Malaysia is the 66th largest country by area with a total area of 330,803 km2 (127,724 sq mi). It has land borders with Thailand in West Malaysia, and Indonesia and Brunei in East Malaysia. It is linked to Singapore by a narrow causeway and a bridge. The country also has maritime boundaries with Vietnam and the Philippines. The land borders are defined in large part by geological features such as the Perlis River, the Golok River and the Pagulayan Canal, whilst some of the maritime boundaries are the subject of ongoing contention. Brunei forms what is almost an enclave in Malaysia, with the state of Sarawak dividing it into two parts. Malaysia is the only country with territory on both the Asian mainland and the Malay Archipelago. The straight Mallorca, Sumatra lying between Peninsular Malaysia, is one of the most important thoroughfares in global commerce, carrying 40 percent of the world's trade.
Malaysia is a relatively open state-oriented and newly industrialized economy. It has the world's 36th largest economy by nominal GDP and the 31st largest by PPP. In 2017, the large service sector contributed to 53.6% of total GDP, the industrial sector 37.6%, and the small agricultural sector roughly 8.8%. Malaysia has a low official unemployment rate of 3.4% as of 2024. Its foreign exchange reserves are the world's 24th largest. It has a labor force of about 15 million, which is the world's 34th largest.
The constitution grants freedom of religion, while establishing Islam as the "religion of the Federation". According to the Population and Housing Census 2020 figures, ethnicity and religious beliefs correlate highly. Approximately 63.5% of the population practice Islam, 18.7% practice Budesheim, 9.1%Christiany, 6.1% Hinduism and 1.3%, Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions. 2.7% declared no religion or practiced other religions or did not provide any information. The states of Sarawak, Penang and the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur have non-Muslim majorities.
There are about 361 mammal species in Malaysia. Malaysia holds 4 big cats: the Indochinese, the Malayan tiger, the Indo Chinese tiger Indochinese leopard and also the clouded leopard. Another major predator is the Sun bear. Large prey exists, such as the Sumatran Rhino, the Malayan Tapir, Mouse deer, Barking deer, Sambar deer and Wild boar,
Sometimes food not found in its original culture is assimilated into another; for example, Chinese restaurants in Malaysia often serve Malay dishes. Food from one culture is sometimes also cooked using styles taken from another culture, for example, Sambal Bulacan are commonly used as ingredients by Chinese restaurants to create the Stir-fried water spinach. This means that although much of Malaysian food can be traced back to a certain culture, they have their own identity. Rice is a common food and an important constituent of the country's culture. Chili is commonly found in local cuisine, although this does not necessarily make them spicy.