Peninsular Malaysia
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Malaya or Peninsular Malaysia or West Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Its area is 50,810 square miles (131,598 square kilometers). It accounts for the majority of Malaysia's population and economy. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra. East Malaysia (on the island of Borneo) is to the east across the South China Sea.
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[edit] States and territories
It consists of the following 11 states and two federal territories (starting from the North going to the South):
- Northern Region: Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak
- East Coast Region: Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang
- Central Region: Selangor, federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya
- Southern Region: Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor
[edit] Origin of name
The name 'Malaya' is derived from the name of a river of a similar name found in Sumatra. It is now widely believed by the Malay world that such origins are the sole truth for the basis of the name.
Peninsular Malaysia is also known as West Malaysia (Malaysia Barat) or Malaya (Tanah Melayu). The term Peninsular Malaysia is used more often than West Malaysia (to avoid the idea that West and East Malaysia are separate countries like West Germany and East Germany used to be until 1990), or Malaya (which is now becoming obsolete due to its connotations of the British colonial era).
Nonetheless, all three terms are correct, and the older term Malaya can still be found in many institutional titles, e.g. the High Court of Malaya, the University of Malaya, Malayan Railway, etc., as well as in legal contexts in the phrase the States of Malaya (Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu), which should not be confused with the Malay states. Note that until 1946, the term Malaya usually included Singapore.
Malaya is also a term or word in the Philippine national language, Tagalog (pronunciation: [tɐˈgaːlog]). In the Tagalog language the word malaya means free or freedom.
[edit] Historical names
The noun "Malaya" has also been used to refer to British Malaya as well as the Federation of Malaya. The Malay equivalent could refer either to both entities or as Tanah Melayu.
[edit] Other features
The distinction between West and East Malaysia is significant beyond the sphere of geography, because as well as having a different court structure, the eastern states have more autonomy than the original States of Malaya, for example, maintaining restrictions on immigration from the peninsula.
[edit] Other usage
Malaya is also the name of the National Forest or sacred garden, comparable to the Garden of Eden, in the Shambhala tradition.
