Misplaced Pages

#136863

50-696: The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 800 kilometres (500 mi) long and from 65 to 250 km (40–155 mi) wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean). As the main shipping channel between the Indian and Pacific oceans, it

100-598: A Cambridge expedition to locate Langkasuka and Tambralinga , the details of this expedition are described in The Naga King's Daughter . An archaeological investigation of the Yarang area began in 1989 by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand. The majority of the ruins were clustered in the vicinity of a hamlet called Ban Wat, and may have formed the nucleus of the city. Others were scattered further to

150-744: A map in the Ming dynasty military treatise Wubei Zhi locates it south of Songkla near the Pattani River . A 15th century Arab text similarly places the kingdom between Kelantan and Songkla. The only contradictory information comes from a later Malay text Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa which placed it on the west coast as the predecessor of modern Kedah, although its sovereign had some association with Pattani. Chinese, Arab and Indian sources all considered Kedah and Langkasuka to be separate geographical entities. The Javanese poem Nagarakretagama placed it north of Saiburi , however it appears to imply that it

200-424: A quarter of all oil carried by sea passes through the strait, mainly from Persian Gulf suppliers to Asian markets. In 2007, an estimated 13.7 million barrels per day were transported through the strait, increasing to an estimated 15.2 million barrels per day in 2011. In addition, it is also one of the world's most congested shipping choke points because it narrows to only 2.8 km (1.5 nautical miles ) wide at

250-573: A similar pipeline proposal. Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia . The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia , Southern Thailand , and the southernmost tip of Myanmar ( Kawthaung ). The island country of Singapore also has historical and cultural ties with

300-516: A supernatural being and, not daring to injure him, exiled him from the country, whereupon he fled to India. The king of India gave him his eldest daughter in marriage. Not long afterwards, when the king of Lang-ya died, the chief ministers welcomed back the exile and made him king. This king then ruled for more than 20 years. He was succeeded by his son, King Bhagadatta , who sent the first ambassadorial mission to China in 515. Further emissaries were sent in 523, 531, and 568. The transcription of

350-650: A term thought to derive from Sanskrit malayakolam or malaikurram . While the Chinese chronicle of the Yuan dynasty mentioned the word Ma-li-yu-er , referring to a nation of the Malay Peninsula that was threatened by the southward expansion of the Sukhothai Kingdom under King Ram Khamhaeng . During the same era, Marco Polo made a reference to Malauir in his travelogue , as a kingdom located in

400-495: A village fifteen kilometers south of Pattani, which may be of the city described in Liangshu . The city was located inland 10 miles from the coast and connected to the rivers leading to the sea via canals. Silting of the waterways may have led to its decline. Several archaeological expeditions were conducted in the 1960s to locate Langkasuka following Paul Wheatley's suggestion of its likely location. In 1963, Stewart Wavell led

450-442: A western port on the Malay Peninsula . They traded glassware, camphor , cotton goods, brocades , ivory , sandalwood , perfume, and precious stones. These traders sailed to Kedah via the monsoon winds between June and November. They returned between December and May. Kedah provided accommodations, porters, small vessels, bamboo rafts, elephants, as well as tax collections for goods to be transported overland toward eastern ports of

500-399: A white parasol. The soldiers of his guard are well-appointed. The inhabitants of the country say that their state was founded more than four hundred years ago. Subsequently the descendants became weaker, but in the king's household there was a man of virtue to whom the populace turned. When the king heard of this he imprisoned this man, but his chains snapped unaccountably. The king took him for

550-577: Is even shallower and narrower, meaning that ships exceeding the Malaccamax must detour a few thousand nautical miles and use the Lombok Strait , Makassar Strait , Sibutu Passage , and Mindoro Strait instead. Piracy has been a problem in the strait. Piracy had been high in the 2000s, with additional increase after the events of September 11, 2001. After attacks rose again in the first half of 2004, regional navies stepped up their patrols of

SECTION 10

#1732764799137

600-552: Is home to several distinct ecoregions . The Tenasserim–South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests cover the northern peninsula, including the Tenasserim Hills and the Isthmus of Kra, and extend to the coast on both sides of the isthmus. The Kangar-Pattani floristic boundary crosses the peninsula in southern Thailand and northernmost Malaysia, marking the boundary between the large biogeographic regions of Indochina to

650-597: Is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. The name “Malacca” is traditionally associated with the Malacca tree ( Phyllanthus emblica ), also known as the Indian gooseberry tree, and is believed to derive from the local Malay word 'Melaka'. According to historical traditions, Parameswara , a Sumatran prince and the founder of the Malacca Sultanate , selected the site for his new kingdom where

700-575: Is separated from the island of Singapore by the Straits of Johor . The Malay term Tanah Melayu is derived from the word Tanah (land) and Melayu ( Malays ), thus it means "the Malay land". The term can be found in various Malay texts, of which the oldest dating back to the early 17th century. It is frequently mentioned in the Hikayat Hang Tuah , a well-known classic tale associated with

750-713: The Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean , linking major Asian economies such as India , Thailand , Indonesia , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , Vietnam , China , Japan , Taiwan , and South Korea . The Strait of Malacca is part of the Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast towards the southern tip of India to Mombasa , from there through the Red Sea via the Suez Canal to

800-748: The Peninsular Malaysian rain forests ecoregion. The Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests include distinctive waterlogged forests in the lowlands on both sides of the peninsula. Extensive mangroves line both coasts. The Myanmar Coast mangroves are on the western shore of the peninsula, and the Indochina mangroves on the eastern shore. Two federal territories are embedded within Selangor , which are Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya . [REDACTED] Media related to Malay Peninsula at Wikimedia Commons Langkasuka According to

850-702: The Philippines and printed cloth from India and local sources. "Langkasuka" was mentioned in the Malay text Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa , and it was referred to as "Lengkasuka" in the Javanese poem Nagarakretagama . Tamil sources name "Ilangasoka" as one of Rajendra Chola 's conquests in his expedition against the Srivijaya empire. It was described as a kingdom that was "undaunted in fierce battles". Thai sources made no reference to Langkasuka, but Pattani

900-656: The United States Navy destroyer USS  John S. McCain lost ten of its crew's lives in a collision with the merchant ship Alnic MC a short distance east of the strait whilst full steering capabilities had been lost. The ship had made a series of errors in attempted mitigation, its external lights being changed to "red over red" ("vessel not under command"). Another risk is the annual haze due to wildfires in Sumatra , Indonesia . It may reduce visibility to 200 metres (660 ft), forcing ships to slow in

950-544: The 12th century, Langkasuka was a tributary to Srivijaya. The kingdom declined and how it ended is unclear with several theories being put up. The late 13th-century Pasai Annals , mentioned that Langkasuka was destroyed in 1370. Some believed that Langkasuka remained under the control and influence of the Srivijaya Empire until the 14th century when it was conquered by the Majapahit Empire . Langkasuka

1000-399: The 6th century it experienced a resurgence and began to send emissaries to China. King Bhagadatta first established relations with China in 515 AD, with further emissaries sent in 523, 531 and 568. By the 8th century it had probably come under the control of the rising Srivijaya empire. In 1025 it was attacked by the armies of King Rajendra Chola I in his campaign against Srivijaya . In

1050-516: The Malay Peninsula and Java . The empire gained effective control of two major choke points in maritime Southeast Asia: the Strait of Malacca and the Sunda Strait . By launching a series of conquests and raids on potential rival ports on both sides of the strait, Srivijaya ensured its economic and military domination in the region, which lasted about 700 years. Srivijaya gained great benefits from

SECTION 20

#1732764799137

1100-487: The Malay Peninsula such as Langkasuka and Kelantan . After the tenth century, ships from China began to trade at these eastern trading posts and ports. Kedah and Funan were famous ports throughout the 6th century, before shipping began to use the Strait of Malacca itself as a trade route. In the 7th century, the maritime empire of Srivijaya , based in Palembang , Sumatra , rose to power, and its influence expanded to

1150-522: The Malay Peninsula, possibly similar to the one mentioned in the Yuan chronicle. The Malay Peninsula was conflated with Persia in old Japan, and was known by the same name. In the early 20th century, the term Tanah Melayu was generally used by the Malays of the peninsula during the rise of Malay nationalism to describe uniting all Malay states on the peninsula under one Malay nation, and this ambition

1200-526: The Mediterranean, there to the upper Adriatic region to the northern Italian hub of Trieste with its rail connections to Central Europe and the North Sea . Over 94,000 vessels pass through the strait each year (2008) making it the busiest strait in the world, carrying about 25% of the world's traded goods, including oil, Chinese manufactured products, coal, palm oil and Indonesian coffee . About

1250-613: The Phillip Channel (close to southern Singapore ). The draught of some of the world's largest ships (mostly oil tankers ) exceeds the Strait's minimum depth of 25 metres (82 feet). This shallow point occurs in the Singapore Strait . The maximum size of a vessel that can pass through the Strait is referred to as the Malaccamax . The next closest passageway to the east, the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java,

1300-480: The Strait of Malacca as follows: On the west. A line joining Pedropunt , the northernmost point of Sumatra ( 5°40′N 95°26′E  /  5.667°N 95.433°E  / 5.667; 95.433 ), and Lem Voalan, the southern extremity of Goh Puket [Phromthep Cape on Phuket Island ] in Siam [ Thailand ] ( 7°45′N 98°18′E  /  7.750°N 98.300°E  / 7.750; 98.300 ). On

1350-538: The ancient Indian text, Vayu Purana , may possibly refer to the Malay Peninsula. Another Indian source, an inscription on the south wall of the Brihadeeswarar Temple , recorded the word Malaiur , referring to a kingdom in the Malay Peninsula that had "a strong mountain for its rampart". Ptolemy 's Geographia named a geographical region of the Golden Chersonese as Maleu-kolon ,

1400-481: The area in July ;2004. Subsequently, attacks on ships in the Strait of Malacca dropped, to 79 in 2005 and 50 in 2006. Attacks have dropped to near zero in recent years. There are 34  shipwrecks , some dating to the 1880s, in the local TSS channel (the channel for commercial ships under the global Traffic Separation Scheme ). These pose a collision hazard in the narrow and shallow strait. On 20 August 2017,

1450-546: The busy strait. The strait is frequently used by ships longer than 350 metres (1,150 ft) . Thailand has developed plans to divert much of the strait's traffic and hence some of its economic significance to a shorter route: the Thai government has several times proposed cutting a canal through the Isthmus of Kra , saving around 960 kilometres (600 mi) from the journey between the two oceans. China has offered to cover

1500-535: The city of Malacca now stands. It is said that he named the location "Melaka" after the Malacca tree under which he had rested. Over time, the name "Malacca" came to refer not only to the city but also to the strategically significant waterway between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, known as the Malacca Strait. The International Hydrographic Organization define the limits of

1550-476: The costs, according to a report leaked to The Washington Times in 2004. Nevertheless, and despite the support of several Thai politicians, the prohibitive financial and ecological costs suggest that the canal will not be built. An alternative is to install a pipeline across the Isthmus of Kra to carry oil to ships waiting on the other side. Proponents calculate it would cut the cost of oil delivery to Asia by about $ 0.50/barrel ($ 3/m). Myanmar has also made

Strait of Malacca - Misplaced Pages Continue

1600-649: The country paid tribute to a country named Sanfoqi , which is usually interpreted to be Srivijaya . Langkasuka was known as "Long-ya-xi-jiao" (龍牙犀角) in Daoyi Zhilüe from the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368); and "Lang-xi-jia" (狼西加) during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), as marked in Admiral Zheng He 's Mao Kun map . Daoyi Zhilüe mentions that the natives of Langkasuka made salt from seawater and ferment rice wine, and produced hornbill casques , lakawood , honey and gharuwood. The people wore cotton from

1650-521: The east. A line joining Tanjong Piai (Bulus), the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula ( 1°16′N 103°31′E  /  1.267°N 103.517°E  / 1.267; 103.517 ), and The Brothers ( 1°11.5′N 103°21′E  /  1.1917°N 103.350°E  / 1.1917; 103.350 ), and thence to Klein Karimoen ( 1°10′N 103°23.5′E  /  1.167°N 103.3917°E  / 1.167; 103.3917 ). On

1700-413: The king and senior officials covered their shoulders with cloth and wore gold earrings and belts of gold cord. Women of high status wrapped themselves in cloth and wore jeweled girdles. It gives further information on some of its kings and also relates a story on a succession: When the king goes forth he rides upon an elephant. He is accompanied by banners, fly-whisks, flags and drums and he is shaded with

1750-495: The kingdom and recorded a king Bhagadatta who sent envoys to the Chinese court. The earliest and most detailed description of the kingdom comes from the Chinese Liang dynasty (502–557) record Liangshu , which refers to the kingdom of "Lang-ya-xiu" ( Chinese : 狼牙脩 , Middle Chinese : lɑŋ ŋˠa sɨu ). The record mentions that the kingdom was founded over 400 years earlier, which made its founding likely some time in

1800-633: The kingdom's name in Chinese records changed over time. In the late seventh century, the Buddhist monk Yi Jing mentioned encountering three Chinese monks who lived in a place named Lang-jia-shu (郎伽戍). A Song dynasty work Zhu fan zhi (published in 1225) gives a description of the country of Ling-ya-si-jia (凌牙斯加). It mentions that its people cut their hair and wrapped themselves in a piece of cloth, its products included elephant tusks, rhinoceros horns, types of wood and camphor, and their merchants traded in wine, rice, silk and porcelain. It also says that

1850-564: The late 1st or early 2nd century. According to Liangshu , "Lang-ya-xiu" or Langkasuka was 30 days' journey from east to west, and 20 from north to south, 24,000 li in distance from Guangzhou . It mentions that Aloeswood ( Aquilaria ) and camphor were abundant in the kingdom, and its capital was described as being surrounded by walls to form a city with double gates, towers and pavilions. Both men and women in Langkasuka wore sarongs with their torsos bare and their hair loose, although

1900-708: The legend given in the Kedah Annals , the kingdom was founded and named by Merong Mahawangsa . Another proposal suggests that the name may have been derived from langkha and Ashoka , the Mauryan Hindu warrior king who eventually became a pacifist after embracing the ideals espoused in Buddhism, and that the early Indian colonizers of the Malayic Isthmus named the kingdom Langkasuka in his honour. Chinese historical sources provided some information on

1950-602: The legendary heroes of Malacca Sultanate . Tanah Melayu in the text is consistently employed to refer to the area under Malaccan dominance. In the early 16th century, Tomé Pires , a Portuguese apothecary who stayed in Malacca from 1512 to 1515, uses an almost identical term, Terra de Tana Malaio , with which he referred to the southeastern part of Sumatra, where the deposed sultan of Malacca, Mahmud Shah , established his exiled government. The 17th century's account of Portuguese historian, Emanuel Godinho de Erédia , noted on

2000-551: The lucrative spice trade, e.g. the tributary trade system with China, and trade with Indian and Arab merchants. The Strait of Malacca became an important maritime trade route between India and China. The importance of the Strait of Malacca in global trade networks continued well into later centuries with the rise of the Malacca Sultanate in the 15th century, the Johor Sultanate , the Straits Settlements , and

2050-549: The modern city-state of Singapore . Since the 17th century, the strait has been the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Various major regional powers have managed the straits during different historical periods. From an economic and strategic perspective, the Strait of Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. The strait is the main shipping channel between

Strait of Malacca - Misplaced Pages Continue

2100-487: The north and Sundaland and Malesia to the south. The forests north of the boundary are characterized by seasonally-deciduous trees, while the Sundaland forests have more year-round rainfall and the trees are mostly evergreen. Peninsular Malaysia is home to three terrestrial ecoregions. The Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests ecoregion covers the mountains above 1,000 meters elevation. The lowlands and hills are in

2150-416: The north. The southwestern coast of the Malay Peninsula. On the south. The northeastern coast of Sumatra as far to the eastward as Tanjong Kedabu ( 1°06′N 102°58′E  /  1.100°N 102.967°E  / 1.100; 102.967 ), thence to Klein Karimoen. Early traders from Arabia , Africa , Persia , and southern India reached Kedah before arriving at Guangzhou . Kedah served as

2200-477: The peninsula – Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ), gaur ( Bos gaurus ), tiger ( Panthera tigris ), sun bear ( Helarctos malayanus ), Malayan tapir ( Tapirus indicus ), clouded leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa ), and siamang ( Symphalangus syndactylus ). The Sumatran rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ) once inhabited the forests, but Malaysia's last rhinoceroses died in 2019, and the species' few remaining members survive only in Sumatra . The peninsula

2250-443: The region of Malaios surrounded by the Andaman Sea in the north, the entire Strait of Malacca in the centre, a part of Sunda Strait in the south, and the western part of South China Sea in the east. Prior to the foundation of Malacca, ancient and medieval references to a Malay peninsula exist in various foreign sources. According to several Indian scholars, the word Malayadvipa ("mountain-insular continent"), mentioned in

2300-466: The region. The Titiwangsa Mountains are part of the Tenasserim Hills system and form the backbone of the peninsula and the southernmost section of the central cordillera , which runs from Tibet through the Kra Isthmus , the peninsula's narrowest point, into the Malay Peninsula. The Strait of Malacca separates the Malay Peninsula from the Indonesian island of Sumatra , and the south coast

2350-411: Was identified as one of the twelve Naksat cities under the influence of Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thai chronicles. A brief outline of the history of Langkasuka can be determined from the limited historical records available. The kingdom is thought to have been founded some time early in the 2nd century AD. It then underwent a period of decline due to the expansion of Funan in the early 3rd century. In

2400-558: Was largely realised with the formation of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu ( Malay for " Federation of Malaya ") in 1948. The Malay Peninsula is covered with tropical moist broadleaf forests . Lowland forests are dominated by dipterocarp trees, while montane forests are home to evergreen trees in the beech family ( Fagaceae ), Myrtle family ( Myrtaceae ), laurel family ( Lauraceae ), tropical conifers , and other plant families. The peninsula's forests are home to thousands of species of animals and plants. Several large endangered mammals inhabit

2450-665: Was originally located on the west coast but was transferred later to the east. In 1961, taking account of the various sources, the geographer and historian Paul Wheatley concluded that Langkasuka should be located near the modern town of Pattani. French archaeologist and historian Michel Jacq-Hergoualc'h concurred, and proposed the former estuary of the Pattani River near Yarang as the likely location of Langkasuka. He also suggested that whole area between Pattani , Saiburi and Yala may have been part of Langkasuka. Modern archaeological explorations have uncovered ruins near Yarang,

2500-467: Was probably conquered by Pattani as it ceased to exist by the 15th-century. Several historians contest this and believe that Langkasuka survived up to the 1470s. The areas of the kingdom that were not under the direct rule of Pattani is thought to have embraced Islam along with Kedah in 1474. Chinese and Arab sources placed the ancient kingdom on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The New Book of Tang mentions that Langkasuka bordered Pan Pan , and

#136863