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Singapore
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Singapore is located on the Malay Peninsula in South East Asia. The territory consists of the island of Singapore and around 50 adjacent islands. The country is separated physically from Malaysia by the Johore Strait and from Indonesia by the Strait of Malacca as well as the Strait of Singapore. The islands are generally flat and low with a few small cliffs and shallow valleys to the southwest. The main island is drained by a number of short streams such as the Singapore, Jurong, Kalang, Kranji, Seletar and Serangoon. Land Use; forested 5%, pastures and agricultural-cultivated 1%, urban and other 94% (1993).
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Singapore has a tropical climate characterized by hot and humid conditions. Rainfall is distributed evenly throughout the year with an average annual precipitation of 2,410 mm (95 inches). During the NE Monsoon, floods are common while the SW Monsoon usually brings violent wind squalls called Sumatras. Average temperature ranges are between 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) all year.
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Singapore Weather Now
The Singaporeans are of three major ethnic groups.
- The Chinese who account for around 78% of the population.
- The Malays who account for 14%. T
- he Indians who account for 7% of the population.
As Singapore is a small and relatively modern amalgam of an indigenous Malay population with the majority of third generation Chinese, Indian and Arab immigrants. There is little intermarriage; it is most common between the Chinese and Indian races. There seems to be little culture that is specifically Singaporean. However, there exists a Eurasian community and a community of Peranakan or "Straits Chinese," of mixed Chinese and Malay descent.
Singapore has also 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. One of the prime examples is in Singapore's cuisine, often a cultural attraction for tourists.
Singapore also has several ethnic neighbourhoods, including Little India and Chinatown, which were formed under the Raffles Plan to segregate the new immigrants into ethnic ghettoes. Although the population is no longer segregated, these ethnic neighbourhoods retain selective elements of their specific culture. The usage of such neighbourhoods is mostly commercial or for a cottage industry specific to the culture of its ethnic neighbourhood, and does not play a big part in housing the population, although it is used for that purpose. Hence, these neighbourhoods have a diverse patronage who probably wish to either eat or buy something specific to that culture.
In other parts of the country, such segregation is discouraged by government policy and diversity encouraged. The policies of the Housing Development Board (HDB) are designed to ensure there is a mix of all races within each housing district. The effect of this can be observed in all parts of the country; for example a store devoted to selling Malay food might be right next to stores selling Chinese or Indian goods. This, in return, is thought by some to foster social cohesion and national loyalty, crucial for sustaining Singapore's growth. There is an extremely strong emphasis on racial harmony and the history pertaining to it, such as the 1964 Race Riots.
Religious tolerance has been strongly encouraged since the British colonised Singapore. The Sri Mariamman Temple, a South Indian Hindu temple, was declared a national monument in the 1980s). The Masjid Jamae Mosque, which served Chulia Muslims from India's Coromandel Coast, is situated along South Bridge Road, which is an old major road that runs through Chinatown. Among other religious landmarks is the Church of Gregory the Illuminator, that was built in 1836, making it one of the oldest religious buildings in Singapore. It has been preserved to the present day, and Orthodox services continue to be held in it. Although most religions are tolerated, some unorthodox groups are banned.
Since the late 1990s, the government has been striving to promote Singapore as a centre for arts and culture, including theatre and music. This fits in with Singapore's status as a cosmopolitan and multi-racial society, often being called the "gateway between the East and West". The highlight of this plan is the Esplanade - "Theatres on the Bay", a centre for performing arts, opened in 2003. The Esplanade is also informally known as "The Durian", due to its resemblance to the pungent fruit. To attract more tourists, the government passed a bill on 17 April 2005 to legalise gambling. It has decided to build two "Integrated Resorts" (IRs), each with a casino component built-in, at Marina South and Sentosa respectively. The decisions to legalise gambling and to build the resorts came only after great controversy and debate. Bans on bar-top dancing and bungee jumping were also lifted despite their lukewarm demand.
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| Demographic & Key Statistics |
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Density; 4,371 persons per sq km (11,329 persons per sq mi) (1991). Urban-Rural; 100.0% urban, 0.0% rural (1991). Sex Distribution; 50.6% male, 49.4% female (1990). Life Expectancy at Birth; 72.3 years male, 77.5 years female (1990). Age Breakdown; 23% under 15, 27% 15 to 29, 28% 30 to 44, 13% 45 to 59, 9% 60 and over (1990). Birth Rate; 18.5 per 1,000 (1990). Death Rate; 4.8 per 1,000 (1990). Increase Rate; 13.7 per 1,000 (1990). Infant Mortality Rate; 6.7 per 1,000 live births (1990).
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Singapore is a republic with a Westminster system of a unicameral parliamentary government, with the bulk of the executive powers resting in the hands of a cabinet of ministers led by a prime minister. The office of the president was, historically, a ceremonial one as head of state, but the Constitution was amended in 1991 to create the position of a popularly elected president and also to grant the president veto powers in a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of key judiciary positions. The legislative branch of government is the Parliament.
Politics of Singapore have been dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP) since its independence in 1965. Critics have called Singapore a de facto one party state and have accused the PAP of taking harsh actions against opposition parties to impede their success, including gerrymandering and the filing of civil suits against the opposition for libel or slander. Critics claim that Singaporean courts have been favouring the government and the PAP in these lawsuits, although there were a few cases in which the opposition won. They consider the form of government in Singapore to be closer to authoritarianism rather than true democracy, and could be considered an illiberal democracy or procedural democracy.
The media arm of the Government applies a monopolistic grip on the local mainstream media, often subjecting it to stringent censorship. As a result, opposition political parties in Singapore usually do not get any mention or coverage. Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore 140th out of 167 countries in its 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index.
Despite this, Singapore has what its Government considers to be a highly successful and transparent market economy. PAP's policies contain certain aspects of socialism, which includes the large scale public housing programme, the public education system and the dominance of government controlled companies in the local economy. Although dominant in its activities, the government has a clean, corruption-free image, and has consistently been rated as the least-corrupt country in Asia and amongst the top ten cleanest in the world by Transparency International since its first annual survey conducted in 1995.
Although Singapore's laws are inherited from British and British Indian laws, the PAP has also consistently rejected wholesale Western democratic values, with former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew citing incompatibilities with "Asian values." Singapore's position is that there should not be a "one-size-fits-all" solution to a democracy. Most recently, the PAP has relaxed some of its socially conservative policies and encouraged entrepreneurship.
Singapore enjoys one of the lowest crime rates in the world, as its laws are generally strict, which has often been cited by foreign companies as one of the reasons for investing in Singapore. As the tiny city-state is a multi-racial society, materials that may breed ill-will among its population or cause religious disharmony are not tolerated, even on the Internet. In September 2005, three bloggers were charged with sedition for posting racist remarks targeting minorities; after they admitted their guilt, the punishments handed down ranged from community service and fines to the maximum imprisonment of a month.
Some offences can lead to heavy fines or caning; laws provide for capital punishment in Singapore in cases of first-degree murder and drug trafficking. According to an Amnesty International report, 400 people were hanged between 1991 and 2004, which the report claimed is "possibly the highest execution rate in the world" per capita. The Singapore Government responded to AI's report in January 2004 on its Home Affairs website and reasserted capital punishment as a sovereign right for the most serious crimes, a stance in common with democracies like Japan and the United States.
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Singapore is a completely secular state with no records kept of religious denominations. However, 28% of the population are Buddhist, 16% are Muslim, 5% are Hindu, 19% are Christian and 14% are Taoist or Confucianist.
A selected list of religious sites in Singapore include:
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Sri Mariamman Temple, built in 1843, is the largest Hindu temple in Singapore. |
The official languages are English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay.
The English used is primarily British English, with some American English influences. The local colloquial dialect of English is known formally as Singapore Colloquial English, although it is more commonly called "Singlish". It has many creole-like characteristics, having incorporated much vocabulary and grammar from various Chinese, Malay, and Indian languages. Singlish is basically identical to Manglish (the English dialect of Malaysia), and is the usual language on the streets, but is frowned upon in official contexts. English use among the population generally became more widespread after the implementation of English as a first language medium in the Singapore education system, and English is the most common language in Singapore literature.
Learn Mandarin
While it is possible for foreigners to live in Singapore without speaking one of the local languages, it is highly recommended that you obtain a basic knowledge of one of the lcoal languages, if only to be polite.
To get you started and introduce you to one of the languagea spoken in Singapore, we have put some basic phrases in Mandarin below.
Click 
to hear the Indonesian phrase, the words to the right of the icon are how to say it.
Counting |
| One |
Yi |
| Two |
Er |
| Three |
Shi San |
| Four |
Si |
| Five |
Wu |
| Six |
Liu |
| Seven |
Gi |
| Eight |
Ba |
| Nine |
Jiu |
| Ten |
Shi |
| Eleven |
Shi Yi |
| Twelve |
Shi Er |
| Twenty |
Er Shi |
| Thirty |
San Shi |
| One Hundred |
Yi Bai |
| One Thousand |
Yi Qian |
Months |
| January |
Yi Yue |
| February |
Er Yue |
| March |
San Yue |
| April |
Si Yue |
| May |
Wu Yue |
| June |
Liu Yue |
| July |
Qi Yue |
| August |
Ba Yue |
| September |
Jiu Yue |
| October |
Shi Yue |
| November |
Shi Yi Yue |
| December |
Shi Er Yue |
Greetings |
| Good morning |
Zao Chen Hao |
| Good evening |
Wang Shang Hao |
| Good day |
Wu An |
| Good night |
Wan An |
| Glad to meet you |
SJian Dao Ni Hen Gao Zing |
| How are you? |
Ni Hao |
| What is your name? |
Ni Gui Xing |
| I am john |
Wo Shi Yue Han |
| This is Mr. Chen |
Na Wei Shi Chen Xian Sheng |
| See you again |
Zai Jian |
| Thank you |
Xie Xie |
| Goodbye |
Zai Jian |
Phrases |
| Sorry! |
Dui Bu Qi |
| Excuse me |
Lao Jia |
| Speak slowly so that I can learn it |
Shuo De Man Dianr Wo Hao Xue |
| I don't speak English |
Wo Bu Hui Jiang Ying Yu |
| How old are you? |
Ni De Nian Ling You Duo Da |
| How do you say..... in Chinese |
(Phrase or word) De Zhong Wen Zen Me Shou? |
| How long does it take to get there? |
Yao Duo Jiu Cai Neng Dao Na Li? |
| I am lost |
Wo Me Lu Le |
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Aged 25 or over and having attained: no formal schooling or incomplete primary education 43.7%, primary 38.3%, secondary 14.6%, higher 3.4% (1980). Literacy; literate population aged 15 or over 1,982,523 or 87.6% (1989).
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| Modern History - WWII to 1993 |
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In 1959 Singapore was granted internal self-government by Britain and the elections were won by Lee Kuan Yew of the People's Action Party (PAP). In 1963 Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia as a constituted state, however, in July and Sept. 1965 serious ethnic riots broke out and in Aug. 1965 Malaysia forced Singapore to withdraw from the federation fearing that the ethnic problems would spread. On Aug. 9, 1965 Singapore became an independent state within the Commonwealth and in Dec. 1965 became a republic. Since the mid 1960's Singapore has developed into a modern and highly industrialized nation, based on its ports and trade. In 1988 a number of people were arrested and charged with conspiring to overthrow the government in a Marxist plot. In Nov. 1990 Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew resigned and was succeeded by Goh Chok Tong. In March 1991 a commercial aircraft hijacked by supporters of Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto was stormed by commandos as it sat on the tarmac of Changi Airport with all 4 hijackers being shot dead without harm to any passengers. |
Statue of Thomas Stamford Raffles by Thomas Woolner, erected at the spot where he first landed at Singapore. He is recognised as the founder of modern Singapore. |
In May 1991 the government announced plans to plans to privatise telecommunications, electricity and public transport as well as finance overseas joint ventures. In Aug. 1991 Prime Minister Goh and the PAP were re-elected which resulted in the introduction of further socio-economic reforms aimed at less fortunate Singaporeans. Also in 1991 the government introduced new legislation aimed at changing the constitutional function of the President which would have veto powers over the budget, security affairs and senior public service appointments. In Jan. 1992 the government banned the manufacture and sale of chewing gum, alleging it was a public nuisance. In May 1992 Prime Minister Goh announced a $10 billion dollar program to improve housing. In July 1992 the government announced plans to increase the number of kindergartens in PAP constituencies and to reduce the number in opposition constituencies by 10%. Opposition parties claimed the government was attempting to persuade voters in by-elections that were to be held shortly. In Aug. 1992 the offices of the Business Times was raided following the publication of alleged leaked economic data. In Nov. 1992 two leading government officials, Ong Teng Cheong and Lee Hsien Loong were diagnosed with lymphatic cancer.
In March 1993 the government passed legislation raising the age of retirement from 55 to 60 following labor shortages. In April 1993 Lee the son of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and likely successor to Goh was reported by doctors as free of cancer following chemotherapy, although he was restricted in ministerial activities by his doctors. In Aug. 1993 Ong was elected as the country's first directly elected President who remained active following being diagnosed with a low grade cancer. Also in 1993 the leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, Chiam See Tong resigned following political infighting. Chiam was succeeded by Chee Soon Juan who later went on a 10 day hunger strike following his dismissal as a lecturer at the National University of Singapore.
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The official currency is the Dollar (SGD) divided into 100 Cents.
Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy in which the state plays a major role. It has one of the highest per capita gross domestic products in the world and is one of the " East Asian Tigers". Domestic demand is relatively low, and the economy depends heavily on exports produced from refining imported goods in a form of extended entrepot trade. This is especially true in electronics and manufacturing.
Singapore was hit hard in 2001 by the global recession and the slump in the technology sector, which caused the GDP that year to contract by 2.2 %. The Economic Review Committee (ERC), set up in December 2001, made key recommendations in remaking Singapore's economy. |
Singapore Central Business District |
Singapore introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on April 1, 1994, starting at 3 %. This has substantially increased government revenue as well assisted in maintaining the stability of the government's finances to spend on reforming the economy into more services and value added goods instead of relying on electronics manufacturing. The taxable GST was increased to 4 % in 2003 and to 5 % in 2004.
The economy has since recovered in response to improvements in the world economy, and grew by 5.7 % in 2005. In the longer term the government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle than the current export-led model, but is unlikely to abandon efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. The per capita GDP in 2005 is US$28,228. Recently, in 2005, the unemployment rate was 3.3 %.
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Singapore is a major transport hub in Asia, as it lies strategically on major trade routes on both land, sea and air. Its history has been closely tied to the growth of its transport industry since its modern port was founded. The transport industry contributes over 10% of gross domestic product despite an increasingly diversified economy.
The Port of Singapore, managed by port operators PSA International and Jurong Port, is the world's busiest in terms of shipping tonnage handled. 1.04 billion gross tons were handled in the year 2004, crossing the one billion mark for the first time in Singapore's maritime history. Singapore also emerged as the top port in terms of cargo tonnage handled with 393 million tonnes of cargo in 2004, surpassing the port in Rotterdam for the first time. Singapore is ranked second globally in terms of containerised traffic with 21.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units handled in 2004, and retains her position as the world's busiest hub for transhipment traffic. She is also the world's biggest ship refuelling hub with 23.6 million tonnes of bunker (marine fuel oil) sold in 2004.
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A C651 train approaching Jurong East MRT Station on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, one of three heavy rail passenger transport lines in Singapore. |
Singapore is a major aviation hub and is an important stopover point for the "Kangaroo route" between Australasia and Europe. Singapore Changi Airport has a network of 81 airlines connecting Singapore to 179 cities in 57 countries(2005). It is one of the top five airports in Asia in terms of passengers handled, with 30 million passengers passing through in 2004. It has been consistently rated as one of the best international airports by numerous international travel magazines. The national carrier Singapore Airlines has also received several accolades internationally and is renowned for the image of the "Singapore Girl", where air stewardesses are clad in traditional dress (Sarong Kebaya) while serving passengers. It will also be the first airline in the world to fly the new Airbus A380 commercially. In anticipation of rising demand in both the regular and low-cost sectors, a third passenger terminal is under construction and a low-cost terminal which will be operational on March 26, 2006. These will increase the airport's total capacity to 66.7 million passengers annually by 2008.
The backbone of domestic transport infrastructure is its its road transport system, which covers most of the island. These roads are overseen by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which also constructs expressways of Singapore. These expressways form the larger transport arteries between the distinct towns and regional centres as laid out in Singapore's urban planning and give vehicles the ability to travel overland faster.
Private transport was dominant since independence, and its usage still has strong growth annually. The increasing normality of using private transport also led to the rise of environmental issues such as air pollution and reliance of fuel, as well as concerns over traffic congestion. As such, the Land Transport Authority began a series of campaign to discourage excessive use of private transport, such as by refining the public transport system in Singapore. Bus transport in Singapore utilises buses that use the existing road and expressway system to carry many passengers overland with more efficiency than common private transport. Vehicles are also subject to toll by an Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system during hours of heavy road traffic to regulate road usage. The government subsequently went into the extent of liberalising the hired vehicle market to inject more independent public taxi operators, to induce more market competition and divert the masses from using private transport.
In the late-1970s, it was concluded in parliamentary debates that a bus system would be insufficient to resolve transport problems associated with an over-reliance on private transport. The Provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority then contracted construction of the heavy rail passenger Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, which establishes a metro system between parts of Singapore. Currently, three lines are complete, with one under construction and several others in planning stages. The Light Rapid Transit (LRT) is a light rail system that is linked into the MRT and covers several expanses of housing estates. The EZ-Link system allows contactless smartcards to be used as stored value tickets for use in the public transport systems, and allows convenient transfer between individual components of Singapore's public transport system.
Recently, there have been complaints of rising public transport fares but the government asserts that this is due to the increase in global oil prices. Currently, fares are capped at $1.90 (~US$1.10) per ride. Concerns about terrorism by the government of Singapore has also led them to take precautionary measures such as increasing security in public transport stations and interchanges. Exercise NorthStar V was an exercise that simulated a terrorist attack and tested the ability of local authorities to handle the aftermath of such a threat.
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Daily Newspapers; total of 8 with a total circulation of 1,004,800 (1993). Radio; receivers 822,000 (1994). Television; receivers 650,000 (1994). Telephones; units 1,245,000 (1993).
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54,000 (1994) total active duty personnel with 83.3% army, 5.6% navy and 11.1% air force while military expenditure accounts for 4.8% (1993) of the Gross National Product (GNP).
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Link - Provides detailed information and statistics on Geography, People, Government, Economy, Communications, Transportation, Military and Transnational Issues. This is an invaluable resource for anyone looking for specific information or statistics relating to the country.
Link – World Bank Dat Profile provides key statistical information on People, Environment, Economy, Technology Infrastructure, Trade & Finance
Link - link to a Wikipedia page providing a wealth of information from History and Culture through to Politics and Religion
Link – link to the latest New Headlines for this country
Link - link to Human Rights report for this country produces by Amnesty International
Link - link to US Congress Country Study for this country. Contains comprehensive information on a wide range of topics, particularly good for historical context
Link - link to GE Source World Guide providing country profile, demographics, economic data, satellite images
Amnesty International's 2005 report on Singapore
CIA World Factbook Entry for Singapore
Singapore on Moving Planets
Online map of Singapore
No Place Like Home - outlines the history and planning of Singapore's development
Singapore Government Online Portal
Singapore Infomap
Singapore Tourist Guide
Travel guide to Singapore from Wikitravel
AlloExpat - Singapore Information Center
City Mayors profile of city state government
