History of Singapore: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Singapore, unless article is substantial enough.

The earliest references to what would become known as Singapore are in Chinese texts from the 3rd century.

The island served as an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and was originally given the Javanese name Temasek. Temasek rose to become a significant trading city in its heyday, but later declined in significance - little is to be found of old Temasek in Singapore other than archaeological evidence.

The current name of the city derives from the Sanskrit Singapura (Lion City); this name became common by the late 14th century.

The 15th and 16th century Sultanate of Johore included Singapore. During the Malay-Portugal wars Singapura was burned down by Portugese forces in 1617. The city was officially abandoned; the island remained inhabited by small bands of fishermen and pirates.

British Era

In 1819, Thomas Stamford Raffles, an official with the British East India Company, established Singapore as a trade post and settlement. After some conflict over the territory betwewen the Dutch and the British, the Dutch sold the island to Great Britain in August 1824. After undergoing a number of territorial incarnations, Singapore was made a crown colony in 1867.

During World War II Japanese forces gained control of Singapore in February 1942 and held it until September 1945.

Singapore became a self-governing nation in 1959. Singapore joined Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as part of the Federation of Malaysia between 1963 and 1965. It however, withdrew from Malaysia, becoming a sovereign nation on August 9, 1965 as racial tensions grew within Malaysia. Singapore rapidly formed its own armed forces as Britain withdrew troops from Singapore in October 1971. Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore's first Prime Minister, governing Singapore from 1959 to 1990. His successor was Goh Chok Tong. On August 12, 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Lee Yuan Kew, took over as prime minister.