1922 F.M.S. Map of British Malaya (Malaysia)

A scarce 1922 map of Malaya, modern-day Malaysia, issued by the surveyor general of the Federated Malay States some 13 years after the British consolidated the northern four Malay states from Siam into the Unfederated Malay States. It illustrates the early days of the Malay tin and rubber booms.

A Closer Look

The map covers the Malay peninsula from the Thai / Siamese border to Singapore. A color-coding system breaks down the Malayan polities - red for the Straits Settlements (Singapore, Penang, Malacca, Dindings); Yellow for the Federated Malay States; Brown for interstate boundaries; and Green for states not incorporated into the FMS. The cartography around Terengganu, Johor, and Penang remains sparse. Kelantan, by contrast, is featured in exceptional detail, likely reflecting a recent British survey.

Sungei Pahang

The Sungei Pahang is well mapped. For centuries this large river was the primary artery of trade, allowing merchants with knowledge of the river to bypass the most dangerous parts of the Straits of Malacca. The Pahang and Muar Rivers were nearly connected at Jempol, in Negeri Sembilan as the Serting River flows into the Bera River, a tributary of the Pahang. The Jempol River flows into the Muar River. Trading boats from the Muar could continue their journey until they reached Kuala Pahang in Pekan, or Kuala Lipis to continue into Terengganu, Kelantan or Perak. The passage would not allow ocean-going vessels, but smaller vessels could use this route to successfully traverse the peninsula.

Federated Malay States

The Federated Malay States (FMS) was a federation of four protected states in the Malay Peninsula-Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang, which was established by the British government in 1895. The FMS lasted until 1946, when the FMS, together with two of the former Straits Settlements (Malacca and Penang) and the Unfederated Malay States, formed the Malayan Union.

Publication History

This map is quite rare. We have been able to identify only one other example, located in the collections of the National Library Board of Singapore. As part of a series, this map was issued in various states and editions from the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries.