Federation of Malaya

In1863 the Malay peninsula was divided between the Straits Settlements (Singapore, Malacca, Penang), which were administered as a British Colony by the Government of India, and the 9 Malay States. Their borders roughly corresponded with the present-day state boundaries, except that Perlis was part of Kedah, while Muar under its own sultan was independent of Johore. The 3 northern states owed allegiance to Siam, while the remainder were more or less closely bound by treaties with Britain. Political conditions were unstable, especially on the west coast, mainly because of the impact of European-type capitalism on the traditional political structure. The population, excluding that of Singapore, totalled about half a million and already included many Chinese and Indonesian immigrants. These tended to monopolize tinmining, while the Malays and aborigines lived by fishing or agriculture along the coast and on the banks of the rivers which, because of the impenetrability of the jungles, were the only means of communication.