Melaka

Located on the west coast of Malaysia facing the Straits of Malacca, Melaka is situated about 147 km from Kuala Lumpur. It is a 90 minute drive to Melaka from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

The state of Malacca (Melaka) is supposed to have derived its name from a tree called "pokok-Melaka", which grew in abundance there at the time. Founded in the 14th century by a Sumatran prince, Melaka developed as a major port for ships for trade from India and China.

It was under Portuguese rule from 1511 till 1641, then taken over by the Dutch, and later came under British regime. The remnants of its historic past make Melaka an ideal destination for tourists and history lovers. The main language spoken is Bahasa, but English is also widely used, along with Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Most people here are bilingual.

With a land area of only 1638 sq metres, Melaka was once a quiet seaside city till the early 1970s. Following an influx of foreign investments in industrialization, and development of tourism, Melaka has quickly emerged as a modern, developed city and a tourist hot-spot.

Today, it has numerous industrial estates and hundreds of factories with investments from USA, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore. With free trade zones and use of imported material in manufacture, it produces an array of goods like rubber gloves, sophisticated weaponry products, footwear and even computer components.

In recent years, the Malaysian government has started focusing on developing Melaka into a popular tourism destination. With world-class healthcare facilities, offering treatment at very reasonable costs,

Melaka is fast gaining ground in medical tourism. Over 50,000 international patients visit Melaka every year to receive various health treatments, ranging from common medical checkups to serious and complicated treatments.

Melaka is also a shopper's paradise.  A wide range of items like clothing, footwear, electronic gadgets to authentic antique items are sold in various hubs and malls across the city. The narrow Jonker Street depicts typical Melakan historical charm and is a favourite market spot.