Malaysia covers an area of 329,758 square kilometres with a
population of over 27.5 million people. Malay, or Bahasa Melayu, is
the national language however English is very widely spoken. Islam
is the official religion of Malaysia, but all religions are freely
practised.
Malaysia is made up of two distinct geographical parts -
Peninsular Malaysia to the west and the states of Sarawak and Sabah
on Borneo Island to the east, both of which sit just north of the
equator and are separated by the South China Sea. Peninsular
Malaysia has a border with Thailand to the north and the island of
Singapore sits offshore in the south, while Malaysian Borneo shares
borders with Brunei and Indonesia.