Singapore
| Republik Singapura 新加坡共和国 சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு Republic of Singapore | |||||
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| Motto: Majulah Singapura (Malay: "Onward, Singapore") | |||||
| Anthem: Majulah Singapura | |||||
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| Capital (and largest city) |
Singapore1 1°17′N 103°51′E | ||||
| Official languages | English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government | Parliamentary republic | ||||
| - President | Sellapan Ramanathan | ||||
| - Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong | ||||
| Independence | |||||
| - Unilateral declaration (from the UK) | August 31 1963 | ||||
| - Officially from UK (as a state of Malaysia) | September 16 1963 | ||||
| - from Malaysia | August 9 1965 | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total | 699.4 km² (188th) 270 sq mi | ||||
| - Water (%) | 1.444 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - Dec 2006 estimate | 4,483,900 | ||||
| - 2000 census | 4,117,700 | ||||
| - Density | 6,208/km² 16,392/sq mi | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2006 estimate | ||||
| - Total | $123.4 billion | ||||
| - Per capita | $28,368 | ||||
| HDI (2004) |  0.916 (high)
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| Currency | Singapore dollar (SGD)
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| Time zone | SST (UTC+8) | ||||
| - Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC+8) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .sg | ||||
| Calling code | +652 | ||||
| 1 Singapore is a city-state. 2 02 from Malaysia. | |||||
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island nation and the smallest country in Southeast Asia. It is located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, south of the Malaysian state of Johor, and north of the Indonesian Riau Islands. It lies 85 miles (137 kilometres) north of the Equator.
The name Singapore is derived from the Malay language words singa (lion) and pura (city), which were derived from Sanskrit words. Hence, Singapore is also known as the Lion City.
The site of several ancient port cities and a possession of several empires in its history, over the past 40 years Singapore has transformed itself from a poor, politically volatile state to an economic powerhouse. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit quality-of-life index, Singapore has the highest standard of living in Asia, and is ranked 11th in the world, and is the 22nd wealthiest country.
A long period of stable government, investment in housing and education, pragmatic and pro-active policies have created a modern nation that lives on the cutting edge of technological progress.
Geography
Template:Singapore Urban Planning Areas Labelled Map Singapore is divided into 55 urban planning areas, grouped into five regions.
Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island itself. It is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington DC. Singapore has reclaimed land, resulting in an increase of land area from 224 square miles (581.5 square kilometers) in the 1960s to 269 square miles (697.2 square kilometers) today. About 23 percent of Singapore's land area consists of forest and nature reserves.
There are two connections from Singapore to the Malaysian state of Johor — the Johor-Singapore Causeway to the north, crossing the Tebrau Straits, and Malaysia-Singapore Second Link, a bridge from western Singapore to Johor. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore's many smaller islands. The highest point of Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, with a height of 538 feet (166 metres).
Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinct seasons, is characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 72F to 93F (22C to 34C). 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.
Urbanisation has eliminated many areas of primary rainforest, with the only remaining area being Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. A variety of parks are maintained, such as the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Without natural freshwater rivers and lakes, rainfall, collected in reservoirs, supplies approximately 50 percent of water. The remainder is imported from Malaysia or obtained from recycled water, a product called NEWater, and desalination plants.
The urban area used to be concentrated to the south around the mouth of the Singapore River and what is now the Downtown Core, while the rest of the land was tropical rainforest or used for agriculture. New towns built since the 1960s has resulted in an entirely built-up and urban landscape. Eighty-three percent of Singapore's population lives in housing estates constructed by the Housing and Development Board.
As a result of controls on motorised traffic, the maintenance of natural greenery, strict regulations on industrial locations and emissions, Singapore has been able to control its pollution levels to within World Health Organization standards.
History
The naming of Singapore is attributed to a prince named Sang Nila Utama, who according to folklore, was caught in a storm that did not cease until he had thrown his crown into the water. He sailed to the closest island. The first animal he saw on the island was supposedly a lion. Therefore, he decided to name the island Singapura.
Chinese texts from the third century C.E. contain the first records of Singapore's existence The island was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and originally bore the Javanese name Temasek (which means sea town). Temasek became a significant trading city, but subsequently declined. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of the civilization. Between the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Singapore was a part of the Sultanate of Johore. During the Malay-Portugal wars in 1613, Portuguese troops set fire to Singapore.
In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, an official with the British East India Company, signed a treaty with the Sultan of Johore, and established Singapore as a trading post and settlement, bringing instant growth and immigration. Britain made Singapore a crown colony in 1867. After a series of colonial territorial expansions, the British Empire soon raised Singapore's status to that of an entrepot town, due to its strategic location along the busy shipping routes connecting Europe to China.
During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya and attacked Singapore. The British were not prepared for an attack through the dense Malayan jungle and were swiftly defeated, despite having more troops. They surrendered to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. The Japanese renamed Singapore to Shōnan and occupied it until the British arrived after the Japanese surrender to repossess the island on 12 September 1945.
Singapore became a self-governing state in 1959 with Yusof bin Ishak as its first head of state and Lee Kuan Yew from the People's Action Party as its first prime minister. Following the 1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore, Singapore joined Malaysia along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as a state with autonomous powers in September 1963. Singapore was expelled from the federation after heated ideological conflict developed between the state government formed by PAP and the federal government in Kuala Lumpur. It gained official sovereignty on 9 August 1965, which later became Singapore's National Day. Malaysia was the first country to recognise it as an independent nation. Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as the first president and Lee Kuan Yew remained as prime minister.
The fledgling nation faced problems including mass unemployment, housing shortages and lack of land and natural resources such as petroleum. New Minister of Finance Goh Keng Swee, adopted a strategy to encourage foreign and local investment with tax incentives and the establishment of a large industrial estate in Jurong. The education system was revamped to train a skilled workforce and the English language was promoted over the Chinese language as the language of instruction.
Lee Kuan Yew, during his term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, curbed unemployment, raised the standard of living and implemented a large-scale public housing programme. The country's economic infrastructure was developed, the threat of racial tension was eliminated and an independent national defence system was created. Singapore evolved from a developing nation to a global city with first-world status towards the end of the twentieth century.
In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as prime minister. During his tenure, the country tackled the economic impacts of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, as well as terrorist threats posed by the Jemaah Islamiah post-September 11 attacks and the Bali bombings. In 2004 Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister.
Politics and government
The politics of Singapore takes place in a framework of a parliamentary republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Singapore is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system.
The president had largely a ceremonial role until 1991, when constitutional changes meant the president was thenceforth directly elected, by popular vote, for a six-year term. As of early 2007, no election had ever taken place. The president has veto powers in a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of key judiciary positions.
The cabinet forms the executive, or the government, and it is answerable to parliament. It consists of 84 sitting members of parliament and is headed by a prime minister, the head of government. The prime minister is Lee Hsien Loong. The president appoints the prime minister, and cabinet ministers, on the advice of the prime minister.
The unicameral parliament is the legislature in Singapore with the president as its head. The 84 members of parliament are elected for a maximum five-year term, and represent either single-member constituencies or group representation constituencies. In group constituencies, political parties field a team of between three to six candidates. At least one candidate in the team must belong to a minority race. In the general election in 2006, the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) won 82 of the 84 seats.
Voting has been compulsory in Singapore since 1959. Paper ballots are still used.
The People's Action Party has dominated Singaporean politics since 1959. Some foreign analysts and several opposition parties, including the Workers' Party of Singapore, the Singapore Democratic Party and the Singapore Democratic Alliance, have argued that Singapore is a de facto one-party state. The Economist Intelligence Unit listed Singapore as a country with a "hybrid" system with democratic and authoritarian elements. Though general elections are free from irregularities and vote rigging, the PAP has been criticised for manipulating the political system.
The Supreme Court consists of the Court of Appeal and the High Court. The Court of Appeal exercises appellate criminal and civil jurisdiction, while the High Court exercises both original and appellate criminal and civil jurisdiction. The president appoints the chief justice, judges of appeal, judicial commissioners and High Court judges from candidates recommended by the prime minister. The prime minister must consult the chief justice before recommending the judges. The chief justice is Chan Sek Keong.
The constitution is the supreme law. It cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of parliament. The president may seek opinion on constitutional issues from a tribunal consisting of not fewer than three judges of the Supreme Court.
Part XII of the constitution allows the Parliament of Singapore to enact legislation designed to prevent subversion. Such legislation is valid even if it is inconsistent with Part IV of the constitution. The Internal Security Act is a law under such provision. In 1966, Chia Thye Poh was detained under this act and was imprisoned for 23 years without trial.
Singapore's laws derive from British and British Indian laws, and include many elements of English common law. The PAP has liberal democratic values, which it typifies as Western, but also says that there should not be a “one-size-fits-all” solution to a democracy. Laws restricting the freedom of speech are justified by claims that they are intended to prohibit speech that may breed ill will or cause disharmony within Singapore's multiracial, multi-religious society. For example, in September 2005, three bloggers were convicted of sedition for posting racist remarks targeting minorities.
Some offences can lead to heavy fines or caning. First-degree murder and drug trafficking attract the death penalty. Amnesty International has criticized Singapore for having the highest execution rate in the world per capita. The Singapore government argues that there is no international consensus on the appropriateness of the death penalty and that Singapore has the sovereign right to impose capital punishment.
Singapore has what its government considers to be a highly successful and transparent market economy. The PAP's policies contain some aspects of socialism. The Housing Development Board oversees a large-scale public housing programme and education in Singapore is a rigorous compulsory public education system. Government-linked companies dominate the media, utilities, and public transport. Transparency International has consistently rated Singapore as the least-corrupt country in Asia and amongst the top ten cleanest from corruption in the world.
The military of Singapore serves to deter potential invaders. Singapore has mutual defence pacts with several countries, most notably the Five Power Defence Arrangements. Singapore subscribes to a philosophy of Total Defence, in which five aspects of national defence are identified: Civil defence; economic defence, which stresses the need for a robust economy; psychological defence, which calls for a patriotic citizenry; and “social defence,” in which stresses the need for a population at harmony with itself.
The Singapore Armed Forces, which includes the army, navy, and air force, is one of the most modern in Asia, with advanced equipment and high level of training reflecting the fact that military expenditure dominates the annual government budget.
The recent rise in unconventional warfare and terrorism has cast increasing emphasis upon the non-military aspects of Total Defence. The Gurkha Contingent, which is part of the Singapore Police Force, is also a counter-terrorist force. Singapore's defence resources have been used in United Nations peacekeeping assignments in Kosovo, Kuwait and East Timor.
One notable terrorist attack was the bombing of MacDonald House during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in the early 1960s. The Shell Oil refinery on Pulau Bukom was attacked by members of the Japanese Red Army and the PFLP in the Laju Incident of 1974; and in 1991, the hijacking of Singapore Airlines Flight 117 ended in the storming of the aircraft and the subsequent deaths of all four hijackers. A concern in 2007 was Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant Islamic group operating in South East Asia known to be responsible for several bombings around the region, as well as planning in 2001 an ultimately foiled attack on American interests in Singapore.
Economy
Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy, and is a developed nation. It ranks 25th on the Human Development Index which measures standards of living, and second in the Index of Economic Freedom. Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP), per capita, is equal to that of the major European countries. Singapore is also the fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre in the world after London, New York City and Tokyo. The geographically small nation has foreign exchange reserves of S$197b (US$119b).
The city-state employs thousands of foreign workers — Indians, Malaysians and Filipinos. It requires talent from outside to fill the various jobs the economy is generating, most of which are in the IT and financial sectors. The government offers easier processing time for permanent residency or citizenship.
The economy depends heavily on exports produced from refining imported goods. Manufacturing, which contributes around 28 percent of GDP, includes electronics, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore's fast-paced industrialization earned it a place as one of the four original “East Asian Tigers.”
In 2001, a global recession and slump in the technology sector caused the GDP to contract by 2.2 percent. The Economic Review Committee set up in December 2001, recommended policy changes to revitalise the economy. Improvements in the world economy meant the Singaporean economy grew by 8.3 percent in 2004 and 6.4 percent in 2005, and 7.7 percent in 2006.
The per capita GDP in 2005 was US$26,833 and the unemployment rate was 2.7 percent in 2006, with 124,000 new jobs being created in the first three quarters of 2006, a record high.
Exports totalled US$204.8-billion in 2005. Export commodities were machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, and mineral fuels. Export partners were Malaysia 14.7 percent, US 11.5 percent, Indonesia 10.7 percent, Hong Kong 10.4 percent, China 9.5 percent, Japan 6 percent, Thailand 4.5 percent, Australia 4.1 percent.
Imports totalled US$188.3-billion in 2005. Import commodities were machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, and foodstuffs. Import partners were Malaysia 14.4 percent, US 12.4 percent, China 10.8 percent, Japan 10.1 percent, Indonesia 5.5 percent, Saudi Arabia 4.7 percent, and South Korea 4.5 percent.
Singapore introduced a goods and services tax (GST) with an initial rate of 3 percent on 1 April, 1994. This increased government revenue by $1.6-billion, stabilising the government's finances. The government has used revenue from this tax to reorient the economy around services and value added-goods to reduce dependence on electronics manufacturing. The taxable GST was increased to 4 percent in 2003 and to 5 percent in 2004.
Singapore is a popular travel destination, making tourism one of its largest industries. 8.9 million and 9.5 million tourists visited Singapore in 2005 and 2006 respectively. The Orchard Road district, which is dominated by multi-storey shopping centres and hotels, is the centre of tourism in Singapore.
Cuisine has been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists, alongside shopping. The government organises the Singapore Food Festival in July annually to celebrate Singapore's cuisine. The multiculturalism of local food, the ready availability of international cuisine, and their wide range in prices to fit all budgets at all times of the day and year helps create a "food paradise" to rival other contenders claiming the same moniker.
Singapore is a major Asian transportation hub, strategically lying on sea and air trade routes. Transportation comprises over 10 percent of Singaporean GDP. The Port of Singapore was the world's busiest port in 2005 with 1.15 billion gross tons handled. Singapore is an aviation hub, acting as a stopover point for the “Kangaroo route” between Australasia and Europe. Singapore’s Changi Airport has a network of 81 airlines connecting Singapore to 179 cities in 57 countries in 2005. It is one of the top five airports in Asia in terms of passengers handled, with 30 million passengers passing through in 2004.
Singapore has a network of expressways that form the arteries between towns and regional centres. Following a government study which foresaw problems of traffic congestion and air pollution, the Land Transport Authority began to improve the nation's bus service and to allow for more taxi operators. Since 1987, the heavy rail passenger Mass Rapid Transit metro system has been in operation, later augmented by and linked to the Light Rapid Transit, which provides service to several expanses of housing estates. The EZ-Link system allows contactless smartcards to serve as stored value tickets for use in the public transport systems. More than 2.8 million people use the bus network daily, while more than 1.3 million people use either the LRT or MRT as part of their daily routine. Private vehicle use in the central area is discouraged by tolls.
Demographics
Singapore is the second most densely populated independent country in the world. Eighty-three percent of Singaporeans live in public housing provided by the Housing and Development Board.
The largest group in the population of 4.48 million (as of June 2006) are the Singaporean Chinese who account for 76.8 percent of the population, making it one of the largest Chinese cities outside of China. Singaporean Malays, the indigenous native group of the country, constitute 13.9 percent. Indian Singaporeans are the third largest ethnic group at 7.9 percent, consisting of several groups — Indian Tamils and Sri Lankan Tamils, Malayalees, Punjabis and Bengalis. The rest are made up of Arab Singaporeans, Jews, Thais, Japanese, European and the Eurasian Singaporean community.
Singapore is a religious country. More than 40 percent of the population practise Buddhism. About 15 percent practice Christianity (mostly Chinese and Indians), and 15 percent profess no religion. Muslims (mostly Malays) account for 14 percent. A smaller minority practices Taoism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Baha'i Faith, and others.
The government of Singapore has been careful to maintain ethnic harmony after racial riots erupted in the 1960s. Racial harmony has been emphasized in all aspects of society, including the Singaporean education system, military and housing. So far the policy has been largely successful, and there have been few signs of ethnic tension since the early 1970s. Current issues include the ban on wearing the Islamic headscarf in public schools.
The national language is Malay, and it is used in the national anthem, "Majulah Singapura". The official languages are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. Most public signs and official publications are in English. The local dialect of English is Singlish, that incorporates vocabulary and grammar from various Chinese dialects, Malay and Indian languages. Singlish is spoken on the streets. English became widespread after it became the language of the education system. The government has introduced a “speak Mandarin campaign,” “Hua Yu Cool,” to promote Mandarin as a common language among the Chinese.
After two decades of a family planning policy, Singapore is now facing the threat of an aging population with declining birth rates. The government provides financial incentives for the first to fourth child of each family.
Society and culture
Rice, fish, chicken, and vegetables are the staples, mixed with a rich variety of spices, chilis, coconuts, lime, and tamarind. The variations are endless. Food is often eaten in food centers where food is cheap, tasty, and freshly made. The three main meals are eaten each day, mostly hot. Malays do not eat pork, Indians do not eat beef, and many Buddhist Chinese are part-time vegetarians. Many people do not drink alcohol.
Singapore has become a centre for modern architecture as older buildings are cleared away to make space for newer, larger buildings along the coast of Marina Bay and Raffles Place, which is a famous tourist attraction. No building is to be taller than 280 metres. A few signs of Singapore's colonial past remain in the form of "Black and White Houses," built in the early to mid nineteenth century to house the British generals and governors when Britain occupied the country. They became home to many Japanese generals during World War II.
Singapore has a Little India and Chinatown, formed under the Raffles Plan to segregate immigrants. Many places of worship were constructed during the colonial era, a practice encouraged by the British to promote religious tolerance. Sri Mariamman Temple, the Masjid Jamae Mosque and the Church of Gregory the Illuminator were built during the colonial period.
The policy for the primarily commercial ethnic neighbourhoods stands in contrast to the policies of the Housing and Development Board, that attempt to promote a mix of all races within each housing district in order to foster social cohesion and national loyalty.
Primary education is compulsory in Singapore and as such the literacy rate is 95 percent. The Ministry of Education sets the standard for the school curriculum with a mix of private and public schools. Students take the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Their performance in the examination is the main criteria in determining whether they enter their desired secondary schools. There have been complaints about excessive educational streaming at a young age.
After secondary education, a further set of examinations are taken which determine the next step to tertiary education. Junior college is a precursor for entry into the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University. There are polytechnics, where students will graduate with a diploma and may choose to move into the workforce or pursue higher education in public universities. There is teacher training college, various management institutes, and vocational education institutes.
Singapore students took first place in the 1995, 1999 and 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. They used the Singapore Math Primary Mathematics series. The national textbooks have been adapted into a series which has been successfully marketed in North America as a rival to Saxon math and an alternative to controversial standards-based mathematics curricula which many parents complained moved too far away from the sort of traditional basic skills instructio.
Singapore is emerging as a cultural centre for arts and culture, including theatre and music. As a cosmopolitan and multi-racial society, Singapore is often identified with the "gateway between the East and West". Singapore hosts an annual Singapore Arts Festival when international and local artists gather to perform in a wide variety of events including music, dance and theatre. In 2003, the Esplanade - "Theatres on the Bay", a centre for performing arts, was opened. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts offer full-time programmes for the performing arts.
Since the 1990s, a film industry has sprouted. Eric Khoo and Jack Neo, are two pioneering film makers both of whom produced several popular movies depicting unique cultural and social aspects of the country, especially concerning the lives of Singapore heartlanders. In particular, the movie I Not Stupid struck an emotional chord among many Singaporeans as its story highlighted many of the issues they face in an increasingly competitive society.
In 2003, 10-year-old Megan Zheng became the first Singaporean actress to win the Taipei Film Festival Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer (co-recipient) with her role in Jack Neo's movie Homerun.
Popular sports include football, swimming, badminton, basketball and table tennis. Most people live in public residential areas that often provide amenities including swimming pools, outdoor basketball courts as well as indoor sport centres that provide facilities for badminton, squash, table tennis, gymnastics, indoor basketball and volleyball, among others.
Living on an island surrounded by the ocean, the people also enjoy many water activities including sailing, kayaking and waterskiing. There is also a number of avid recreational scuba divers, a prominent diving spot being the southern island Pulau Hantu, known for its coral reefs.
In the realm of spectator sport, soccer is king. Singapore has its own professional football league, known as the S.League. Launched in 1996, the league now consists of 10 teams competing with each other in stadiums around the country. In 1998 and 2004, the Singapore national football team became the champions of the Tiger Cup, the premier football competition in South-East Asia.
Singapore has won only one Olympic medal, a silver medal at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics by weightlifter Tan Howe Liang.
A National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) was introduced in 1982, a scheme which requires all students within primary and secondary education to participate. The government sponsors the Singapore Sports School which opened in 2004, combining a reduced curriculum with professional training in each student's preferred sport, in an attempt to nurture future generations of sportsmen and sportswomen.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Diane K. Mauzy & R. S. Milne (2002). Singapore Politics: Under the People's Action Party. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-24653-9.
- Census 2000. Singapore Department of Statistics. Retrieved 11 January, 2000.
- Key Facts & Figures. Ministry of Transport, Singapore. Retrieved 11 January, 2003.
- Nation's History. Singapore Infomap. Retrieved 11 January, 2004.
- This article incorporates public domain text from the websites of Singapore Department of Statistics, United States Department of State, the United States Library of Congress & CIA World Factbook (2004).
Notes
External links
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General Information
- Singapore Infomap
- Singapore Government Directory Interactive
- Singapore Government Online Portal
- Gateway To All Government Services
- Amnesty International's 2005 report on Singapore
- CIA World Factbook Entry for Singapore
- Singapore Department of Statistics Annual Data
Travel
- Travel guide to Singapore from Wikitravel
- Singapore Tourist Guide
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