Malacca City

Malacca City (Malaysian pronunciation: [ˈbanˈdar ˈməˈlaˈka] Jawi: بندر ملاک‎ Chinese: 马六甲市; pinyin: ma liu jia shi Tamil: மலாக்கா மாநகரம்), formerly known as Kota Melaka, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca. It had a population of 484,885 as of 2010. It is one of the Malaysian oldest cities in the Straits of Malacca with the other being Alor Setar and George Town, having become a successful entrepôt during the era of the Malacca Sultanate. The present-day city was founded by Parameswara, a Sumatran prince who had escaped to the Malay Peninsula when Srivijaya fell to the Majapahit. Following the establishment of the Malacca Sultanate, it drew the attention of traders from the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, as well as the Portuguese, who intended to dominate the trade route in Asia. After Malacca was conquered by Portugal, it became an area of conflict when the sultanates of Aceh and Johor began to attempt to take control from the Portuguese.

Aceh weakened following a number of wars between these territories, while Johor survived and expanded its influence over territory previously lost to Aceh in Sumatra when they co-operated with the Dutch who arrived to establish dominance over Java and Maluku Islands. However, due to royal internal strife between the Malay and Bugis, the Johor-Riau Empire was divided into the sultanates of Johor and Riau-Lingga. This separation became a permanent divide when the British arrived to establish their presence in the Malay Peninsula. The Dutch, who already felt threatened in the presence of the British, began conquering the Riau-Lingga Sultanate along with the rest of Sumatra, while Johor came under the British influence following the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824.

Malacca

Malacca (Malay: Melaka), dubbed "The Historic State", is a state in Malaysia and located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Straits of Malacca.

It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and Johor to the south. The capital is Malacca City, which is 148 kilometres (92 miles) south east of Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur, 235 kilometres (146 miles) north west of Johor's largest city Johor Bahru, and 95 km (59 miles) north west of Johor's second largest city, Batu Pahat. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.

Although it was the location of one of the earliest Malay sultanates, the local monarchy was abolished when the Portuguese conquered it in 1511. The head of state is the Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Governor, rather than a Sultan.

History

Sultanate of Malacca

Before the arrival of the first Sultan, Malacca was a fishing village inhabited by local Malays known as Orang Laut. Malacca was founded by Parameswara, also known as Iskandar Shah or Sri Majara, the last Raja of Temasek (present day Singapore) following a Majapahit attack in 1377. He found his way to Malacca around 1400 where he found a good port—it was accessible in all seasons and on the strategically located narrowest point of the Malacca Straits.

Malacca (disambiguation)

Malacca (Melaka) can refer to the following geographical entities in Southeast Asia:

Malacca can also refer to:

See also

Crown Colony of Malacca

Malacca was a British Crown colony from 1946 to 1957. It came under British sovereignty after the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, and had been part of the Straits Settlements until 1946.

During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. After the post-war dissolution of the Straits Settlements Penang and Malacca become crown colonies in the Federation of Malaya, while Singapore became a standalone crown colony, separate from Malaya. In 1955, Tunku Abdul Rahman held a meeting with the British to discuss the end of British rule in Malacca with a merger with Malayan Union (which was then replaced by Federation of Malaya). On 31 August 1957, when Malaya achieved its independence from the United Kingdom, Malacca was integrated as part of the federation, which later known as Malaysia when it merged with another territories in Borneo.

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