British Malaya

The term British Malaya (; Malay: Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the lower Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the term "British India", which excludes the Indian princely states, British Malaya is often used to refer to the Federated and the Unfederated Malay States, which were British protectorates with their own local rulers, as well as the Straits Settlements, which were under the sovereignty and direct rule of the British Crown, after a period of control by the East India Company. Before the formation of the Malayan Union in 1946, the territories were not placed under a single unified administration, except during the immediate post-war period when a British military officer became the interim administrator of Malaya. Instead, British Malaya comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States, and the Unfederated Malay States, which all held varying degrees of autonomy. Under British hegemony, Malaya became one of the most profitable territories of the Empire. It was the world's largest producer of tin and later rubber, while hosting important entrepôts in George Town and later Singapore, making it one of the most developed non-settler colonies of Britain. During World War II, the Empire of Japan overran British Malaya and occupied the colony as a single unit administered from Singapore. After the war, calls for home rule grew. Because the Malayan Union proved unpopular, it was dissolved in 1948 to make way for the Federation of Malaya. This new federation achieved full independence on 31 August 1957, while Singapore attained internal self-governance on 3 June 1959. Later, on 16 September 1963, the federation united with North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore to form the larger nation of Malaysia. Following...