Malacca City

Malacca City (Malay: Kota Melaka) is the capital and largest city of the state of Malacca in Malaya.

It is located on the south-western coast of Malaya, on the Strait of Malacca. It is an important historical city, and is also home to one of Malaya's major ports.

It has a population of 357,373 people, coming from diverse range of backgrounds.

History
The original town was founded in 1407 by Iskandar Shah, the last sultan of Singapore as a trading port and harbour.

After a while, it became a Chinese protectorate, and a port favoured by legendary explorer Zheng He.

The city was annexed by the Portuguese in 1511. The Dutch ruled the city from 1681 to 1824, by which time control was handed to the British, where it became one of the Straits Settlements.

During this time, the British brought many workers from South India as a cheap labour force, and they still form a sizeable minority in Malacca to this day.

It joined the Malayan Union in 1946, and became a full state upon independence on the 31st of August, 1957. It is one of only 2 states in Malaya that is not ruled by a sultan, the other being Penang.