Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia (or
Semenanjung Malaysia in the
Malay language) 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, and 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.
It consists of the following 11 states and two federal territories (starting from the North going to the South):
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 and East Germany) or Malaya (which has colonial connotations). Nonetheless, all three terms are correct and can be found in many institutional titles, e.g. the High Court of Malaya, the University of Malaya, Malayan Railways, etc. Note that until 1946, the name Malaya was often used to included Singapore.
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 states of Malaya, controlling e.g. immigration from the peninsula.
See also: