Map of Peninsular Malaysia
(), also known as
Malaya or
West 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. Peninsular Malaysia has an estimated population of 21 million, roughly 80% of the total population in Malaysia.
States and territories
It consists of the following 11
states and two federal territories (starting from the North going to the South):
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.
The name '
Malaysia' was vaguely used in the 19th century by some British colonists as an alternative name describing the
Malay Archipelago. In 1963, the name was adopted by the new federation uniting
Malaya,
Sabah,
Sarawak and
Singapore. At the time, the
Philippines had been contemplating adopting the name as well.
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. In current everyday usage the word Malaya is almost always used jocularly, e.g. "
Gempar satu Malaya!" which roughly means "(This news) shakes the whole of Malaya!"
Malaya is also used in the Philippine national language, Filipino and means free or freedom.
Singapore
Note that until 1946, and for some time afterwards, the term Malaya included
Singapore. In Singaporean law, the term "Malaya" includes Singapore, but the term "States of Malaya" does not.
Other features
East Coast and West Coast
The term
East Coast is particularly used in Malaysia to describe either one of the following states in Peninsular Malaysia facing the
South China Sea:
It is not uncommon to describe Pahang as a state on the East Coast, as, geographically, most of Pahang is located on the eastern side of peninsular Malaysia, and only part of it is located towards the central portion of Peninsular Malaysia.
The term
West Coast refers informally to a collection of states in Peninsular Malaysia situated towards the western coast generally facing the
Strait of Malacca, as opposed to the
East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Unlike the East Coast, the West Coast is partitioned further into three regions (as seen in
#States and territories), including:
West and East Malaysia
The distinction between West and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) 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.
See also
