Information about Singapore
The Republic of Singapore (Chinese; Malay Republik Singapura; Tamil) is an island city state in Southeast Asia, situated south of the state of Johor of Peninsular Malaysia and north of the Indonesian islands of Riau. History National motto: Majulah Singapura (Malay: Onward, Singapore) Official languages English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil National language Malay Modern Capital Singapore Singapore was founded in President SR Nathan 1819 as a Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong British Area Ranked 174th settlement. ÊTotal (including water) - 692.7 sq km 692.7 km² The British ÊWater - 10 sq km 1.444% surrendered Singapore to Population Ranked 115th Japan during Ê- 4,608,595 (July 2003 est.) 4,452,732 World War II, Ê- Density 6430/km² and it was Independence From Malaysia returned to Ê- Date August 9, 1965 British administration Currency Singapore Dollar (S$) in 1945. Time zone UTC +8 Self-governmentNational anthem Majulah Singapura was granted by the British in Internet TLD .SG 1959. In 1963 Calling code 65 Singapore joined Malaysia but separated from Malaysia in 1965 and was re-instituted as an independent republic. It has subsequently become one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe. During the early years, it was led by prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, whose policies were responsible for Singapore's prosperity and authoritarianism. Politics Singapore has a Westminster-style constitution. In practice, politics is dominated by the People's Action Party which has ruled since Independence. The mode of government is perhaps closer to authoritarianism than true democracy. Paradoxically (for political scientists), Singapore has a highly successful, corruption-free, and transparent market economy. Geography Singapore's main territory is a diamond-shaped piece of land that would be an island, if it was not connected to the Malay Peninsula by a man-made causeway to the north. There is also a bridge to the west. Singapore also has dozens of smaller islands, of which Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest. Since Singapore basically consists of only one city, there are no further administrative divisions. Economy Singapore enjoys a highly developed and successful free-market economy, characterised by a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing, and was hard hit in 2001 by the global recession and the slump in the technology sector. In 2001, GDP contracted by 2.2%. The economy is expected to recover in 2002 in response to improvements in the US economy, and GDP growth for 2002 is projected to be 3% to 4%. 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. Demographics Apart from the much smaller Monaco, Singapore is the most densely populated independent country in the world. Singapore's population is diverse. Chinese people account for 3/4 of the population. Malays are the second, and Indians are the third largest ethnic group. The official languages are English, Mandarin (Chinese), Malay and Tamil. Malay is also Singapore's national language.
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