| a former British crown colony in SE Asia: included the settlements of Singapore, Penang, Malacca, and Labuan. |
Straits Settlements  (strāts)  A former British crown colony comprising parts of the southern and western Malay Peninsula and adjacent islands, including Singapore. Formed in 1826, it was under Indian control until 1867, when the British assumed direct authority. Singapore became a separate colony in 1946; the remaining portions of the Straits Settlements were granted to Australia and the Federation of Malaya (later Malaysia) in the 1950s. |