Sunday, August 5, 2007

States Of Malaysia - Melaka

From Wikipedia & Malaysiana1.

Melaka is Malaysia’s Historical State. It is the country’s third smallest state after Perlis and Penang.

Melaka is located in the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia, facing the Melaka Straits. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and Johor to the east. The state's capital is Melaka City.

Melaka was once a kingdom, from 1400 to 1511. However, after the Portuguese invasion of 1511, the Sultan of Melaka returned to his original home, Johor, and today, reigns as the Sultan of Johor.

Melaka is divided into three districts namely Melaka City, Jasin and Alor Gajah.

Indigenous people, mainly Johoreans (Selangorians) form 43 per cent of the state, followed by Chinese (42 per cent) and Indians (15 per cent).

The Sultan of Johor created a new kingdom, Melaka, in 1400, after an assassination attempt on him by the King of Siam.

The Sultan, Parameswara or Sultan Muhammad Iskandar Shah 1, named his kingdom Melaka after the Melaka tree under which he sat while hunting.

In 1511, the Portuguese invaded and conquered Melaka. The Dutch followed in 1641 and the British in 1824.

Melaka became an independent state of Malaysia on August 31, 1957. Like Penang, it became a republic ruled by a Governor appointed by the Chief Minister in consultation with the King of Malaysia.

Melaka is a major centre of tourism in Malaysia and also houses many small and medium scale industries.

It is also the centre of the world class Melaka Medical College, which was formed in 1997.

Melaka’s most famous cuisine is the Peranakan Chinese (Acculturated Chinese) cuisine which is a fusion of Chinese and indigenous Malaysian cuisine.

Traditional Johorean Malay food here includes barbecued fish or Ikan Bakar, and the durian and rice pudding called Dodol.

There is a small Portuguese Eurasian community in Melaka which celebrates traditional Portuguese festivals every year. Its members are the descendants of Portuguese settlers who married local Chinese and Indian women.

There used to be a railway line connecting Melaka City to Tampin in Negeri Sembilan. However, this line was dismantled by the Japanese during their five-year occupation of Malaysia during World War 2.

Here are some popular tourist attractions in Melaka.

The red-walled Dutch Town Hall or Stadthuys.

The Portuguese fort A Famosa’s gateway.

The Dutch fort St John’s.

The Dutch-built St Peter’s Church, with a bell from Goa in India.

The Portuguese-built St Paul’s Church.

The Dutch-built Christ Church.

The British-built St Francis Xavier Church, in memory of the Apostle Of The East from Spain.

Antique Shops in Hang Jebat Road.

The Maritime Museum, in the shape of Portuguese warship Flor De La Mar.

China Hill, the country’s oldest Chinese cemetery.

Here are some famous Melakans.

Popular Malaysian singer Anuar Zain and his elder sister Ziana Zain.

Top Malaysian movie star Rosyam Nor, nicknamed the Malaysian Ewan McGregor, and his cousin Faizal Hussein, nicknamed the Malaysian Kiefer Sutherland.

Veteran Malaysian and Singaporean comedian S. Shamsuddin who was a close collaborator of Malaysia’s King of Entertainment Tan Sri P. Ramlee.

Veteran Malaysian oppositionist Lim Kit Siang and his son and political heir Lim Guan Eng.

Malaysian football legend Datuk Soh Chin Aun.

Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) founder and Malaysian independence leader Tun Tan Cheng Lock and his son, former Finance Minister Tun Tan Siew Sin.

Malaysian journalist and feminist Adibah Amin alias Seri Delima.

Novelist Shirley Lim Geok-Lin, who is a Professor of English in the University of California, the United States.