Melaka << muh LAK uh >>, also spelled Malacca (pop. 63,854), is a city in Malaysia. It is on the southwest coast of the Malay Peninsula, 125 miles (201 kilometers) northwest of Singapore.
A Malay prince from Sumatra (now part of Indonesia) founded the port of Melaka in about 1400. It soon became the center of a powerful kingdom that controlled the Strait of Malacca, a busy trade route, and much of the surrounding territory. The Portuguese occupied the city in 1511. The Dutch seized Melaka in 1641, and the British gained control of the city in 1824.
