Geography

Peninsular West Malaysia stretches down from southern Thailand into the South China Sea to the small island nation of Singapore. East Malaysia, made up of two island states, is four hundred miles east across the South China Sea sharing the island of Borneo with Brunei and Indonesia. These fertile Spice Islands, sometimes referred to as the Moluccas, are the origin of several indigenous aromatic spices: clove buds extend as unopened flowers on trees, and the yellow fruit of the nutmeg tree drops its hard seed covered with lacy mace (which is also used as a spice).