The export economy of the Straits Settlements
King Edward VII and Queen Victoria on the obverse of coins minted in the Straits Settlements.
The Straits Settlements—Penang, Melaka and Singapore—were established between 1786 and 1824 as free ports. Initially, they were naval bases and centres for international trade, particularly between India and China, and also a counterpoise to the power of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the Malay Peninsula. Later, these ports served as leading regional entrepôts, as prime collection and distribution points, and as entry points for the foreign entrepreneurs and immigrant labourers who hastened the economic development of the region.
- Information in the full article includes
- Links with earlier centuries
- The creation of free ports
- The growth of staple exports