set of states on Peninsular Malaysia and island of Singapore under British dominance from 18th to 20th centuries
Malaya was the colonial British term for its colonies on the Malay Peninsula. The modern countries in the area are:
- Malaysia which incorporates most of the peninsula plus several island territories
- Singapore, a densely populated and highly developed island city-state at the tip of the peninsula
- The southern part of Thailand includes part of the Malay Peninsula, used to consist of Malay sultanates and continues to have a Malay Muslim majority in some provinces, but it was never politically part of Malaya.
Malay or Bahasa Malaysia/Bahasa Melayu is the main language of the area, with English being a common second language.