Malaysia vs. Thailand
Geography
| Malaysia | Thailand | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | 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 | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma |
| Geographic coordinates | 2 30 N, 112 30 E | 15 00 N, 100 00 E |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | Southeast Asia |
| Area | total: 329,847 sq km land: 328,657 sq km water: 1,190 sq km | total: 513,120 sq km land: 510,890 sq km water: 2,230 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than New Mexico | about three times the size of Florida; slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,742 km border countries (3): Brunei 266 km, Indonesia 1881 km, Thailand 595 km | total: 5,673 km border countries (4): Burma 2416 km, Cambodia 817 km, Laos 1845 km, Malaysia 595 km |
| Coastline | 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km) | 3,219 km |
| Maritime claims | 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 | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate | tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons | tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid |
| Terrain | coastal plains rising to hills and mountains | central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,095 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 419 m | highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,565 m lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m mean elevation: 287 m |
| Natural resources | tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite | tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land |
| Land use | 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.) | agricultural land: 41.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 30.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 8.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 1.6% (2018 est.) forest: 37.2% (2018 est.) other: 21.6% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 3,800 sq km (2012) | 64,150 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | flooding; landslides; forest fires | land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts |
| Environment - current issues | 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 | air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; water scarcity; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting; hazardous waste disposal |
| Environment - international agreements | 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 | 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, 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 | strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea | controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore; ideas for the construction of a canal across the Kra Isthmus that would create a bypass to the Strait of Malacca and shorten shipping times around Asia continue to be discussed |
| Total renewable water resources | 580 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 438.61 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | a highly uneven distribution with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula | highest population density is found in and around Bangkok; significant population clusters found througout large parts of the country, particularly north and northeast of Bangkok and in the extreme southern region of the country |
Source: CIA Factbook
