Few have heard of the existence of the Malacca Peninsula in Southeast Asia, although it cannot be called small. Anyone who is a little oriented in geography will be able to better imagine where this geographical object is located, if he remembers such famous islands as Singapore and Sumatra. The first of them is located in the southern direction of the peninsula, and the second in the southwest. Moreover, Sumatra shares the Strait of Malacca with the peninsula.
Malacca is a peninsula whose territory is divided into three parts. Each of them belongs to one of the states: the southern part - Malaysia, the northern - Thailand and the north-west - Myanmar.
Malacca Peninsula Economy
Rubber here is considered the raw material from which the peninsula receives the most revenue. It is not only grown, but subjected to primary processing. A smaller share in the economy is the cultivation of oilseeds, coconut palms and rice. Since the peninsula is extended far into the ocean and washed from almost all sides by its waters, it is not surprising that local residents of the coastal strip are engaged in fishing. For industrialists, the Malacca Peninsula is not very attractive. The minerals here are scarce.
Bauxite is mined here - aluminum ore. Not so long ago, tin ore deposits were developed , but recently, work has been suspended due to volume reduction. Countries located on the Malacca Peninsula live off rubber and fisheries.
Historical excursion
Whoever did not have the temptation to take possession of the peninsula. It is known that in the period of 1-6 centuries AD, the northern part of Malacca was under the control of the state of Funan.
From the 7th to the 14th century, the peninsula was part of Sumatra - the empire of Srivijaya, which was replaced by a military solution to the issue by the state of Majapahit. It was during this period that Indo-Buddhism reached its peak in this part of Southeast Asia.
Between 1400 and 1403, at the direction of the Prince of Sumatra, named Paramesvara, the construction of the city of Malacca began. The place was chosen well - the mouth of the river, the shore of the strait of the same name - the harbor was very convenient strategically. The favorable location between the two great powers of Asia, which are considered India and China, subsequently contributed to the fact that the city of Malacca turned into a rapidly developing shopping center, not only the peninsula. After half a century, there were more than 50 thousand inhabitants.
In 1405, Admiral Zhen Hye, who arrived on the peninsula as an ambassador, offered the patronage of the Celestial Empire over the peninsula and guaranteed that the neighboring state of Siam would no longer make a claim. With the blessing of the Chinese, Prince Paramesvara received the title of King of the Peninsula along with the nearby islands. Arriving in large numbers, merchants from the Arab states brought to Malacca a new religion, which very quickly won the minds and hearts of the local population. King Parasvara, keeping up with the times, in 1414 decided to become a Muslim with a new name - Megat Iskander Shah. Malacca is a peninsula that has seen many changes.
Wars that hinder development
In 1424, a conflict broke out between the conservative Malay-Javanese aristocracy, which held the position of Hinduism, and a group led by Muslim merchants. The struggle ended in 1445, its result was the victory of the Islamic group. The ruler of the country was Raja Qasim, aka Sultan Muzaffar Shah I.
At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries, sailing merchant ships from neighboring countries, from the Middle and Near East, delivered porcelain, silk, textiles, gold, nutmeg, pepper and other spices, camphor and sandalwood to the port. Instead, tin was exported, which sultanate subjects mined in large quantities. The Malacca Peninsula is part of the southern limb of the Indochina Peninsula.
There was a situation in which the feudal lords could not divide power among themselves, and the ruling circles could not reach agreement with the Javanese and Chinese merchants, and from time to time the vassals rebelled. As a result, the situation led to the decline of the Malacca Sultanate. At the beginning of the 16th century, colonizers from Portugal took advantage of this.
The first attempt in 1509 ended with the defeat of the Portuguese fleet from the Malaccans, who suddenly attacked the invaders. The Portuguese returned two years later, led by the commander of d'Albuquerque. As a result of a successful assault, a strategically important port was captured by Europeans. The sultan, resigned to his defeat, was forced to leave the city, and then with battles retreat to the southern regions of the peninsula and take refuge in Johor. The winners began to develop colonial territory. Following the military detachments came Christian missionaries, who erected religious buildings in the first place. After the capture of Malacca, the Portuguese built a fortress to strengthen their positions.
Dutch in power
After a couple of centuries, entrepreneurial Dutchmen began to show interest in Malacca. In 1641, after an almost six-month siege, the city nevertheless surrendered to the new colonialists. The Dutch conquerors decided to choose a safer place for the capital. It became Batalavia (in the modern version - Jakarta), and the city of Malacca received the status of a watch outpost.
The Dutch owned the peninsula for almost one and a half hundred years, until in 1795 their rivals, the British, came here. In 1818 and 1824 there was a change of domination, its transition from the British to the Dutch, and then vice versa. Since 1826, Malacca (peninsula) finally became part of the colonial empire of England.
In 1946-1948, in this region of Southeast Asia, the Malacca Peninsula was listed in the Malay Union, since 1948 - the independent Malay Federation. In 1963, Malacca, having received the status of a state, entered the state of Malaysia.
The modern peninsula of Malacca
The centuries-long stay under the rule of the Chinese, and then the Europeans, especially the Portuguese, was reflected in the cultural development of the peninsula. Representatives of both civilizations are characterized by compact community living. This is directly related to the place where the Malacca Peninsula is located.
Almost the entire coast from the Strait of Malacca is a series of excellent beaches dotted with pleasant white sand. After waiting for the tide, tourists will be able to collect a lot of seashells with unique coloring and unique shapes.
Recreation includes, among other things, canoeing or boat rides, breathtaking scuba diving into the depths of the sea.
Capital and other cities
On the peninsula is the capital of Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, which is located in its southwestern part.
At the huge international airport there are representative offices of more than 40 airlines of different countries. Malacca is a peninsula that is visited by thousands of tourists annually.
Kuala Lumpur is famous for its many attractions that will leave only the warmest impressions: the Menara TV tower 421 meters high, the 88-story twin towers of Petronas, the Gardens by the Lake parks with a total area of 91.6 hectares, the Datan Merdeka square, the palace of Sultan Abdul Samad and others.