Singapore

Introduction to Singapore

The Republic of Singapore (Chinese: 新加坡共和国, Pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Gònghéguó, Malay: Republik Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு, Ciŋakappūr Kudiyarasu), is an island city-state in Southeast Asia, situated on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of the Indonesian Riau Islands. Its coordinates are 1°17.583′N 103°51.333′E, just 137 km north of the Equator. The name Singapore was derived from the Malay word singa (lion), which itself is derived from the Sanskrit word सिंह siMha of the same meaning, and the Sanskrit word पुर pura (city).

Singapore developed from a small Malay fishing village to become a multicultural, major global city with cosmopolitan ideals. It has attracted controversy for some of its policies it has taken to achieve its development since independence in 1965. Throughout recorded history, it has been possessed by multiple countries and empires and changed hands many times, including being in the possession of the Majapahit Kingdom, Melaka and the Sultanate of Johore in ancient history, the British Empire in the colonial era, Japanese Empire in World War II and Malaysia after merger, until its independence. After independence, government-led rapid industrialisation and open policies inviting foreign investments stimulated rapid economic growth and Singapore is presently regarded as a developed nation.

Presently, Singapore can be politically analysed as a democratic socialist country that has adopted a welfare system, although de facto it has a dominant-party system. The Government perceives Singapore as multiracial, and champions it as an ideal. The majority of the population are ethnic Chinese, with Malays, ethnic Indians and Eurasians constituting a significant minority. Singapore has little natural resources, so its economy relies on exports of electronics and manufacturing from her port. More than 90% of Singapore's population lives in housing estates constructed by the Housing Development Board and nearly half utilises the public transport system daily. As a result of public transport and environmental initiatives by government ministries, Singapore's pollutive industries are mostly isolated to heavy industry located offshore in Jurong Island.

On 26 November 1990 Goh Chok Tong became prime minister. Under his tenure the country tackled the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the SARS outbreak in 2003 as well as terrorist threats posed by the Jemaah Islamiah (JI). Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister on 12 August 2004 after securing the confidence of a majority of Parliament, which is still dominated by the PAP.

ingapore is a diamond-shaped island with surrounding smaller islands. There are two connections from Singapore to the Malaysian state of Johor — a man-made causeway (known as the Causeway) to the north, crossing the Tebrau Straits, and Tuas Second Link (called Linkedua Expressway in Malaysia), a bridge in the western part of Singapore that connects to Johor.

Of Singapore's dozens of smaller islands, Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the larger ones. The highest point of Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, with a height of 164 m (538 feet).

Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinct seasons, under the Köppen climate classification. Its climate is characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 22ºC to 34ºC.

Cultural notes about Singapore

As Singapore is a small and relatively modern amalgam of Chinese, Malay and Indian immigrants. The culture of Singapore expresses the diversity of the population as the various ethnic groups continue to celebrate their own cultures while they intermingle with one another. For example, one can find a Malay wedding taking place beside a Chinese wedding at a void deck, on the ground floor of a HDB apartment block. This can be said to be due to the policies of the HDB which tried to make sure all public housing have a diverse mix of races. However, Singapore has achieved a significant degree of cultural diffusion with its unique combination of these ethnic groups, and has given Singapore a rich mixture of diversity for its young age.

Singapore has several distinct ethnic neighborhoods, including Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam, formed by the Raffles Plan of Singapore in the early 19th century to segregate the new immigrants into specific areas. Although the population are no longer segregated in distribution, mainly due to the policies of the Housing Development Board and the ruling People's Action Party, these ethnic neighbourhoods retain unique elements of their specific culture. The usage of such neighbourhoods is mostly commercial or for cottage industry specific to the culture of its ethnic neighbourhood, and no longer plays a large part in housing the population, although it was once used for that purpose. Hence, these neighbourhoods have patronage of all races who wish to either eat or buy something specific to that culture.

For example, Little India is known and patronised by all races within the population for its thalis-- South Indian "buffets" that are vegetarian and served on the traditional banana leaves. These neighbourhoods are accessible by public transport, especially by Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).

Official Canadian government advisories for travelling to, in and around Singapore

Violent crime against foreigners is rare. Robberies and sexual assaults have increased. Petty crime such as pickpocketing and purse snatching is prevalent at the airport, at hotels, and near tourist areas. Exercise normal safety precautions and ensure personal belongings, passports, and other travel documents are secure at all times.

Pirate attacks and armed robbery occur against ships in Southeast Asia, in and around Singapore, in the Straits of Malacca, and between Riau Province and Singapore. Mariners should take appropriate precautions.