Malay Peninsula

Malay Peninsula
	Location of the Malay Peninsula
Geography
Location	Southeast Asia
Coordinates	7°00′N100°00′E/ 7.000°N 100.000°E
Adjacent to	Indian Ocean,Pacific Ocean
Area	242,363.8 km2(93,577.2 sq mi)
Highest elevation	2,187 m (7175 ft)
Highest point	Mount Tahan
Administration
	Malaysia
	Peninsular Malaysia
Largest settlement	Kuala Lumpur
	Myanmar
Region	Tanintharyi
District	Kawthaung
Largest settlement	Kawthaung
	Thailand
	Southern Thailand
Largest settlement	Hat Yai

TheMalay Peninsula^[a]is located inMainland Southeast Asia.Thelandmassruns approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area containsPeninsular Malaysia,Southern Thailand,and the southernmost tip ofMyanmar(Kawthaung). Theisland countryofSingaporealso has historical and cultural ties with the region.

TheTitiwangsa Mountainsare part of theTenasserim Hillssystem and form the backbone of the peninsula and the southernmost section of the centralcordillera,which runs fromTibetthrough theKra Isthmus,the peninsula's narrowest point, into the Malay Peninsula.^[1]TheStrait of Malaccaseparates the Malay Peninsula from the Indonesian island ofSumatra,and the south coast is separated from the island ofSingaporeby theStraits of Johor.

Etymology[edit]

The Malay termTanah Melayuis derived from the wordTanah(land) andMelayu(Malays), thus it means "the Malay land". The term can be found in various Malay texts, of which the oldest dating back to the early 17th century. It is frequently mentioned in theHikayat Hang Tuah,a well-known classic tale associated with the legendary heroes ofMalacca Sultanate.Tanah Melayuin the text is consistently employed to refer to the area under Malaccan dominance.^[2]

In the early 16th century,Tomé Pires,a Portugueseapothecarywho stayed inMalaccafrom 1512 to 1515, uses an almost identical term,Terra de Tana Malaio,with which he referred to the southeastern part of Sumatra, where the deposed sultan of Malacca,Mahmud Shah,established his exiled government. The 17th century's account of Portuguese historian,Emanuel Godinho de Erédia,noted on the region ofMalaiossurrounded by theAndaman Seain the north, the entireStrait of Malaccain the centre, a part ofSunda Straitin the south, and the western part ofSouth China Seain the east.^[3]

Prior to the foundation of Malacca, ancient and medieval references to a Malay peninsula exist in various foreign sources. According to several Indian scholars, the wordMalayadvipa( "mountain-insular continent" ), mentioned in the ancient Indian text,Vayu Purana,may possibly refer to the Malay Peninsula.^[4]^[5]^[6]Another Indian source, an inscription on the south wall of theBrihadeeswarar Temple,recorded the wordMalaiur,referring to a kingdom in the Malay Peninsula that had "a strong mountain for its rampart".^[7]^[8]Ptolemy'sGeographianamed a geographical region of theGolden ChersoneseasMaleu-kolon,a term thought to derive from Sanskritmalayakolamormalaikurram.^[9]While the Chinese chronicle of theYuan dynastymentioned the wordMa-li-yu-er,referring to a nation of the Malay Peninsula that was threatened by the southward expansion of theSukhothai Kingdomunder KingRam Khamhaeng.^[10]^[11]During the same era,Marco Polomade a reference toMalauirin histravelogue,as a kingdom located in the Malay Peninsula, possibly similar to the one mentioned in the Yuan chronicle.^[12]^[13]The Malay Peninsula was conflated withPersiain old Japan, and was known by the same name.^[14]

In the early 20th century, the termTanah Melayuwas generally used by the Malays of the peninsula during the rise ofMalay nationalismto describe uniting allMalay stateson the peninsula under one Malay nation, and this ambition was largely realised with the formation ofPersekutuan Tanah Melayu(Malayfor "Federation of Malaya") in 1948.^[15]

Ecology[edit]

The Malay Peninsula is covered withtropical moist broadleaf forests.Lowland forests are dominated bydipterocarptrees, while montane forests are home to evergreen trees in the beech family (Fagaceae), Myrtle family (Myrtaceae), laurel family (Lauraceae), tropicalconifers,and other plant families.

The peninsula's forests are home to thousands of species of animals and plants. Several large endangered mammals inhabit the peninsula –Asian elephant(Elephas maximus),gaur(Bos gaurus),tiger(Panthera tigris),sun bear(Helarctos malayanus),Malayan tapir(Tapirus indicus),clouded leopard(Neofelis nebulosa), andsiamang(Symphalangus syndactylus).^[16]TheSumatran rhinoceros(Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) once inhabited the forests, but Malaysia's last rhinoceroses died in 2019, and the species' few remaining members survive only inSumatra.^[17]

The peninsula is home to several distinctecoregions.TheTenasserim–South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forestscover the northern peninsula, including theTenasserim Hillsand the Isthmus of Kra, and extend to the coast on both sides of the isthmus.

The Kangar-Pattani floristic boundary crosses the peninsula in southern Thailand and northernmost Malaysia, marking the boundary between the large biogeographic regions ofIndochinato the north andSundalandandMalesiato the south. The forests north of the boundary are characterized by seasonally-deciduous trees, while the Sundaland forests have more year-round rainfall and the trees are mostly evergreen. Peninsular Malaysia is home to three terrestrial ecoregions. ThePeninsular Malaysian montane rain forestsecoregion covers the mountains above 1,000 meters elevation. The lowlands and hills are in thePeninsular Malaysian rain forestsecoregion. ThePeninsular Malaysian peat swamp forestsinclude distinctive waterlogged forests in the lowlands on both sides of the peninsula.^[18]

Extensivemangrovesline both coasts. TheMyanmar Coast mangrovesare on the western shore of the peninsula, and theIndochina mangroveson the eastern shore.

List of areas by country[edit]

Malaysia[edit]

State	Capital	Royal Capital	Area (km²)^[19]	Head of State	Head of Government
Johor	Johor Bahru	Muar	19,166	Sultan	Menteri Besar
Kedah	Alor Setar	Anak Bukit	9,492	Sultan	Menteri Besar
Kelantan	Kota Bharu	Kubang Kerian	15,040	Sultan	Menteri Besar
Malacca	Malacca City	—	1,712	Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor)	Chief Minister
Negeri Sembilan	Seremban	Seri Menanti	6,658	Yang di-Pertuan Besar (Grand Ruler)	Menteri Besar
Pahang	Kuantan	Pekan	35,965	Sultan	Menteri Besar
Penang	George Town	—	1,049	Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor)	Chief Minister
Perak	Ipoh	Kuala Kangsar	21,146	Sultan	Menteri Besar
Perlis	Kangar	Arau	819	Raja	Menteri Besar
Selangor^*	Shah Alam	Klang	7,951	Sultan	Menteri Besar
Terengganu	Kuala Terengganu	Kuala Terengganu	12,958	Sultan	Menteri Besar

^*Twofederal territoriesare embedded withinSelangor,which areKuala LumpurandPutrajaya.

Myanmar[edit]

Tanintharyi Region

Thailand[edit]

Notes[edit]

^Malay:Semenanjung Tanah MelayuorSemenanjung Melayu

References[edit]

^The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia, Avijit Gupta
^Reid, Anthony(2010).Imperial alchemy: nationalism and political identity in Southeast Asia.Cambridge University Press. p.95.ISBN 978-0-521-87237-9.
^Mohamed Anwar Omar Din (2011)."Asal Usul Orang Melayu: Menulis Semula Sejarahnya (The Malay Origin: Rewrite Its History)".Jurnal Melayu,Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.pp. 28–30.Retrieved4 June2012.
^Pande, Govind Chandra(2005).India's Interaction with Southeast Asia: History of Science,Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, Vol. 1, Part 3.Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 266.ISBN 978-81-87586-24-1.
^Mukerjee, Radhakamal(1984).The culture and art of India.Coronet Books Inc. p.212.ISBN 978-81-215-0114-9.
^Sarkar, Himansu Bhusan (1970).Some contributions of India to the ancient civilisation of Indonesia and Malaysia.Calcutta: Punthi Pustak. p. 8.ASIN B000PFNF5C.
^Langer, William Leonard(1973).An Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged.Houghton Mifflin Co. p.362.ISBN 978-0-395-13592-1.
^Kotha, Satchidananda Murthy;S., Sankaranarayanan (2002).Life, thought, and culture in India, c. AD 300-1000.Centre for Studies in Civilizations. p. 121.ISBN 978-81-87586-09-8.
^Gerini, Gerolamo Emilio(1974).Researches on Ptolemy's geography of eastern Asia (further India and Indo-Malay archipelago).Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. p. 101.ISBN 81-7069-036-6.
^Guoxue (2003)."Chronicle of Mongol Yuan".
^Hall, Daniel George Edward(1981).History of South East Asia.Macmillan. p. 190.ISBN 978-0-333-24163-9.
^Cordier, Henri(2009).Ser Marco Polo; notes and addenda to Sir Henry Yule's edition, containing the results of recent research and discovery.Bibliolife. p. 105.ISBN 978-1-110-77685-6.
^Wright, Thomas (2004).The travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian: the translation of Marsden revised, with a selection of his notes.Kessinger Publishing, LLC. pp. 364–365.ISBN 978-1-4191-8573-1.
^Ziro Uraki, Utsuho Monogatari footnotes, p. 2
^Bunnell, Tim (2004). "From nation to networks and back again: Transnationalism, class and national identity in Malaysia".State/Nation/Transnation: Perspectives on Transnationalism in the Asia Pacific.Routledge: 1984.ISBN 0-415-30279-X.
^Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002).Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.Washington, DC: Island Press.
^Williams, David; Ko, Stella (24 November 2019)."The last Sumatran rhino in Malaysia has died and there are less than 80 left in the world".CNN.Retrieved27 November2019.
^Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002).Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.Washington, DC: Island Press.
^"Laporan Kiraan Permulaan 2010".Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia. p. 27. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2010.Retrieved24 January2011.

External links[edit]

Media related toMalay Peninsulaat Wikimedia Commons

"Malakka".The New Student's Reference Work.1914.

[1] Malay:Semenanjung Tanah MelayuorSemenanjung Melayu

[2] The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia, Avijit Gupta

[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] Mohamed Anwar Omar Din (2011)."Asal Usul Orang Melayu: Menulis Semula Sejarahnya (The Malay Origin: Rewrite Its History)".Jurnal Melayu,Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.pp. 28–30.Retrieved4 June2012.

[5] Pande, Govind Chandra(2005).India's Interaction with Southeast Asia: History of Science,Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, Vol. 1, Part 3.Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 266.ISBN 978-81-87586-24-1.

[6] Mukerjee, Radhakamal(1984).The culture and art of India.Coronet Books Inc. p.212.ISBN 978-81-215-0114-9.

[7] Sarkar, Himansu Bhusan (1970).Some contributions of India to the ancient civilisation of Indonesia and Malaysia.Calcutta: Punthi Pustak. p. 8.ASIN B000PFNF5C.

[8] Langer, William Leonard(1973).An Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged.Houghton Mifflin Co. p.362.ISBN 978-0-395-13592-1.

[9] Kotha, Satchidananda Murthy;S., Sankaranarayanan (2002).Life, thought, and culture in India, c. AD 300-1000.Centre for Studies in Civilizations. p. 121.ISBN 978-81-87586-09-8.

[10] Gerini, Gerolamo Emilio(1974).Researches on Ptolemy's geography of eastern Asia (further India and Indo-Malay archipelago).Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. p. 101.ISBN 81-7069-036-6.

[11] Guoxue (2003)."Chronicle of Mongol Yuan".

[12] Hall, Daniel George Edward(1981).History of South East Asia.Macmillan. p. 190.ISBN 978-0-333-24163-9.

[13] Cordier, Henri(2009).Ser Marco Polo; notes and addenda to Sir Henry Yule's edition, containing the results of recent research and discovery.Bibliolife. p. 105.ISBN 978-1-110-77685-6.

[14] Wright, Thomas (2004).The travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian: the translation of Marsden revised, with a selection of his notes.Kessinger Publishing, LLC. pp. 364–365.ISBN 978-1-4191-8573-1.

[15] Ziro Uraki, Utsuho Monogatari footnotes, p. 2

[16] Bunnell, Tim (2004). "From nation to networks and back again: Transnationalism, class and national identity in Malaysia".State/Nation/Transnation: Perspectives on Transnationalism in the Asia Pacific.Routledge: 1984.ISBN 0-415-30279-X.

[17] Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002).Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.Washington, DC: Island Press.

[18] Williams, David; Ko, Stella (24 November 2019)."The last Sumatran rhino in Malaysia has died and there are less than 80 left in the world".CNN.Retrieved27 November2019.

[19] Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002).Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.Washington, DC: Island Press.

[2010_stats-20] "Laporan Kiraan Permulaan 2010".Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia. p. 27. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2010.Retrieved24 January2011.

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