Singapore, officially the
Republic of Singapore is an island nation located at the
southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres
(85 mi) north of the Equator, south of the Malaysian state
of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 704.0 km²
(272 sq mi), it is one of the few remaining city-states in
the world and the smallest country in Southeast Asia.
The British East India Company established a trading post on
the island in 1819. The main settlement up to that point was
a Malay fishing village at the mouth of the Singapore River.
Several hundred indigenous Orang Laut people also lived
around the coast, rivers and smaller islands. The British
used Singapore as a strategic trading post along the spice
route. It became one of the most important commercial and
military centres of the British Empire. Winston Churchill
called it "Britain's biggest defeat" when it was occupied by
the Japanese during World War II.[citation needed] Singapore
reverted to British rule in 1945. In 1963, it merged with
Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. Less than two
years later it split from the federation and became an
independent republic on 9 August 1965. Singapore was
admitted to the United Nations on September 21 that same
year.
Since independence, Singapore's standard of living has
increased progressively. A state-led industrialization
drive, aided by foreign direct investment has created a
modern economy based on electronics manufacturing,
petrochemicals, tourism and financial services alongside the
traditional entrepôt trade. Singapore is the 17th wealthiest
country in the world in terms of GDP per capita. The small
nation has a foreign reserve of S$222 billion (US$147
billion).
The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore established
the nation's political system as a representative democracy,
while the country is recognized as a parliamentary republic.
The People's Action Party (PAP) dominates the political
process and has won control of Parliament in every election
since self-government in 1959.
Geography and climate
Singapore consists of 63 islands, including mainland
Singapore. There are two man-made connections to Johor,
Malaysia — Johor-Singapore Causeway in the north, and Tuas
Second Link in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau
Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore's many smaller
islands. The highest natural point of Singapore is Bukit
Timah Hill at 166 m (545 ft).
The south of Singapore, around the mouth of the Singapore
River and what is now the Downtown Core, used to be the only
concentrated urban area, while the rest of the land was
either undeveloped tropical rainforest or used for
agriculture. Since the 1960s, the government has constructed
new residential towns in outlying areas, resulting in an
entirely built-up urban landscape. The Urban Redevelopment
Authority was established on 1 April 1974, responsible for
urban planning.
Under the Köppen climate classification system, Singapore
has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive
seasons. Its climate is characterized by uniform temperature
and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall.
Temperatures range from 22 °C to 34 °C (72°–93 °F). On
average, the relative humidity is around 90 percent in the
morning and 60 percent in the afternoon. During prolonged
heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100 percent. The
lowest and highest temperatures recorded in its maritime
history are 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) and 37.8 °C (100 °F)
respectively. The highest wind speed recorded was 150 km/h
(93 mph) on 26 May 2007. June and July are the hottest
months, while November and December make up the wetter
monsoon season. From August to October, there is often haze,
sometimes severe enough to prompt public health warnings,
due to bushfires in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore does
not observe daylight saving time or a summer time zone
change. The length of the day is nearly constant year round
due to the country's location near the equator.
Economy
Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy, which
historically revolves around extended entrepot trade. Along
with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore is one of
the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on
exports refining imported goods, especially in
manufacturing. Manufacturing constituted 26 percent of
Singapore's GDP in 2005. The manufacturing industry is
well-diversified into electronics, petroleum refining,
chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences
manufacturing. In 2006, Singapore produced about 10 percent
of the world's foundry wafer output. Singapore is the
busiest port in the world in terms of tonnage shipped.
Singapore is the world's fourth largest foreign exchange
trading centre after London, New York City and Tokyo.
Singapore has been rated as the most business-friendly
economy in the world, with thousands of foreign expatriates
working in multi-national corporations. The city-state also
employs tens of thousands of foreign blue-collared workers
from around the world.
The per capita GDP in 2005 was US$26,833 and the
unemployment rate is 1.7 percent as of October 2007, a
record ten year low. In 2006, there were 173,000 new jobs
being created, a record high. In the first half of Year
2007, 111,000 new jobs were created, reaching another
breaking record.
Singapore introduced a Goods and Services Tax (GST) with an
initial rate of 3 percent on 1 April 1994 substantially
increasing government revenue by S$1.6 billion and
stabilizing government finances. The taxable GST was
increased to 4 percent in 2003, to 5 percent in 2004, and to
7 percent on 1st July 2007.
Singapore is a popular travel destination, making tourism
one of its largest industries. About 9.7 million tourists
visited Singapore in 2006. The Orchard Road district is the
centre of shopping hub in Singapore. To attract more
tourists, the government decided in 2005 to legalise
gambling and to allow two Integrated Resorts to be developed
at Marina South and Sentosa. To compete with its many rivals
such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai, the government has
announced that the city area would be transformed into a
more exciting place by lighting up the city completely.
Other than the Integrated Resort, about 15 new developments
are coming up, which include the Singapore Flyer, which
would be the largest Ferris wheel in the world, the Gardens
by the Bay and a 280-metre Double Helix Bridge. Cuisine has
been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists, with
the Singapore Food Festival in July organized annually to
celebrate Singapore's cuisine.
Singapore is also growing its medical tourism sector.
230,000 foreigners sought medical care in the country in
2003 and Singapore medical services are aiming to serve one
million foreign patients annually by 2012. In doing so it is
hoped to generate $3 billion in revenue and create at least
13,000 new jobs within the health industries . Singapore
hospitals are actively engaged in international healthcare
accreditation, at least partly as a by-product of this
desire to grow the income from medical tourism.
Free Trade Agreements
Free trade agreements connect Singapore to major economies
and markets. It allows Singapore-based exporters and
investors to benefit from tariff concessions, access to
certain sectors and intellectual property protection.
Singapore has 14 bilateral agreements with the following
countries:
ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)
ASEAN-China (ACFTA)
ASEAN-Korea (AKFTA)
Australia (SAFTA)
Jordan (SJFTA)
India (CECA)
Japan (JSEPA)
New Zealand (ANZSCEP)
Panama (PSFTA)
Peru
South Korea (KSFTA)
the Trans-Pacific SEP (Brunei, New Zealand, Chile,
Singapore)
the European Free Trade Association(Switzerland,
Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland) EFTA
United States of America USSFTA
Currency
The currency of Singapore is the Singapore dollar,
represented by the symbol S$. The central bank of Singapore
is the Monetary Authority of Singapore, responsible for
issuing currency. Singapore established the Board of
Commissioners of Currency, Singapore, on April 7, 1967 and
issued its first coins and notes. The Singapore dollar was
exchangeable at par with the Malaysian ringgit until 1973.
Interchangeability with the Brunei dollar is still
maintained. On 27 June 2007, to commemorate 40 years of
currency agreement with Brunei, a commemorative S$20 note
was launched; the back is identical to the Bruneian $20 note
launched concurrently. A circulation version of the $20 note
will be able to be exchanged at banks in Singapore.
Demographics
According to government statistics, the population of
Singapore as of September 2007 was 4.68 million, of whom 3.7
million were Singaporean citizens and permanent residents
(termed 'Singapore Residents'). Chinese formed 75.2% of
'Singapore Residents', Malays 13.6%, Indians 8.8%, while
Eurasians and other groups formed 2.4%.
According to Statistics Singapore, around 51 percent of
resident Singaporeans (excluding significant numbers of
visitors and migrant workers) practice Buddhism and Taoism.
About 15 percent, mostly Chinese and Indians, practice
Christianity - a broad classification including Catholicism,
Protestantism and other denominations. Muslims constitute 14
percent, of whom Malays account for the majority with a
substantial number of Indian Muslims. Smaller minorities
practice Sikhism, Hinduism, the Baha'i faith and others,
according to the 2000 census.
About 15 percent of the population declared no religious
affiliation.
Education
The literacy rate is one of the highest in Asia, at 95
percent (2006).
In Singapore, the English language is the first language
learned by half the children by the time they reach
preschool age and becomes the primary medium of instruction
by the time they reach primary school. English is the
language of instruction for most subjects, especially
mathematics and the natural sciences, except where other
languages are concerned. Certain schools, such as secondary
schools under the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) which
encourages a richer use of the mother tongue may teach
occasionally in English and another language. There are also
other schools which have been experimenting with curricula
that integrate language subjects with mathematics and the
sciences, using both English and a second language.
The standard for the school curriculum is set by the
Ministry of Education with a mix of private schools and
public schools. There is no strict public-private dichotomy:
the degree of autonomy, regarding curriculum and student
admission, government funding received, and tuition burden
on the students is further classified into "government-run",
"government-aided", "autonomous", "independent", and
"privately-funded". In addition, international schools cater
to expatriate students and sometimes admit local students.
There are three universities in Singapore; National
University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University,
and Singapore Management University. There are also five
polytechnics (Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic,
Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic and Republic
Polytechnic) in the country.
The educational system features a non-compulsory three-year
kindergarten, followed by six-year primary education,
students take the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE),
4 years of secondary education, a further set of
examinations are taken which determine their individual
subject mastery and which kind of tertiary education they
can pursue, such as junior colleges or Millennia Institute,
which provide a 2-year or 3-year pre-university education
route to the universities. There is an alternative to the
junior college route through polytechnics, where students
will graduate with a diploma certificate. There are also
tertiary institutions offering various Bachelor's, Master's,
and Doctoral degrees, other higher diplomas, and associate
degree courses.
Languages
The national language of Singapore is Malay for historical
reasons, and it is used in the national anthem, "Majulah
Singapura". The official languages are English, Mandarin,
Malay and Tamil. English has been promoted as the country's
language of administration since independence. The English
used is primarily based on British English, with some
American English influences. The use of English became
widespread in Singapore after it was implemented as a first
language medium in the education system, and English is the
most common language in Singaporean literature. Public signs
and official publications are in English, although there are
translated versions in other official languages. However,
the majority of the population speak a localised hybrid form
of English known as Singlish ("Singapore English"), which
has many creole-like characteristics, incorporating
vocabulary and grammar from Standard English, various
Chinese dialects, Malay and Indian languages. The government
has consistently tried to discourage the use of Singlish in
its "Speak Good English" campaigns.
Culture
Singapore is a mixture of an indigenous Malay population
with a third generation Chinese majority, as well as Indian
and Arab immigrants with some intermarriages. There also
exist significant Eurasian and Peranakan (known also as
'Straits Chinese') communities. Singapore has also achieved
a significant degree of cultural diffusion.
Transport
Singapore is a major Asian transportation hub, positioned on
many sea and air trade routes. The transportation industry
comprises over 10 percent of Singapore's GDP despite an
increasingly diversified economy.
The Port of Singapore, managed by port operators PSA
International and Jurong Port, was the world's busiest port
in 2005 in terms of shipping tonnage handled, at 1.15
billion gross tons, and in terms of containerised traffic,
at 23.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). It was
also the world's second busiest in terms of cargo tonnage,
coming behind Shanghai with 423 million tons handled. In
addition, the Port is the world's busiest for transshipment
traffic and the world's biggest ship refuelling centre.
Singapore is an aviation centre, acting as a stopover point
for the 'Kangaroo route' between Australasia and Europe.
Singapore Changi Airport has a network of 81 airlines
connecting Singapore to 185 cities in 58 countries (2007).
It has been rated as one of the best international airports
by international travel magazines. It was rated as the
world's best airport in 2006 by Skytrax. The airport has two
passenger terminals. A third terminal, terminal 3, is
scheduled for completion in January 2008 and there are plans
for a fourth terminal. There is also a budget terminal,
which serves budget carrier Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific.
The national carrier is Singapore Airlines (SIA). The
government is moving towards privatising Changi airport.
Singapore is linked to Johor, Malaysia via the Johor-Singapore
Causeway and the Tuas Second Link, as well as a railway
operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu of Malaysia, with its
southern terminus at Tanjong Pagar railway station. Frequent
ferry service to several nearby Indonesian ports also
exists.
The domestic transport infrastructure has a well-connected
island-wide road transport system which includes a network
of expressways. The public road system is served by the
nation's bus service and a number of licensed taxi-operating
companies. The public bus transport has been the subject of
criticism by Singaporeans, the majority of whom are
dependent on it for their daily commuting, but suffer from
its infrequency, poor scheduling and the buses' sometimes
less-than-desirable conditions.
