TY - JOUR
T1 - Pedra Branca Off Singapore
T2 - A Historical Cartographic Analysis of a Post-colonial Territorially Disputed Island
AU - ONG, Brenda Man Qing
AU - PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco
N1 - ONG, Brenda Man Qing, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2022). Pedra Branca Off Singapore: A Historical Cartographic Analysis of a Post-colonial Territorially Disputed Island, Histories, 2, 1: 47-67
PY - 2022/2/22
Y1 - 2022/2/22
N2 - At the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait lies Pedra Branca, an island of granite rock situated in hazardous waters. Its unexceptional presence belies a rich cartographical history and infamous reputation for leading ships to grief since antiquity. Pedra Branca was first pushed into the spotlight when the British constructed the Horsburgh Lighthouse in 1851. It later caught international attention when a heated territorial dispute for the island between Singapore and Malaysia arose, lasting from 1979–2018, with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) eventually granting rights to Singapore. The ensuing legal battle led to renewed interest in the geography and post-19th century history of the island. The most recent breakthrough, however, provides a glimpse into an even earlier history of Pedra Branca—and by extension, Singapore—as shipwrecked remains dating from the 14th century were uncovered in the surrounding waters. Historical research on the ancient history of Pedra Branca has been mostly neglected by scholars over the years; thus, this paper aims to shed some light on this enigmatic history of the island and at the same time establish its history and significance by utilizing pre-British-colonization historical cartographical data from as early as the 15th century.
AB - At the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait lies Pedra Branca, an island of granite rock situated in hazardous waters. Its unexceptional presence belies a rich cartographical history and infamous reputation for leading ships to grief since antiquity. Pedra Branca was first pushed into the spotlight when the British constructed the Horsburgh Lighthouse in 1851. It later caught international attention when a heated territorial dispute for the island between Singapore and Malaysia arose, lasting from 1979–2018, with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) eventually granting rights to Singapore. The ensuing legal battle led to renewed interest in the geography and post-19th century history of the island. The most recent breakthrough, however, provides a glimpse into an even earlier history of Pedra Branca—and by extension, Singapore—as shipwrecked remains dating from the 14th century were uncovered in the surrounding waters. Historical research on the ancient history of Pedra Branca has been mostly neglected by scholars over the years; thus, this paper aims to shed some light on this enigmatic history of the island and at the same time establish its history and significance by utilizing pre-British-colonization historical cartographical data from as early as the 15th century.
KW - Historical Cartography
KW - Toponymy
KW - Pedra Branca
KW - Singapore
KW - Claims of Sovereignty
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9252/2/1/5
U2 - 10.3390/histories2010005
DO - 10.3390/histories2010005
M3 - Article
SN - 2409-9252
VL - 2
SP - 47
EP - 67
JO - Histories
JF - Histories
IS - 1
ER -