Malay Peninsula
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Locator map
The Malay Peninsula (Malay: Semenanjung Melayu) is a major peninsula located in Southeast Asia. It runs approximately north-south and contains the most southerly point of the Asian mainland. Its narrowest point is the Isthmus of Kra. The south-west coast is separated from the island of Sumatra by the Straits of Malacca. To the east across the South China Sea lies the island of Borneo.
The area is divided politically:
- the northwest is the extreme south part of Myanmar
- the central region and northeast is the south part of Thailand
- most of the south is the part of Malaysia called Peninsular Malaysia or West Malaysia (which should not be confused with the larger Malay Peninsula).
- at the southern tip is the island of Singapore.
The Malay term Tanah Melayu is still occasionally used in political discourse to describe uniting all Malay people on the peninsula under one Malay nation, although this ambition was largely realized with the creation of Malaysia. Some discontent remains, however, as the largely Malay former Pattani kingdom is now a part of Thailand.
The west coast of the peninsula was especially popular among seafaring Bugis, Chinese and Indian as a stopover, leading to increased migration of the people to set up visible coastal settlements in the 13th century.de:Malaiische Halbinsel es:Península de Malaca id:Semenanjung Melayu ja:マレー半島 nl:Maleisisch schiereiland no:Malayahalvøya pl:Półwysep Indochiński th:คาบสมุทรมลายู zh-cn:马来半岛