Eyewitness History of the World 2.0

SINGAPORE

The Republic of Singapore is made up of a large island, which 
is dominated by the capital city and port of Singapore, and about 
50 much smaller islands off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.
THE LION CITY
Singapore, which means the Lion City, was founded as a trading 
post by the powerful Sumatran Srivijaya kingdom. It was destroyed 
in about 1390 by the expanding Javanese Majapahit Empire.
BRITISH CONTROL
Singapore remained largely uninhabited from that time until 1819, 
when Thomas Stamford Raffles (17811826) of the British East 
India Company signed a treaty with local rulers, and established 
a British trading post on the island. In 1826, Britain incorporated 
Singapore, Malaysia, and Penang into the crown colony of the 
Straits Settlements. Singapore rapidly became the most important 
commercial center and naval base in southeast Asia, and immigrants 
poured in. During World War II (19391945), the Japanese occupied 
Singapore between 1942 and 1945. Following the war, the British 
retook the island.
INDEPENDENCE
In 1946, the Straits Settlements were dissolved and Singapore 
became a separate crown colony. It achieved self-government in 
1959. Singapore became part of the Federation of Malaysia in 
1963. However, its large Chinese majority resented being controlled 
by a predominantly Malay government, and Singapore regained full 
independence in 1965. Since that time, Singapore has modernized 
rapidly, and grown to become a leading trade and financial center.

Copyright 1995, 1998 Dorling Kindersley
