Few people have heard of the existence of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia, although it cannot be called small. Those who are a little versed in geography will be able to better imagine where this geographical feature is located if they remember such famous islands as Singapore and Sumatra. The first of them is located in the southern direction of the peninsula, and the second - in the southwestern direction. Moreover, Sumatra is separated from the peninsula by the Strait of Malacca.
Malacca is a peninsula divided into three parts. Each of them belongs to one of the states: the southern part - Malaysia, the northern - Thailand and the north-west - Myanmar.
Economy of the Malay Peninsula
Rubber here is considered the raw material from which the peninsula receives the most income. It is not only grown, but subjected to primary processing. A smaller share of the economy iscultivation of oil and coconut palms, rice. Since the peninsula extends far into the ocean and is washed by its waters from almost all sides, it is not surprising that the local residents of the coastal strip are engaged in catching fish. For industrialists, the Malay Peninsula is not very attractive. Minerals are scarce here.
Bauxite, an aluminum ore, is mined here. Not so long ago, tin ore deposits were being developed, but recently work has been suspended due to a reduction in volumes. Countries located on the Malay Peninsula live off rubber mining and fishing.
Historical digression
Who just did not have the temptation to take possession of the peninsula. It is known that in the period of the 1st-6th centuries AD, the northern part of Malacca was under the control of the state of Funan.
From the 7th to the 14th century, the peninsula was part of Sumatra, the Srivijaya empire, which was replaced by the military solution of the issue by the state of Majapahit. It was during this period that Indo-Buddhism reached its zenith in this part of Southeast Asia.
In the interval between 1400 and 1403, at the direction of the prince of Sumatra named Parameswara, the construction of the city of Malacca began. The place was chosen well - the mouth of the river, the shore of the strait with the same name - the harbor turned out to be very convenient in strategic terms. The favorable location between the two great powers of Asia, which India and China are considered to be, subsequently contributed to the fact that the city of Malacca turned into a rapidly developing trading center not onlypeninsulas. Half a century later, it had more than 50 thousand inhabitants.
In 1405, Admiral Zheng He, who arrived on the peninsula as an ambassador, offered patronage of the Celestial Empire over the peninsula and guaranteed that the neighboring state of Siam would no longer make claims. With the blessing of the Chinese, Prince Parameswara received the title of king of the peninsula along with the nearby islands. Arriving in huge numbers, merchants from the Arab states brought a new religion to Malacca, which very quickly won the hearts and minds of the local population. King Parasvara, keeping pace with the times, in 1414 decided to become a Muslim with a new name - Megat Iskander Shah. Malacca is a peninsula that has seen a lot of changes.
Wars hindering development
In 1424, a conflict broke out between the conservative Malayo-Javanese aristocracy, which occupied the positions of Hinduism, and a group led by Muslim merchants. The struggle ended in 1445, its result was the victory of the Islamic group. The ruler of the country was Raja Kasim, he is Sultan Muzaffar Shah I.
At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries, sailing merchant ships from neighboring states, from the Middle and Near East, delivered porcelain, silk, textiles, gold, nutmeg, pepper and other spices, camphor and sandalwood to the port wood. In return, tin was exported, which the subjects of the Sultanate mined in large quantities. The Malay Peninsula is part of the southern tip of the Indochina Peninsula.
There was a situation in which the feudal lords could not share power among themselves, and the ruling circles could not reach agreement with the Javanese and Chinese merchants, vassals rebelled from time to time. As a result, the situation led to the decline of the Malacca Sultanate. The colonizers from Portugal took advantage of this at the beginning of the 16th century.
The first attempt in 1509 ended with the defeat of the Portuguese fleet by the Malaccans, who suddenly attacked the invaders. The Portuguese returned two years later, led by Commander d'Albuquerque. As a result of a successful assault, a strategically important port was captured by the Europeans. The Sultan, resigned to his defeat, was forced to leave the city, and then with the fighting retreat to the southern regions of the peninsula and take refuge in Johor. The winners began to develop the colonial territory. Following the military detachments, there were Christian missionaries who erected places of worship in the first place. The Portuguese, after the capture of Malacca, built a fortress to strengthen their positions.
The Dutch are in power
After a couple of centuries, the enterprising Dutch began to show interest in Malacca. In 1641, after almost a six-month siege, the city nevertheless surrendered to the mercy of the new colonizers. The Dutch conquerors decided to choose a safer place for the capital. It became Batalavia (in the modern version - Jakarta), and the city of Malacca received the status of a guard outpost.
The Dutch owned the peninsula for almost a hundred and fifty years, until their rivals came here in 1795 -the English. In 1818 and 1824 there was a change of dominance, its transition from the British to the Dutch, and then vice versa. Since 1826, Malacca (the peninsula) has finally become part of the colonial empire of England.
In 1946-1948, in this region of Southeast Asia, the Malay Peninsula was part of the Malayan Union, since 1948 - the independent Federation of Malaya. In 1963, Malacca, having received the status of a state, entered the state of Malaysia.
Modern Peninsula of Malacca
The centuries-old stay under the rule of first the Chinese, and then the Europeans, especially the Portuguese, affected the cultural development of the peninsula. Representatives of both civilizations are characterized by compact living in communities. This is directly related to the place where the Malay Peninsula is located.
Almost the entire coast from the Strait of Malacca is a range of excellent beaches dotted with pleasant white sand. After waiting for the low tide, tourists will be able to collect a lot of seashells with unique colors and unique shapes.
Recreation includes, among other things, canoeing or boating, breathtaking scuba diving in the depths of the sea.
Capital and other cities
On the peninsula is the capital of Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, which is located in its southwestern part.
In the huge international airport there are offices of more than 40 airlines from different countries. Malacca is a peninsula visited bythousands of tourists annually.
Kuala Lumpur is famous for its many sights, from which only the warmest impressions will remain: the Menara TV tower with a height of 421 meters, the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers, the Gardens by the Lake park with a total area of 91.6 hectares, Datan Square Merdeka, the palace of Sultan Abdul Samad and others.
