Malacca Area Guide

Malaysia's 'Pearl of the Orient' carries a natural beauty and cultural splendour like no other place. Its name comes from the Malay translation of betel nut - 'Pinang'. Every year, thousands of visitors come here to experience the unique cultural heritage and scenery. It is also a very cosmopolitan city, perhaps the second busiest in the country after Kuala Lumpur.

Malacca's history was official recorded when the Sultan of Kedah ceded the state (then under his control) to Francis Light of the British East India Company in 1786. In exchange, the Sultan was promised British military protection from the Siamese by the crafty Light who had, in fact, no such backing.

When the Siamese invaded, there was no help rendered to the Sultan. He attempted to retake Malacca back in 1790. The attack was unsuccessful and Malacca continued to remain under British control with an additional strip of mainland added in 1800. The Sultan was paid 10,000 Spanish Dollars per annum in return.

Through the decades, Malacca flourished as a centre for trade of tea, spices, china and cloth. It remained under British rule until it became part of Malaysia in 1957 during Independence Day.