Straits Settlements

a former British crown colony in SE Asia: included the settlements of Singapore, Penang, Malacca, and Labuan.

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Former British crown colony, on the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia.

It comprised three trade centres, Penang, Singapore, and Malacca, which were established or taken over by the British East India Company. United in 1826 under Indian control, they were made a crown colony by the British in 1867. Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, and Labuan were added in the early 20th century. Occupied by the Japanese during World War II, the colony was broken up in 1946 when Singapore became a separate colony. The remaining parts were ultimately ceded to Australia and Malaysia.

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▪ Asian history

      former British crown colony on the Strait of Malacca, comprising four trade centres, Penang, Singapore, Malacca (Melaka), and Labuan, established or taken over by the British East India Company. The British settlement at Penang was founded in 1786, at Singapore in 1819; Malacca, occupied by the British during the Napoleonic Wars, was transferred to the East India Company in 1824. The three territories were established as a crown colony in 1867. Labuan, which became part of Singapore Settlement in 1907, was constituted a fourth separate settlement in 1912.

      The Straits colony, occupied by Japanese during World War II, was broken up in 1946, when Singapore became a separate crown colony. Singapore attained full internal self-government in 1959, became a part of Malaysia in 1963, and became an independent republic in 1965. Labuan was incorporated in North Borneo (later Sabah) in 1946, which in turn became a part of Malaysia in 1963. Penang and Malacca were included in the Malayan Union in 1946, the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and Malaysia in 1963.

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