Each part of the Maya interface is contained within a panel, and the arrangement of these panels is called the layout. You can toggle the display of each panel using the options in the menu.
Maya has several predefined layouts you can use by clicking the Quick layout buttons on the left side of the interface.
You can undock and move most panels and editor windows around the interface as you like and dock it in a new location, or leave it as a floating window - see Rearrange the interface.
To create a custom layout in another way, you can use the Panel editor - see Create a custom panel layout.
Many preferences for panels and layouts are set in the Preferences window in the UI Elements category - see UI Elements preferences.