Why did the British seek to colonize Singapore?

Answer 1

-They wanted to break the dutch monopoly of trade in the

Archipelago By colonizing Singapore, they would have a new

trading settlement to rival the Dutch.

-Singapore was located centrally and was the main trade route

between the East and the West. Therefore, Singapore was the best

trading centre amongst other the islands because of its strategic

location at the heart of the Malay Archipelago

Answer 2

At that time, the British had only bases in Penang and Bencoolen, but neither was suitable for a trading port. Bencoolen was on the west side of Sumatra, which was too far from the main trading routes, and Penang was too far north, and could not protect its ships passing through the Straits. Thus trade between these trading centres were cut off by the Dutch, who controlled both the Sunda Straits and the Straits of Malacca. What the British needed was a new base in the centre of the Malay Archipelago to challenge the Dutch region, something which Singapore was able to provide.

Answer 3

The British didn't colonized Malaysia, they colonized Malaya. Malaysia didn't exists until 1963. The British colonized them for their rich resources such as tins. The other reasons is their location is strategic as a port since they are located at the middle of the way from Uk to China.