196 
The head-quarters of the Federal Government are at 
Kuala Lumpur, which is also the capital of the State of 
Selangor. It is distant from Penang by rail 12 hours, 
while the sea journey from Singapore or Pahang varies 
from la to 24 hours. 
SITUATION. 
The Federated Malay States occupy the central and 
broadest part of the Malay Peninsula, washed by the 
Straits of Malacca on the west and the China Sea on the 
east, and lying between North Latitude 2.24 and 6.10 and 
East Longitude 100.23 to 103.60. 
The area included in the four States is estimated at 
26,380 square miles, or 17,000,000 acres, of which a very 
considerable proportion, especially in Pahang, is still un- 
explored. 
CLIMATE. 
The following note is taken from the official “Manual 
of Statistics relating to the Federated Malay States for 
1906:” 
“The climate of the Federated Malay States is very 
uniform, and can be described in general terms as hot and 
moist. The annual rainfall, except in places close to the 
mountain ranges, is about 90 ins. In towns such as Taiping, 
Tapah, Selama, etc., close to high mountains, upwards of 
50 per cent, more is registered, the average of ten years at 
the first-named being 164 ins. There is no well-marked 
dry season. Generally speaking, July is the driest month, 
but has seldom anywhere a less rainfall than 34 ins. The 
wettest season is from October to December, and there is 
another wet season of slightly less degree during March 
and April. Bain rarely falls before 11 a.m., so that six 
hours of out-door work can generally be depended upon all 
the year round. 
“The average maximum temperature occurring be- 
tween noon and 3 p.m. is in low country under 90°, and the 
average minimum occurring just before sunrise is just over 
70°. The general noon temperature is just about 80°. 
There is very little change in the mean monthly temper- 
ature during the year, the average of ten years’ reading in 
Taiping exhibiting a difference of only 3° between the mean 
of May, the hottest, and December, the coldest month of 
the year. The variation of temperature with altitude may 
be taken roughly as a decrease of 3° for every 1,000 ft. in- 
crease of altitude.” 
