Relative location
Thailand,
Malaysia, and Singapore are located in the Northern
Hemisphere in the Southeast Asia geographical region. Thailand occupies 318,838
square kilometers of land, Malaysia occupies a total of 205,552 square
kilometers of land, and Singapore occupies 448 square kilometers of land. The
countries of Burma, Laos, and Cambodia border Thailand to the west, north, and
east, while peninsular Thailand conjoins with peninsular West Malaysia. The
country of Singapore is attached to the Malay Peninsula at the southeastern
tip. Approximately 400 miles off the coast of Singapore lies East Malaysia on
the island of Borneo which borders Indonesia and Brunei. To the south of
Malaysia and Singapore and across the Malacca Strait lies the northwestern most
island of Indonesia. The other major bodies of water bordering these three
nations are the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, and the South China Sea.
Landscape and Physical
Environment
Thailand
has a diverse landscape including mountains, forests, plains, the Khorat Plateau, and beaches along the peninsula and coasts.
Thailand has extensive infrastructure in regard to
road ways, rail ways, and airports. This allows for ease of travel for tourism,
commercial goods, and industrial goods. Bangkok also boasts a robust subway and
bus system that traverses the built environment. Cities in Thailand have built
environments that include housing, public services, restaurants, cultural
centers, temples, and more. Malaysia is a country of coastal plains, hills, and
mountains. Malaysia also boasts beaches and lush tea plantations. The majority of the Malaysian population live on the Malay
Peninsula, leading to pockets of extreme infrastructure development. There are
multiple road ways and airports, along with ports, to allow for multiple modes
of transportation. Kuala Lumpur’s built environment includes a train system,
major thoroughfares for cars, cultural centers, healthcare facilities, skyrise
housing, and parks. Singapore is a low-lying, uneven plateau. Singapore is
densely populated and has created a built environment to accommodate residents
and tourists alike. Singapore has an international airport, train and bus
system, road ways, and ports to provide multiple transportation routes.
Singapore’s built environment include several parks, museums, skyscrapers, and
shopping malls.
Weather and Climate
Thailand
has three climate regions. The southwest portion of the country is tropical
with substantial rain, clouds, and wind. The northeast is cool, dry, and more
temperate. The isthmus that connects to Malaysia is hot and humid year-round.
Thailand also experiences monsoons. Malaysia is tropical with monsoons
occurring throughout the year in both east and west islands. Singapore is a
tropical nation that experiences hot, humid, and rainy weather with frequent
thunderstorms. Singapore also has two monsoon seasons.
Population, Density, and
Age/Sex Characteristics
According
to the 2018 World Population Data Sheet
from the Population Reference Bureau, Thailand’s population as of 2018 was 66.2
million people, Malaysia’s was 32.5 million people, and Singapore’s was 5.8
million people. Thailand is 50% urban with 394 people per square kilometer of
arable land. Malaysia is 75% urban with 3,404 people per square kilometer of
arable land. Singapore is 100% urban with 1,032,235 people per square kilometer
of arable land.
Language and Religion
Over
time religions that began in South Asia such as Hinduism and Buddhism spread
into Southeast Asia. Eventually, “Islam replaced the South Asian religions in
many of these places, and even later Christian missionaries gained adherents in
Southeast Asia when Christian governments encourages the migration of their
people and their religion to their colonies in these areas,” (Fouberg, Murphy, & Blij, p.
217). Fouberg, Murphy, and Blij
also state in Human Geography: People,
Place, and Culture, “Today, we can stand in Singapore, study the cultural
landscape, and see the influences of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and
Islam,” (p. 217).
Languages
spoken in Thailand are Thai only (90.7%), Thai and other languages (6.4%),
other languages. Religious sects in Thailand are Buddhists, Muslims,
Christians. Languages spoken in Malaysia are Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese,
Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, and Thai.
Religious
sects in Malaysia are Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Confucianism, Taoism,
and other traditional Chinese religions, and Other. Languages spoken are Bahasa
Malaysia, English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai.
Religious
sects in Singapore are Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Taoist, Hindu, and Other. Languages
spoken are English (36.9%), Mandarin (34.9%), other Chinese dialects (12.2%),
Malay (10.7%), Tamil (3.3%), and Other (2%).
Cultural/Ethnic Groups
Ethnic
groups in Thailand are Thai, Burmese, Other, and Unspecified.
Ethnic
groups in Malaysia are Bumiputera, Chinese, Indian,
Other, and non-citizens.
Ethnic
groups in Singapore are Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Other.
Major Economic Activities
Thailand’s
industries include tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing,
beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric
appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics,
automobiles and automotive parts, agricultural machinery, air conditioning and
refrigeration, ceramics, aluminum, chemical, environmental management, glass,
granite and marble, leather, machinery and metal work, petrochemical, petroleum
refining, pharmaceuticals, printing, pulp and paper, rubber, sugar, rice,
fishing, cassava, world’s second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest
tin producers, according to the CIA World
Factbook.
Malaysia’s
industries according to the CIA’s The
World Factbook are rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing,
petroleum and natural gas, light manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical technology,
electronics and semiconductors, and timber processing.
The World Factbook states that Singapore’s
industries are electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling
equipment, petroleum refining, biomedical products, scientific instruments,
telecommunication equipment, processed food and beverages, ship repair,
offshore platform construction, and entrepot trade.
Imports and Exports
According
to the CIA The World Factbook,
Thailand imports machinery and parts, crude oil, electrical machinery and
parts, chemicals, iron and steel and product, electronic integrated circuit,
automobile parts, jewelry including silver bars and gold, computers and parts,
electrical household appliances, soybean, soybean meal, wheat, cotton, and
dairy products. Total cost of imports was $203.2 billion in 2017. Thailand
exports automobiles and parts, computers and parts, jewelry and precious
stones, polymers of ethylene in primary forms, refine fuels, electronic
integrated circuits, chemical products, rice, fish products, rubber products,
sugar, cassava, poultry, machinery and parts, and iron and steel and their
products. Total revenue of exports was $235.1 billion in 2017.
The World Factbook states Malaysia imports electronics,
machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, and
chemicals. Total cost of imports was $160.7 billion in 2017. Malaysia exports
semiconductors and electronic equipment, palm oil, petroleum and liquified
natural gas, wood and wood products, rubber, textiles, chemicals, and solar
panels. Total revenue from exports was $187.9 billion in 2017.
For
Singapore, The World Factbook lists
machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs, and consumer
goods as imports, with a total cost of $312.1 billion in 2017. Singapore’s
exports include machinery and equipment (including electronics and telecommunications),
pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, refined petroleum products, foodstuffs and
beverages. The total revenue from exports was $396.8 billion in 2017.
GNP and GNP per Capita
Thailand’s
GNP, according to data from CEIC Data, was $482,400.29 USD mn
in 2018. Thailand’s GNP per capita, according to CEIC Data, was $7,287.01 USD for
2018.
Malaysia’s
GNP, according to data from CEIC Data, was $86,748.71 USD mn.
Malaysia’s GNP per capita was $2,464.45 USD for 2018.
Singapore’s
GNP, according to data from Trading Economics, was $333,935.57 USD mn in 2018. Singapore’s
GNP per capita was $57,575.10 USD in 2018.
Submitted by Kate Lade updated on 4/23/2019.