Former British crown colony, on the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia .
It comprised three trade centres, Penang , Singapore , and Malacca, which were established or taken over by the British East India Company. United in 1826 under Indian control, they were made a crown colony by the British in 1867. Cocos Islands , Christmas Island, and Labuan were added in the early 20th century. Occupied by the Japanese during World War II, the colony was broken up in 1946 when Singapore became a separate colony. The remaining parts were ultimately ceded to Australia and Malaysia.