HISTORY OF

SINGAPORE
A Srivijayan Prince Named Sang Nila Utama Found Temasek.
He Saw A Singa [Lion] And Renamed The Island As Singapura.

Temasek ('Sea Town' in Old Javanese, spelt Tumasik) was the

name of an early city on the site of modern Singapore. From the
14th century, the island has also been known as Singapura,
which is derived from Sanskrit and means "Lion City". Legend
has it that the name was given by Sang Nila Utama when he
visited the island in 1299 and saw an unknown creature, which
he mistook as a lion.
 FOUNDING OF SINGAPORE

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the Malay Archipelago was gradually
taken over by the European colonial powers, beginning with the arrival of the
Portuguese at Malacca in 1509. The early dominance of the Portuguese was
challenged during the 17th century by the Dutch, who came to control most of
the ports in the region. The Dutch established a monopoly over trade within the
archipelago, particularly in spices, then the region's most important product.
Other colonial powers, including the British, were limited to a relatively minor
presence.
 SIR STAMFORD RAFFLES
 The Dutch had been stifling
British trade in the region by
prohibiting the British from
operating in Dutch-controlled ports
or by subjecting them to a high
tariff. R affles hoped to challenge
the Dutch by establishing a new
port along the S traits of Malacca,
the main ship passageway for the
India-C hina trade.
 In 1818, Sir Stamford Raffles was
appointed as the Lieutenant Governor
of the British colony at Bencoolen. He
was determined that Great Britain
should replace the Netherlands as the
dominant power in the archipelago,
since the trade route between China
and British India, which had become
vitally important with the institution of
the opium trade with China, passed
through the archipelago.
 FOUNDING OF SINGAPORE

 Raffles arrived in Singapore on 28 January 1819 and soon recognized the island as
a natural choice for the new port. It lay at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, near
the Straits of Malacca, and possessed a natural deep harbor, fresh water supplies, and
timber for repairing ships. Raffles found a small Malay settlement, with a population of
a few hundred, at the mouth of the Singapore River,

 Before Raffles arrived, there were around 1,000 people living in Singapore, mostly
Malays and a few dozen Chinese.By 1869, due to migration from Malaya and other
parts of Asia, Singapore's population had reached 100,000. Many Chinese and Indians
immigrants came to Singapore to work in the rubber plantations and tin mines, and
their descendents later formed the bulk of Singapore's population.
SINGAPORE AS A TRADING PORT

 This trading port is

situated along busy
shipping routes that
connect Europe to China.
The Port of Singapore is
the world's busiest and
very popular port as it is in
the centre of the main
trading route.
LEGENDS OF THE NAME TEMASEK

Temasek is `Sea Town’ in old Javanese. It

was the name of an early city now known
as Singapore. From the 14th century, the
island has also been known as Singapura
which means `Lion City’.
 MERLION

 The Merlion is a statue

with the head of a lion and
the body of a fish, used as
a mascot to identify
Singapore. Its name
combines `mer’ meaning
the sea and `lion’. The fish
body represents
 INDEPENDENCE OF SINGAPORE
 The history of the Republic of Singapore began when Singapore gained its independence and became a
republic following an ejection from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. After the separation, the fledgling nation had
to become self-sufficient, and faced problems including mass unemployment, housing shortages and lack of
land and natural resources such as petroleum. During Lee Kuan Yew's term as prime minister from 1959 to
1990, his administration curbed unemployment, raised the standard of living and implemented a large-scale
public housing programme. The country's economic infrastructure was developed, racial tension was
eliminated and an independent national defence system was created. Singapore evolved from a developing
nation to first world status towards the end of the 20th century.

 In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister. During his tenure, the country tackled the
economic impacts of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2003 SARS outbreak, as well as terrorist threats
posed by the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) post–11 September and the Bali bombings. In 2004 Lee Hsien Loong, the
eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister.