Straits Settlement.
The Straits Settlement of 1826 was Singapore along with Malacca and Penang (two British settlements on the Malay Peninsula). British India had control. In 1832 Singapore was now the "center of government for the three areas." On April 1st 1867, the Straits Settlement became a Crown Colony. A Crown Colony is a British colony controlled by the British Crown. In 1869, the Suez Canal opened which made Singapore a " major port of call for ships plying between Europe and East Asia." With the help of the development of rubber the Suez Canal became main "sorting and export center in the world for rubber." Singapore experienced unexpected success and the trading expanded. Immigrants started coming and soon Singapore's population grew to 800,792. That ended when the Japanese air bombed Singapore on December 8th 1941. February 15th 1942 was when Singapore fell. The Japanese renamed Syonan and held control for three and a half years.