The Malay World refers to the Malay cultural and linguistic sphere of influence, covering the archipelago of modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southernmost part of Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, East Timor and occasionally New Guinea. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The equivalent term in Malay is Alam Melayu and in Indonesian, Nusantara although the term Nusantara is now widely used in Malaysia as well. The Malay language (Malay: Bahasa Melayu; Jawi script: بهاس ملايو), is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who reside in the Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau islands, parts of the coast of Borneo and even in the Netherlands[1]. It is an official...

Language and Culture

Most of the languages spoken in the region are part of the Malayo-Polynesian family, including Tagalog, widely spoken in the Philippines,^[1]Javanese spoken in Java, and of course Malay, spoken in Malaysia (where it is known as Bahasa Malaysia, 'language of Malaysia'), Singapore and Brunei (where it is known as Bahasa Melayu, 'Malay language'). Indonesian was also derived from Malay and is locally known as Bahasa Indonesia ('language of Indonesia'). A thousand years ago, the religion of the Nusantara region was a mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, and indigenous traditions. Since then new religions—including Christianity but predominantly Islam—have made their mark here. The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages. ... Tagalog (pronunciation: ) is one of the major languages of the Republic of the Philippines. ... The Javanese language is the spoken language of the people in the central and eastern part of the island of Java, in Indonesia. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... The Malay language (Malay: Bahasa Melayu; Jawi script: بهاس ملايو), is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who reside in the Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau islands, parts of the coast of Borneo and even in the Netherlands[1]. It is an official... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages) is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ...

The culture in the region is now influenced by a number of religions. Islam has the largest following, and is predominant in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, amongst the Malays in Singapore, and in the Philippines by southern Filipino Muslims. Catholicism is predominant in the Philippines and East Timor. West Malaysia is home to great numbers of Buddhists and Christians of various denominations, along with Hindus and Muslims. Hinduism predominates in Indonesian island paradise of Bali. For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Islam is one of the oldest organized religions to be established in the Philippines. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      As a Christian ecclesiastical... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages) is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages) is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Bali is an Indonesian island located at , the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. ...

Nusantara - a Varied Concept

The word Nusantara comes from two Old Javanese words 'nuso' (nation) and 'antero' (all, the whole, combined), and can imply different things depending on the context in which it is used. A reasonable guess would be "the whole combined nation", in reference to the total entity comprising all the lands inhabited by the Malay peoples. Kawi (from Sanskrit: kāvya, poet) is a language from the islands of Java, Bali and Lombok. ...

Nusantara as a Geo-Politico-Cultural Concept

Used in a geo-politico-cultural context, the term "Nusantara" generally encompasses those Southeast Asian islands and some neighboring continental territories where Malayo-Melanesian-Polynesian languages and associated cultures are dominant. In this context, the term Nusantara is interchangeable with Kepulauan Melayu ("Malay Archipelago"). From this point of view, Malaysia (including mainland Malaysia), the Philippines, the Melanesian-Polynesian islands and the islands of Indonesia including Irian Jaya are all included in the concept of Nusantara. Linguistically, the concept could be stretched to include the islands of Taiwan and Madagascar, as the native languages of both these islands are also Austronesian languages. Historically, Singapore (then called Temasik) was also a Malay kingdom, therefore it could also count as a part of Nusantara. The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. ...

The Javanese Kingdoms

Under the Javanese Kingdoms, the term Nusantara was the widest of the three terms used to describe the different depths and spheres of influence of the kings (raja). Negara Agung (lit noble land) was used to describe the region around the capital city of the king under his direct influence. Mancanegara was used to describe those areas where the culture was similar to Javanese culture, but was outside the kings' direct sphere of influence. This generally included the islands of Madura, Bali and possibly Lampung and Palembang. A Raja (Sanskrit ) is a king, or princely ruler from the Kshatriya / Rajput lineages. ... Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java, near the port of Surabaya. ... Bali is an Indonesian island located at , the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. ... Lampung is a province of Indonesia, located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. ... Location of Palembang Palembang is a city in the south of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. ...

In contrast Nusantara was the area outside the influence of Javanese culture, but which was still claimed as colonies, and where the local rulers still had to pay some sort of tribute to the Javanese Kings.

Modern Usage

Although it is sometimes used, especially by Indonesians, to refer strictly to the territories of Indonesia, a tendency perhaps harking back to those days when ancient Indonesian empires Sriwijaya and subsequently Majapahit held sway over practically the entire Malay Archipelago, modern usage of Nusantara generally refers to the greater geo-political-cultural concept referred to above.

Other usages

Nusantara is also a family name used in Indonesia. Most families surnamed Nusantara are of Javanese extraction.

See also

• Austronesia
• East Indies
• Malay Archipelago
• Maritime Southeast Asia
• Malay people
• Malaysia
• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Brunei
• East Timor

The Austronesian languages are a family of languages widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. ... The Indies, on the display globe of the Field Museum, Chicago The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term used to describe lands of South and South-East Asia, occupying all of the former British India, the present Indian Union, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and... World map depicting Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago is a vast archipelago located between mainland Southeastern Asia (Indochina) and Australia. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Malay Archipelago. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References