Malaysia is a country in Asia, in Southeast Asia, with about 36 million people (2025) and an area of 330,411 square kilometres. Its capital is Kuala Lumpur, and it shares land borders with 3 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of MalaysiaMalaysia in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
Key facts about Malaysia
Capital
Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital; Putrajaya is the federal administrative centre.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Malaysia's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
Malaysia is two countries separated by a sea
Malaysia is split in two: Peninsular Malaysia, which hangs off mainland Southeast Asia, and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), which occupies the northern coast of Borneo, separated by 600 km of the South China Sea. The Strait of Malacca, running along the peninsula's west coast, funnels roughly 25-30% of global trade between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Malaysia's geography makes it both a maritime crossroads and a country that must govern across a sea.
More on Strait of Malacca
One of the world's busiest shipping lanes. At its narrowest point near Singapore, it is only 2.8 km wide. Control and security of this waterway is a strategic concern for every major trading nation.
4 more lenses on Malaysia in the app
STORY Malaysia manages diversity through a system that is both stabilizing and contested
NOW Malaysia is quietly becoming more critical to the chip war
NOW Palm oil now has to prove where it grew
THREAD Malaysia sits between Chinese gravity and Western security alignment
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Malaysia with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Malaysia?
The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur is the capital; Putrajaya is the federal administrative centre. Kuala Lumpur lies at about 3.2 degrees north and 101.7 degrees east. Malaysia is in Asia, in the region often called Southeast Asia.
What is the population of Malaysia?
About 36 million people live in Malaysia, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 45th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 330,411 square kilometres, that is about 109 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Malaysia?
Malaysia shares land borders with 3 countries: Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand. Thailand touches a part of Malaysia that lies away from its main territory. The map on this page outlines each of them around Malaysia. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is Malaysia?
Malaysia covers 330,411 square kilometres, or about 127,572 square miles. That makes it the 67th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 36 million gives a density of 109 people per square kilometre.
Malaysia is a country in Asia, in Southeast Asia, with about 36 million people (2025) and an area of 330,411 square kilometres. Its capital is Kuala Lumpur, and it shares land borders with 3 countries.
Capital
Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital; Putrajaya is the federal administrative centre.
Continent
Asia
Region
Southeast Asia
Population
35,977,838 2025, World Bank. 45th of 195.
Area
330,411 km² (127,572 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 67th largest of 195.
Population density
109 people per km²
Land neighbours
3: Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Malaysia is two countries separated by a sea
Malaysia is split in two: Peninsular Malaysia, which hangs off mainland Southeast Asia, and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), which occupies the northern coast of Borneo, separated by 600 km of the South China Sea. The Strait of Malacca, running along the peninsula's west coast, funnels roughly 25-30% of global trade between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Malaysia's geography makes it both a maritime crossroads and a country that must govern across a sea.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/malaysia/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Malaysia
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Malaysia on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/malaysia/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
