Situated immediately south of the Titiwangsa Mountains, the state is mostly level and dotted with inselbergs, with Bukit Gapis as the highest point.

Malays, Chinese, Indians, Baba Nyonya, Kristang, Chitty, Temuan and Eurasians are significant ethnic groups living in the State of Malacca in the present day.

[16][17][18] The state's name dates to a popular legend surrounding the founding of the Malacca Sultanate by Parameswara, who sought a new location to establish a kingdom after fleeing a Majapahit invasion of Singapura.

As the story goes, Parameswara was resting under a Malacca tree (Malay: pokok melaka) near a river during a hunt, when one of his dogs cornered a mouse deer.

Impressed by the courage of the deer, and taking it as a good omen of the weak overcoming the powerful, Parameswara decided then to found an empire at that spot.

[19] This story shows remarkable similarities with and was probably adapted (as some historians argued) from folk-tales from Kandy, Sri Lanka, and Pasai, Sumatra (both of which pre-date Malacca).

[23] One theory suggests, as mentioned in the Suma Oriental by Tomé Pires, that it is derived from the Javanese terms melayu or mlayu (to steadily accelerate or to run), to describe the strong current of a river in Sumatra that today bears the name Sungai Melayu ('Melayu river') which was later possibly adopted to be Melaka as denoting a place for the fleeing prince.

This encouraged the development of Malacca into a major center on the trade route between China and India, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

[26] During the early 15th century, Ming China actively sought to build in Malacca a commercial hub and a base of operations for their treasure voyages into the Indian Ocean.

[27] In 1405, the Ming court dispatched Admiral Zheng He with a stone tablet enfeoffing the Western Mountain of Malacca, as well as an imperial order elevating the status of the port to a country.

[27] In 1431, when a Malaccan representative complained that Siam was obstructing tribute missions to the Ming court, the Xuande Emperor dispatched Zheng He, carrying a threatening message for the Siamese king, saying, "You, king should respect my orders, develop good relations with your neighbours, examine and instruct your subordinates and not act recklessly or aggressively".

[27] The early kings of Malacca—Parameswara, Megat Iskandar Shah, and Sri Maharaja—understood that they could gain Ming China's protection through skilful diplomacy and thereby establish a strong foundation for their kingdom against Siam and other potential enemies.

[29] According to Malaccan folklore, to enhance relations, Hang Li Po, a daughter of the Ming emperor of China, arrived in Malacca, accompanied by 500 attendants, to marry Sultan Mansur Shah, who reigned from 1456 until 1477.

[31][32] In April 1511, Afonso de Albuquerque set sail from Goa to Malacca with a force of some 1,200 men and seventeen or eighteen ships.

The centralised port of exchange of Asian wealth was now gone, as was a Malay state to police the Strait of Malacca which had made it safe for commercial traffic.

The first attack took place in 1606 under the command of Dutch Admiral Cornelis Matelief de Jonge who laid siege to the town with the help of his ally, the Johor Sultanate.

The State Executive Council is responsible to the assembly and comprises members who are appointed every five years by the political party or coalition in power.

[13] It located on the southwestern coast of the Malay Peninsula opposite Sumatra, with the state of Negeri Sembilan to the north and west and Johor to the east.

The peninsula of Tanjung Tuan (formerly known as Cape Rachado) is an exclave of the state, situated on the coast of Negeri Sembilan which it borders to the north.

[75] Currently there are 23 industrial areas which are centred along the edges of the city proper in suburbs which include Ayer Keroh, Batu Berendam, Cheng, Taman Tasik Utama and Tanjung Kling.

[84][85] By 2020, the government-run 7,248ha Melaka World Solar Valley aims to power most of the daily activities of manufacturers, housing developers, farmers, and other stakeholders.

Recently, a public-private partnership installed 100,000 LED street lamps along the Alor Gajah–Melaka Tengah–Jasin (AMJ) highway, which will improve road safety and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

[97] On 4 December 2017, Melaka Monorail has re-operate[98] with enhanced safety features such as lightning-prevention devices and the addition of a rescue vehicle to attract wagons in the event of a technical problem.

[100] Daily ferries run from Malacca to the Indonesian cities of Bengkalis, Dumai and Pekanbaru departing from Harbour Master's Jetty.

[104] The Melaka Sentral bus station, combined with taxi terminal, serves cities around Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.

[109] Many of the heavily decorated cycle rickshaws (Malay: beca) equipped with sound system can be seen on the streets in Malacca City.

Skill-Tech Institute provides training in agriculture, homestay, biotechnology, ranching, aquaculture, estate supervision, landscaping, and food processing.

[131] Malacca is also a popular place for health care and medical tourism for Indonesian people from Sumatra due to its close proximity to the state, followed by Singapore.

The practice combines elements of music (violins, gongs and tambourines or the tambour), songs and chants, and features melodious strains of poetry.

Iconic Bollywood artist, Shah Rukh Khan described Malacca as beautiful and said he would return for acting and holiday in the state.