The earliest known
mention of Singapore was a
3rd century Chinese account which described Singapore
as "Pu-luo-chung" ("island at the end of a peninsula").
Little is known about the island's history at that time but this
matter-of-fact description belies Singapore 's colourful past.
By the 14th century, Singapore had become part of the mighty Sri
Vijayan empire and was known as Temasek (" Sea Town
"). Located at the natural meeting point of sea routes at the tip of the
Malay Peninsula, Singapore
had long known visits from a wide variety of sea craft, from Chinese junks,
Indian vessels, Arab dhows and Portuguese battleships to Buginese schooners.
During the 14th century,
this small but strategically-placed island had earned a new name -
" Singa Pura" (" Lion City
"). According to legend, a visiting Sri Vijayan prince
saw an animal he mistook for a lion and Singapore 's modern day name was
born.
The British provided the
next notable chapter in the Singapore
story. During the 18th century, they saw the need for a strategic
"halfway house" to refit, feed and protect the fleet of their
growing empire, as well as to forestall any advances by the Dutch in the
region.
It was against this
political backdrop that Sir
Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a trading station.
The policy of free trade attracted merchants from all over Asia and from as
far afield as the US and
the Middle East . By 1824, just five years
after the founding of modern Singapore
, the population had grown from a mere 150 to 10,000.
In 1832, Singapore became the centre of government for
the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore . The opening of the
Suez Canal in 1869 and the advent of telegraph and steamship increased Singapore 's
importance as a centre for the expanding trade between East and West
Singapore had been the site of military
action in the 14th century when it became embroiled in the struggle for the
Malay Peninsula between Siam
(now Thailand
), and the Java-based Majapahit Empire.
