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Singapore is a small island
located just south of Malaysia. With an area of 697.1 square
kilometers, it is about one quarter the size of Rhode Island.
Singapore is a city-state located just south of the equator.
This location results in warm, humid weather all year with an
average temperature of 26.8°C and average humidity of 84.3%.
Singapore also encompasses 63 surrounding off shore islands
including the natural rainforest of Pulau Ubin and the tourist
friendly island of Sentosa.
The city-state also has
areas designated for each large ethnic
population, known as
the ethnic quarters. These areas were established very early
in Singapore’s history and include Chinatown, Kampong Glam and
Little India. The government also recognizes the diversity
of its population. For example, the national holidays are to
accommodate each of the four major ethnic groups. Two days of
national holiday are designated for each group, as follows:
Chinese – Chinese New Year
(2 days)
Malay – Hari Raya Haji, Hari
Raya Puasa
Indian – Vesak Day,
Deepavali
Other – Good Friday,
Christmas
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With a population of over 4 million, Singapore is one of
the most densely populated countries in the world with 6,004
persons per square kilometer. Of this population, 76.7% are
Chinese, 14% Malay, 7.9% Indian, and 1.4 % other.
With such a diverse population, there are also diverse
languages, religions and other aspects of culture within the
small area. Singapore designated Malay as their national
language and English as the language of administration.
A large majority of the Chinese population speaks Mandarin and
most of the Indian population speaks the south Indian language
of Tamil. 42.5% of the population are Buddhists, while
the others practice Taoism, Christianity or are of Muslim
faith.
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Singapore was
originally a Malay fishing village. It was named when the ruler of
present day Indonesia landed on the island seeking shelter from a
storm and saw what he thought to be a lion. From thereafter, the
small island was known as Singapura, or Lion City. In the 19th
century Britain reigned in India and participated in trade with
China. They were looking for a trading port between the two
countries and sent Sir Stamford Raffles in search of one. On the
29th of January 1819, Raffles landed in Singapore and soon after
established a treaty with the Sultan to use the island as a trading
port, establishing modern Singapore. On 9 August 1965, Singapore
was declared an independent, sovereign, democratic nation. On 22
November 1965, it established a republic government by electing its
first president. Singapore is now considered a republic with a
parliamentary system based on the Westminster model. Its executive
branch consists of the Head of State or president and the Cabinet
led by the Prime Minister.
Since then,
Singapore has prospered with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of
$180.5 billion. Its major trading partners being Malaysia, the US
and Japan, Singapore imports around $276.9 billion and exports
$303.5 billion.
Singapore is a
huge draw to tourists due to is urban feel of large skyscrapers,
high end shopping and elegant hotels and also due to the fact that
it’s a tropical island with beaches, botanical gardens and radiant
weather.
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