Meaning & use

Malaya

proper noun·Advanced

A historical region and federation on the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia, which gained independence from Britain in 1957 and later became part of Malaysia.

See it in a sentence

Her grandfather served in the British colonial administration in Malaya before independence.

Malaya's economy in the twentieth century relied heavily on tin mining and rubber production.

A note on using this word

Malaya refers specifically to the peninsula and its pre-1963 federation; the modern nation of Malaysia also includes Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

Words with a similar meaning

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