Peninsular Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia, also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the southern part of the Malay Peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. It covers an area of about 131,956 km² and makes up nearly 40% of Malaysia's total land. The rest of Malaysia is on the island of Borneo, called East Malaysia.

The land border with Thailand to the north was set by the Anglo–Siamese Treaty of 1909. A maritime border with Singapore to the south was created after Singapore gained independence in 1965. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies Sumatra, and to the east across the South China Sea are the Natuna Islands, part of Indonesia. At the very southern tip is the island country of Singapore.

Most of Peninsular Malaysia's interior is forested and mountainous, while many people live and work along the western coastal areas, where the country's biggest cities are found.

States and federal territories

Peninsular Malaysia includes 11 of the 13 states and two of the three federal territories of Malaysia. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur.

Two special areas called federal territories are located inside the state of Selangor. These are Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Etymology

See also: Malaysia § Etymology

Peninsular Malaysia was once called Malaya. It started as the Federation of Malaya and later joined with other areas like the Crown Colony of North Borneo, the Crown Colony of Sarawak, and the State of Singapore to become Malaysia. This joining was meant to bring Singapore closer to its nearby lands. Singapore was special in Malaysia, keeping control over some important areas like education. However, Singapore later left Malaysia in 1965 and became its own country. Today, people call the area Peninsular Malaysia or West Malaysia, and it does not include Borneo or Singapore. It is different from the Malay Peninsula, which also includes parts of Myanmar and Thailand.

Terminology

Peninsular Malaysia includes several states such as Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor, and Terengganu, along with the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

The area known as Malaya includes Peninsular Malaysia and the Republic of Singapore. The Malay Peninsula stretches from the southern tip of Myanmar through Peninsular Malaysia to Southern Thailand.

Demographics

Further information: Demographics of Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia is home to many different groups of people. The largest group are the ethnic Malays, who are mostly Muslim and make up about two-thirds of the population. There are also big communities of Chinese and Indian people. The Orang Asli are the original inhabitants of the area, and they live mostly in quieter, inland parts of the region.

Economy

As of 2012, Peninsular Malaysia produced around 520,000 barrel of oil equivalent of oil each day.

Other features

The term East Coast (in Malay: Pantai Timur) describes the states in Peninsular Malaysia that face the South China Sea, a part of the Pacific Ocean. These states include Kelantan, Pahang, and Terengganu.

The term West Coast (in Malay: Pantai Barat) refers to the states in Peninsular Malaysia that face the Strait of Malacca, which is part of the Indian Ocean. The West Coast is divided into three regions:

• Central Region: Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, both federal territories, and Selangor.
• Northern Region: Kedah, Penang, Perak, and Perlis.
• Southern Region: Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan.

Although Johor has a coastline on the South China Sea of the Pacific Ocean, it is mainly considered part of the West Coast because its main coastline is on the Straits of Johor of the Indian Ocean.