Melaka (state)

Melaka (state), state of Malaysia, on the southwestern coast of the Malay Peninsula. Melaka is bordered by the Strait of Malacca on the southwest, and the states of Negeri Sembilan and Johor on the north and east. Melaka is a small state, consisting of a limited area around the city of Melaka. The area is about 1,650 sq km (637 sq mi). The cultivation and export of rubber are the chief economic activities.

Melaka state was formerly the seat of the important and powerful kingdom of Malacca. Seized in 1511 by the Portuguese mariner Afonso de Albuquerque, Melaka fell briefly under Dutch rule in 1641, following a five-month siege. Melaka was controlled by Britain from 1795 to 1802 and again from 1811 to 1818. After a brief spell of renewed Dutch control, the British acquired Melaka again in 1824, incorporating it into the Straits Settlements in 1826 with Pinang and Singapore, from which it became part of the Federation of Malaya and later Malaysia. Population 582,000 (1997 estimate).