(Redirected from Malaya)
Map of Peninsular Malaysia
'Peninsular 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. It is connected via a causeway and bridge to the island of
Singapore to the south. Across the
Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of
Sumatra.
East Malaysia (on the island of
Borneo) lies to the east across the
South China Sea.
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
Origin of name
Due to early contacts between the South Indian and Malay kingdoms, the name Malaya is a combination of two Tamil words, ''Malay'' or ''Malai'' (hill) and ''ur'' (town) meaning ”hilltown” (Malaiyur). According to Dr.
Thriunavukkarasu the word
Malaysia means the ''Mountains of Asia''.
[ Tamil Influences in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, , Celine W.M., Arokiaswamy, , 2000, ]
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.
Historical usage
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. Malayagam means land surronded by mauntain in Tamil
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.
Other usage
'Malaya' is also the name of the
National Forest or sacred garden, equatable to the
Garden of Eden, in the
Shambhala tradition.
References
See also
★
Malayan Union
★
Malaysia
★
Malay peninsula
★
Malayan dollar
External links
★
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