Ancient Singapore history
The earlier mention of Singapore is traced back to the 3rd century, when a Chinese account described the island as ‘Pu Luo Chung,’ or island at the end of the Malay Peninsula. In the 7th Century, Temasek (Sea Town) as Singapore was then known was a prosperous trading outpost of the Malayan Buddhist Empire.
Temasek to Singapura
In the 13th Century, a member of the Royal family Sang Nila Utama was looking for a place to build a new city. When he arrived at the shores of the island, he mistook a tiger for a lion. Taking this as a good omen, he decided to build his new city here, naming it Singapura, the Sanskrit words for Lion City. Thus the Lion City came into being as Singapura. Today Merlion— a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish is a symbol of Singapore.
Modern history of Singapore
Singapore as it is known today was founded by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, an official of the British East India Company. Raffles believed that the British needed a new port to prevent the Dutch from dominating the Malay Archipelago. Raffles' expedition arrived in Singapore on January 29, 1819. He found a small Malay settlement at the mouth of the Singapore River. In 1826, the British East India Company consolidated Singapore, Penang and Malacca into a single administrative unit, known as the Straits Settlements.
The Battle of Singapore
After the outbreak of World War II, Singapore came under the Japanese rule in 1941. However, four years later after Japan’s surrender, the British were welcomed back, but their right to rule was no longer assured. By the 1950s, burgeoning nationalism had led to the formation of a number of political parties as Singapore moved slowly towards self-government. However, it was in August 1963, Singapore became an independent republic.
Soon after its independence, Singapore embarked on a modernization path. The focus was on establishing a manufacturing industry and huge investment on education. By the 1990s Singapore had became the one of the prosperous nations in the world.