British Malaya

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/british-malaya

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the administrative divisions?Straits Settlements (Crown Colony), Federated Malay States (Protectorate), Unfederated Malay States (Protectorate)
2. What is the primary economic exports?Tin and natural rubber
3. Why were tin and rubber so important to Malaya?Tin was used for making metal goods and war supplies, while rubber was needed for car tires and many other products. These resources made Malaya very rich for the British.
4. How did British rule differ in the Federated and Unfederated Malay States?In the Federated Malay States, British Residents ran the government closely. In the Unfederated Malay States, the rulers kept more control and only had British advisers.

Crown Colony: A territory directly governed by the British Crown, with no local legislature.
Resident/Adviser System: British officials who advised or controlled local rulers in the Malay States.
Malayan Union: A short-lived, centralized administrative union proposed by the British after WWII, met with strong opposition.