Dummipedia, the 5-Minute Online Encyclopedia
Personal tools
Views

Singapore  

Dummipedia, the simplified free online encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

"Malaysian Chinese may see Singapore as a heaven for career, and really, Singapore, I must say, is very well managed. (But) that cannot be a justification for the restraints in giving political rights." [1] — Tan Wah Piow

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. At 707.1 km² (273.0 sq mi), it is one of three remaining city-states in the world, and also the smallest nation in Southeast Asia.

Location of Singapore

2.   Prior to European settlement, the island now known as Singapore was the site of a Malay fishing village at the mouth of the Singapore River. In 1819, the British East India Company established a trading post on the island which would become one of the most important commercial and military centres of the British Empire, and the hub of British power in Southeast Asia. Occupied by the Japanese during World War II,[1] it reverted to British rule immediately after the war in 1945. Eighteen years later, the island, having achieved independence from Britain, merged with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia, only to secede less than two years later. Singapore became an independent parliamentary republic on August 19, 1965. Adopting a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government, the bulk of the executive powers rests with the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. The office of President of Singapore, historically a ceremonial one, was granted some veto powers as of 1991.


3.   The population of Singapore as of 2007 was 4.59 million, of which 3.58 million were Singaporean citizens and permanent residents.[1] Various Chinese ethnic groups formed 75.2% of Singapore's residents, Malays 13.6%, and Indians 8.8%. In 2006, its crude birth rate stood at 10.1 per 1000, a very low level attributed to birth control policies, with its crude death rate at 4.3 per 1000 being also one of the lowest in the world. Singapore is the second-most densely populated independent country in the world after Monaco (excluding Macau and Hong Kong which are special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China). A multi-religious country, around 51% of Singaporeans practises Buddhism and Taoism, and about 15% practises Christianity. Muslims constitute 14%, of whom Malays account for the majority. Singapore's official languages are English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. English, however, is the administrative language. The English used is primarily based on British English, with some American English influences.


4.   Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy which historically revolves around extended entrepot trade. One of the Four Asian Tigers, along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, it is the 6th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita.[1] The economy is heavily dependent on exports, refining, and imported goods. Singapore's manufacturing industry, constituting 26% of GDP in 2005,[1] is well-diversified into electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering, and biomedical sciences manufacturing. It is the busiest port in the world in terms of tonnage shipped,[1] and the world's fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre after London, New York City, and Tokyo.[1] Tourism is also one of Singapore's largest industries, and the country is fast positioning itself as a medical tourism hub, aiming to serve one million foreign patients annually by 2012.[1]   more... at Wikipedia

Retrieved from "http://dummipedia.org/Singapore"