Straits Settlements, a British colony in the East Indies, consists (since 1867) of settlements on the Straits of Malacca, or rather on the Malay Peninsula—viz. Singapore, Malacca, Penang, Keeling Islands (since 1886), and Christmas Island (since 1889). For particulars of these, see the respective articles. The total area is 1542 sq. m. and the total pop. (1881) 423,384; (1891) 506,577. About 150,000 of these are Chinese, and a large number natives of India; of these last there arrive about 18,000 every year, though nearly as many leave again. The principal productions of the colony are tin, gambier, tapioca, rice, sugar, pepper, and other spices. The trade is largely a transit one; and the exports reach approximately an annual value of £30,000,000, the imports of £40,000,000; but both are increasing at a rapid rate. There are a number of native dependent states, the salient particulars regarding which are given here, while the more important states are treated in separate articles.
| State. | Made a British Protectorate in | Area, sq. m. | Pop. (1891). | Annual value of imports. | Annual value of exports. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perak..... | 1874 | 7,950 | 212,997 | £1,101,000 | £608,000 |
| Selangor..... | 1874 | 5,000 | 81,421 | 1,093,000 | 436,700 |
| Sungei Ujong... | 1885 | 660 | 23,602 | 83,600 | 64,000 |
| Negri Sembilan... | 1889 | 2,000 | 41,617 | 16,000 | 22,000 |
| Pahang..... | 1888 | 15,000 | 52,803 | .. | .. |
| Total..... | 30,610 | 412,440 | £2,303,600 | £1,130,700 |
The more notable productions of these states are tin, rice, coffee, sugar, tea, cinchona. Tin is chiefly mined in Perak by Chinese, and worked at the mines, and at Singapore and Penang. The climate of all these states and districts is pretty uniform, though high, the mean being 82.5° F. The rainfall is distributed with tolerable regularity over the whole twelve months, in which period it ranges from 84 to 110 inches. See the map in Vol. II. p. 562.