed most of the 338 m high island of Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau) and generated a deadly tsunami inundating portions of western Java and southern Sumatra leaving more than 400 dead; other notable historically active volcanoes include Agung, Awu, Karangetang, Krakatau (Krakatoa), Makian, Raung, Sinabung, and Tambora; see note 2 under "Geography - note" | flooding; landslides; forest fires |
| Environment - current issues | large-scale deforestation (much of it illegal) and related wildfires cause heavy smog; over-exploitation of marine resources; environmental problems associated with rapid urbanization and economic development, including air pollution, traffic congestion, garbage management, and reliable water and waste water services; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage | air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires; endangered species; coastal reclamation damaging mangroves and turtle nesting sites |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | note 1: according to Indonesia's National Coordinating Agency for Survey and Mapping, the total number of islands in the archipelago is 13,466, of which 922 are permanently inhabited (Indonesia is the world's largest country comprised solely of islands); the country straddles the equator and occupies a strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean note 2: Indonesia is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire; 80% of tsunamis, caused by volcanic or seismic events, occur within the "Pacific Ring of Fire" note 3: despite having the fourth largest population in the world, Indonesia is the most heavily forested region on earth after the Amazon | strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea |
| Total renewable water resources | 2,018,700,000,000 cubic meters (2017 est.) | 580 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | major concentration on the island of Java, which is considered one of the most densely populated places on earth; of the outer islands (those surrounding Java and Bali), Sumatra contains some of the most significant clusters, particularly in the south near the Selat Sunda, and along the northeastern coast near Medan; the cities of Makasar (Sulawesi), Banjarmasin (Kalimantan) are also heavily populated | a highly uneven distribution with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula |
Source: CIA Factbook
