Singapore, Singapore

Singapore is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The country’s territory is composed of one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet.

About Singapore, Singapore in brief

Summary Singapore, SingaporeSingapore is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The country’s territory is composed of one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. There are four official languages of Singapore: English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. The name of Singapore is an anglicisation of the native Malay name for the country, Singapura, which was in turn derived from the Sanskrit word for lion city. Singapore is ranked ninth on the UN Human Development Index, and has the second-highest GDP per capita in the world. It is a major financial and shipping hub, consistently ranked the most expensive city to live in since 2013. Singaporeans enjoy one of the world’s longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds and one of lowest infant mortality rates in theWorld. The People’s Action Party has ruled continuously since independence. One of the five founding members of ASEAN, Singapore is also the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat and Pacific Economic Cooperation Council Secretariat. Singapore is the only country in Asia with an AAA sovereign rating from all major rating agencies. It is ranked highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 91%. The name possibly means ‘Sea Town’, being derived from Malay tasek, meaning’sea’ or ‘lake’ The name may also be a transcription of Malay Tan Tan meaning ‘land of Temasek’, which may be a combination of ‘tin’ and ‘tsa’ Singapore is a unitary parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government.

The government exercises significant control over politics and society, and the People’s Action Party is considered generally free, although elections are considered generallyFree. It has been identified as a tax haven and has been referred to as ‘Singapore’s tax haven’ by the World Economic Forum and the Economist Intelligence Unit. The country has almost 5.7 million residents, 61% of whom are Singaporean citizens. The combined area of the country has increased by 25% since the country’s independence as a result of extensive land reclamation projects. The population density is the second greatest population density in the world, with almost 1,000 people per square kilometre (1,000 per square mile) living in Singapore. Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the British Empire. In 1963, Singapore became part of the new federation of Malaysia, alongside Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak. Ideological differences led to Singapore being expelled from the federation two years later, thereby becoming an independent country. After early years of turbulence and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation rapidly developed to become a highly developed country.