Special
Malaysia
PIONEER IN CERTIFIED WOOD IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA EXPORT OF SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED WOOD CONTINUES TO GROW
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If we talk about hardwood in Asia, you probably think spontaneously of Malaysia. Malaysia, which is mainly an Islamic country and borders on Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, has a surface area of 330,3434km² and is thereby about eleven times bigger than Belgium. In South-East Asia the country is by far the leading producer of scores of wood sorts, many of which are destined for export.
As regards surface area, you notice that Malacca covers about 40% of the country’s surface area; this is precisely where most of the estimated 32.7 million people live. Over 85% of the population lives in Malacca. Moreover, it is also noticeable that over 70% live in towns and cities, as the population exploded after 1950. By comparison, in 1950, the country had barely six million inhabitants. That population explosion has been slowing down for some time, mainly due to a falling birth rate.
Before we consider what this country and its tropical climate (temperatures here are always between 27 and 34°C and the climate is humid) mean for the wood and parquet industry in our part of the world, we need to have a brief look at the country itself. The first thing which stands out is how this nation actually comprises two parts, which are separated by the South China Sea. On the one side you have Malacca (or West Malaysia), which abuts Thailand in the north and envelops Singapore in the south. There is also East Malaysia, which comprises Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan, and the northern part of Borneo, which borders on Indonesia in the south and surrounds Brunei in the north.
Malays, Chinese, and Tamils
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The population itself is reasonably diverse. By far the biggest ethnic group is that of the Malays, who comprise about 60% of the population. Then you have the Chinese (24%), a major second ethnic group. The latter are much fewer in number, but they do have considerable impact. Indeed, these Chinese occupy a dominant position in trade and industry and, together with the Indians, the biggest part of the non-farming working population. This leads us to the third group, the Indians, who comprise mainly Tamils and make up 8% of the population.
