Peninsular Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia), also known as Malaya or West Malaysia, is the part of Malaysia which occupies the southern half of the Malay Peninsula and the surrounding islands. Its area is 132,265 square kilometres (51,068 sq mi), which is nearly 40% of the total area of the country; the other 60% is East Malaysia. For comparison, it is slightly larger than England (130,395 km²). It shares a land border with Thailand to the north.[1]

Landsat false-colour mosaic of Peninsular Malaysia.

Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra (Indonesia) and across the South China Sea to the east lies the Natuna Islands (Indonesia). At the southern tip across the Strait of Johor lies the island and country of Singapore. Peninsular Malaysia accounts for the majority (roughly 81.3%) of Malaysia's population and economy; as of 2017 its population is roughly 26 million (92% of total population).

States and territories

A map of Malaya.

Peninsular Malaysia consists of 11 out of the 13 states, and two out of the three federal territories of Malaysia. The capital city, Kuala Lumpur is also in Peninsular Malaysia.

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

Etymology

The topography of Peninsular Malaysia.

Peninsular Malaysia is also known as West Malaysia (Malaysia Barat) or the States of Malaya (Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu).[2][3]

Demographics

Ethnicity in Peninsular Malaysia (2017)

Bumiputera (Malay) (64.3%)

Chinese (25.1%)

Indian (9.0%)

Indigenous (Aslian) / Non - Malay Bumiputera (0.5%)

Others (1.1%)

Religion in Peninsular Malaysia – 2017 Census
Religion			Percent
Islam			64.9%
Buddhism			21.4%
Hinduism			7.9%
Christianity			3.1%
Chinese folk religion			0.9%
Unknown / None			0.8%
No religion			0.6%
Others			0.4%

The majority of people on Peninsular Malaysia are ethnic Malays, predominantly Muslim.[4] Large Chinese and Indian populations exist. The Orang Asli are the indigenous people of Peninsular Malaysia; they number around 140,000 and mostly live in inland parts of the region.

Economy

As of 2012, Peninsular Malaysia oil production stood at 520,000 barrel of oil equivalent per day.[5]

Other features

East Coast and West Coast

The term East Coast is particularly used in Malaysia to describe the following states in Peninsular Malaysia facing the South China Sea, a component of the Pacific Ocean:

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 which is a component of the Indian Ocean, as opposed to the East Coast. Unlike the East Coast, the West Coast is partitioned further into three regions (as seen in #States and territories), including:

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

Even though Johor has a coastline facing the South China Sea on the Pacific Ocean, it is not generally regarded as an East Coast state, since the main coastline of the state is located on the Straits of Johor of the Indian Ocean.

West and East Malaysia

The distinction between West and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) goes beyond the sphere of geography. Being separate regions administratively before the formation of the Malaysia, there exists more autonomy than the original States of Malaya, e.g. in having a different judicial court structure and separate immigration regulations. These rights were granted as part of Sarawak's 18-point agreement and Sabah's 20-point agreement with the Federation of Malaya during the formation of expanded federation.

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gollark: bænænæ

gollark: Mædness.

gollark: ```Coffeehorse Dragons received their name due to their horse-like physique and endearing behavior. They are capable of surviving out of coffee, and when on land their skin secretes a gelatinous goo to retain caffeine. However, their large paddle feet are better suited for swimming, and coffeehorse dragons tend to move very awkwardly when on land. Coffeehorses are very friendly dragons and enjoy playing with humans.```

References

"Malaya". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
Mohamed Anwar Omar Din (2012). "Legitimacy of the Malays as the Sons of the Soil". Canadian Center of Science and Education. pp. 80–81. ISSN 1911-2025.
Reid, Anthony (2010). Imperial alchemy : nationalism and political identity in Southeast Asia. Cambridge University Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-521-87237-9.
"Some aspects of Malay-Muslim Ethnicity in Malaya". June 1981. JSTOR 25797648. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
"Petronas sees growth slowdown until 2014". The Star (Malaysia). 6 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.

External links

Media related to Peninsular Malaysia at Wikimedia Commons

Peninsular Malaysia travel guide from Wikivoyage

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Malaya". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[2] Mohamed Anwar Omar Din (2012). "Legitimacy of the Malays as the Sons of the Soil". Canadian Center of Science and Education. pp. 80–81. ISSN 1911-2025.

[3] Reid, Anthony (2010). Imperial alchemy : nationalism and political identity in Southeast Asia. Cambridge University Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-521-87237-9.

[4] "Some aspects of Malay-Muslim Ethnicity in Malaya". June 1981. JSTOR 25797648. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[5] "Petronas sees growth slowdown until 2014". The Star (Malaysia). 6 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.