Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
had limited influence until the coming of the British at
the end of the eighteenth century and their introduc-
tion of the resources and organization of the Industrial
Revolution.
Chinese miners revolutionized tin mining, which
had previously been on a very small scale. Given a low-
cost means of extraction and the location of tin-bearing
gravels along the western foot of the Main Range, a mere
25 to 30 miles (40 to 50 km) from the coast, production
surged. In the 1890s, a “tin rush” ensued in the three
western states of Perak, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan.
Relations between the Chinese and Malays were not
good, so the British decided to provide a system of law
and order in the region. This took the form of an elabo-
rate infrastructure of road, rail, and port facilities. Smelt-
ing and exporting of tin were centered at Pinang and
Singapore.
In the early 1900s, an increasingly motorized world
was demanding rubber. The climate of Malaysia was per-
fect for the raising of this commodity . Consequently , new
rubber estates were established within the area already
possessing an infrastructure. Indian rubber tappers were
brought to work the trees, and the rubber industry
boomed until the Great Depression of 1930. When the
global economy recovered, so did rubber. Malaysia re-
mains the world' s largest rubber producer.
The peninsula' s development was severely unbal-
anced. A rubber and tin belt occupied the southwest. It
covered only a quarter of the land area but accounted for
85 percent of its economic activity . Here, too, were the
10 largest towns and a large but diverse population of
Chinese, Malays, and Indians (Figure 16-3). The east
was largely undeveloped and contained a much lower
density of predominantly Malay peasants. When
Malaysia became independent, a major goal was to rectify
this imbalance.
MAKING MALAYSIA
Under the British, Pulau (Malay for “island”) Pinang
(1786), Singapore (1819), and Malacca (1824) became
known collectively as the Straits Settlements. Garnering
other Malay states under their wing of control, the Straits
Settlements were later expanded to include the island of
Labuan off the northern coast of Brunei. On the penin-
sula, a system of Federated Malay States was established
with the capital at Kuala Lumpur. Several other peninsu-
lar states were given British advisors and became known
as the Unfederated Malay States. Sarawak on the island of
Borneo became a British protectorate ruled by the Brooke
family . Sabah also became a protectorate ruled by the
Chartered Company of British North Borneo.
This confusing arrangement satisfied few and oppo-
sition frequently turned violent. In 1948, the British es-
tablished the Federation of Malaya, including all nine
Malay states of the peninsula (Figure 16-2). They also
committed to the region' s independence. Local elections
were held in 1951 and federal elections in 1955. The
British released their sovereignty in 1957.
The idea of the formation of Malaysia was intro-
duced in 1961. The new nation was to include the penin-
sular states, the Borneo states, and Singapore. The name
“Malaysia” is derived from “Malay”—the people, “si”—
Singapore, and “a”—Malaya. Elections were held shortly
thereafter, with only Brunei declining to join. T Tension
was apparent with regard to Singapore, however. Its large
contingent of Chinese (with their potential political
power aligned with Chinese elsewhere in Malaysia) con-
cerned the Malay majority . Singapore was pressured out
of the union in 1965 (Figure 16-3).
EAST MALAYSIA
East Malaysia consists of Sarawak and Sabah (Figure 16-4).
Prior to the economic intervention of the Europeans,
northern Borneo' s trading economy was dominated by
indigenous, unprocessed, and luxury products. Jungle
products such as bezoar stones (concretions from the
stomachs of animals such as goats), hornbill beaks, cam-
phor, and birds' nests were the most important. Other
products included rattan, bamboo, other woods, and
gutta percha (a resin from the gutta tree used to make ca-
ble coverings and glue).
This was an economy separate from the world mar-
ket. T Traditional networks of collecting and marketing
channeled jungle products to coastal ports where Chi-
nese or Malay traders sold them on the regional market
(Figure 16-5).
TIN AND RUBBER
At the beginning of the nineteenth century the popula-
tion of peninsular Malaysia was no more than 300,000.
Most were Malay rice cultivators. A heavily forested ter-
rain deterred the British, who were more interested in
their ventures in Pulau Pinang and Singapore. However,
the success of the British entrepreneurs stimulated mi-
grations from India and China. The Indians and Chinese
would eventually become intermediaries between the
British and the Malays.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search