Portal:Singapore

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Map of Singapore

Singapore (/ˈsɪŋ(ɡ)əpɔːr/ SING-(g)ə-por), officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It is located about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Strait of Malacca to the west, the Singapore Strait to the south, the South China Sea to the east, and the Straits of Johor to the north. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet; the combined area of these has increased by approximately 25% since the country's independence as a result of extensive land reclamation projects. It has the second highest population density of any country in the world, although there are numerous green and recreational spaces as a result of urban planning. With a multicultural population and in recognition of the cultural identities of the major ethnic groups within the nation, Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. English is the lingua franca, with its exclusive use in numerous public services. Multi-racialism is enshrined in the constitution and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, and politics.

Singapore's history dates back at least eight hundred years, having been a maritime emporium known as Temasek and subsequently a major constituent part of several successive thalassocratic empires. Its contemporary era began in 1819, when Stamford Raffles established Singapore as an entrepôt trading post of the British Empire. In 1867, the colonies in Southeast Asia were reorganised, and Singapore came under the direct control of Britain as part of the Straits Settlements. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942 and returned to British control as a separate Crown colony following Japan's surrender in 1945. Singapore gained self-governance in 1959 and, in 1963, became part of the new federation of Malaysia, alongside Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak. Ideological differences, most notably the perceived encroachment of the egalitarian "Malaysian Malaysia" political ideology led by Lee Kuan Yew into the other constituent entities of Malaysia—at the perceived expense of the bumiputera and the policies of Ketuanan Melayu—eventually led to Singapore's expulsion from the federation two years later; Singapore became an independent sovereign country in 1965.

After early years of turbulence and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation rapidly developed to become one of the Four Asian Tigers. With its growth based on international trade and economic globalisation, it integrated itself with the world economy through free trade with minimal-to-no trade barriers or tariffs, export-oriented industrialisation, and the large accumulation of received foreign direct investments, foreign exchange reserves, and assets held by sovereign wealth funds. As a highly developed country, it has the highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world. Identified as a tax haven, Singapore is the only country in Asia with a AAA sovereign credit rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major aviation, financial, and maritime shipping hub and has consistently been ranked as one of the most expensive cities to live in for expatriates and foreign workers. Singapore ranks highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety, infrastructure, and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 88 percent. Singaporeans enjoy one of the longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds, lowest infant mortality rates, and lowest levels of corruption in the world.

Singapore is a unitary parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government, and its legal system is based on common law. While the country is a multi-party democracy with free elections, the government under the People's Action Party (PAP) wields significant control and dominance over politics and society. The PAP has governed the country continuously since full internal self-government was achieved in 1959, currently holding 79 out of 93 elected seats in Parliament. One of the five founding members of ASEAN, Singapore is also the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council Secretariat, and is the host city of many international conferences and events. Singapore is also a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the East Asia Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth of Nations. (Full article...)

More about Singapore...

Selected article -

Pathlight School Campus 1 in 2011

Pathlight School is a special school for high-functioning children with autism in Singapore. Founded in 2004, it is run by the non-profit Autism Resource Centre and comprises one half of the national educational provision for autistic children. The school coaches students in social and life skills, teaches them mainstream curriculum subjects and prepares them for employment in an autism friendly environment. With more than 1000 pupils enrolled, the school has been noted for its achievements in special education in Singapore. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected picture

Changi Airport T3 baggage collection point

The baggage collection point of Changi Airport's Terminal 3. The green wall can be seen on the right. Read more...

General images

The following are images from various Singapore-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Deepavali decorations in Singapore. (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 2Afternoon thunderstorms are a frequent occurrence in Singapore, which has an equatorial climate. (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 3The Plan of the Town of Singapore, or more commonly known as the Jackson Plan or Raffles Town Plan. (from History of Singapore)
Image 4Centre square of Raffles Place (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 5Quadrilingual sign (from Singaporeans)
Image 6Shophouses in Singapore (from Singaporeans)
Image 7Singapore's urban geography is often characterised by extensive use of HDB flats, which the majority of citizens reside in. (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 81955 stamp with the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (from History of Singapore)
Image 9Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 10Restored shophouses running along a street in Chinatown, which reflects the Victorian architecture of buildings built in Singapore during the earlier colonial period, with styles such as the painted ladies. (from History of Singapore)
Image 11A hawker centre in Lavender, Singapore (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 12The old and the new Singapore as seen from an alley behind Boat Quay (2023) (from History of Singapore)
Image 13A fragment of the Singapore Stone, inscribed with an Indic script, c. 10th to 13th century. (from History of Singapore)
Image 14Jurong Industrial Estate, Singapore, with Jurong Island in the background (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 15Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (from Singaporeans)
Image 16St Andrew's Cathedral (from Singaporeans)
Image 17Men of various ethnicities - Chinese, Malay, and Indian gather at a street corner in Singapore, circa 1900. (from Singaporeans)
Image 18Upper Seletar Reservoir (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 19Engraving of Sir Stamford Raffles by James Thomson
Image 20The Jurong Industrial Estate was developed in the 1960s to industrialise the economy. (from History of Singapore)
Image 21The Sultan Mosque, built in 1826 in the Kampong Glam district, is the oldest and one of the largest mosque in Singapore. (from Singaporeans)
Image 22Sign board with warnings in Singapore's four main languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 23Hainanese chicken rice (from Singaporeans)
Image 241888 German map of Singapore (from History of Singapore)
Image 25Baedeker map of the city and environs, c. 1914
Image 26A busy Victoria Dock, Tanjong Pagar, in the 1890s. (from History of Singapore)
Image 27The Mao Kun map from Wubei Zhi which is based on the early 15th century maps of Zheng He showing Temasek (淡馬錫) at the top left, and Long Ya Men (龍牙門) on the right panel. (from History of Singapore)
Image 28Japanese POWs are taken to work where they were made to clear up the city during the British reoccupation in September 1945
Image 29Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, led by a Japanese officer, marches under a flag of truce to negotiate the capitulation of Allied forces in Singapore, on 15 February 1942. It was the largest surrender of British-led forces in history. (from History of Singapore)
Image 30Traffic in Singapore, 1981. Prior to the introduction of the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) in 1990, vehicles per capita in Singapore was the highest in ASEAN. (from History of Singapore)
Image 31Enlargeable, detailed map of Singapore (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 32Chinese community in Singapore carrying the Flag of the Republic of China (written Long live the motherland) to celebrate the victory, also reflected the Chinese identity issues at that time. (from History of Singapore)
Image 33The country celebrates its National Day on 9 August each year. (from History of Singapore)
Image 34The Thian Hock Keng, completed in 1842, served as a place of worship for early immigrants. (from History of Singapore)
Image 35Fireworks over the Marina Bay skyline following the conclusion of the 2015 National Day Parade on 9 August 2015. (from History of Singapore)
Image 36Sri Tri Buana arrived in Temasek during a hunting expedition and encountered a peculiar creature believed to be a lion. Interpreting this as a favorable omen, he established a settlement named Singapura, or "Lion City" in Sanskrit. (from History of Singapore)
Image 37Top view of Bukit Batok West. Large scale public housing development has created high housing ownership among the population. (from History of Singapore)
Image 38The Marina Bay Sands integrated resort. Opened in 2010, it has become a key feature of Singapore's modern skyline. (from History of Singapore)
Image 39A statue of Raffles by Thomas Woolner now stands in Singapore, near Raffles's landing site in 1819. (from History of Singapore)
Image 40The Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 41Old Supreme Court of Singapore (from Culture of Singapore)

Selected biography -

Yip as the flag bearer for Singapore at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Parade of Nations

Yip Pin Xiu PJG PLY (Chinese: 叶品秀; pinyin: Yè Pǐnxìu; born 10 January 1992) is a Singaporean backstroke swimmer. She is a five-time Paralympic gold medallist and 5 time World Champion, with two world records in the 50 m backstroke S2 and the 100 m backstroke S2. Yip is Singapore's most decorated Paralympian.

Most recently during the Para Swimming World Series Australia 2023, Yip clinched the gold medal in the Women's 100m backstroke multi-class event. She later also bagged her second gold medal in the Women's 50m backstroke on the final day of the competition. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
Ho Yuen Hoe Gan Eng Seng Hugh Hickling Zubir Said Tang Da Wu Edwin Thumboo Teresa Hsu Fandi Ahmad Denise Phua Li Jiawei Glenn Knight Laurentia Tan Tao Li Neila Sathyalingam Walter Woon Han Sai Por Rex Shelley Feng Tianwei Lee Choon Seng Balaji Sadasivan Choor Singh Kelvin Tan Xiaxue

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that a number of bus drivers who participated in a strike were unaware that it was illegally held?
... that aviation medicine pioneer Jarnail Singh's work launched the first ultra long-haul flight between Singapore and New York in 2004?
... that Singaporean zoologist Bernard Harrison was disliked by an orangutan?
... that gynaecologist Oon Chiew Seng, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2013, was the founding chairperson of the first dementia home in Singapore?
... that Song Kok Hoo was the first Asian deputy commissioner of police in Singapore?
... that to reflect the neighbourhood's heritage as a songbird-watching community, Singapore's Mayflower MRT station is decorated with 22 bird sculptures?

In this month

12 October 1978: The worst industrial accident in Singapore, the Spyros disaster, occurs, killing 76 people.
25 October 2007: Singapore Airlines makes the world's first commercial flight via the Airbus A380 superjumbo jet.
31 October 1971: The last British military forces withdraw from Singapore.
31 October 1981: Opposition MP Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam is elected into Parliament, breaking a 16-year monopoly of the House by the People's Action Party.
31 October 2000: Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashes during take-off in Chiang Kai Shek International Airport, killing 83 people.

More Anniversaries...

More did you know -

Photo of the Buddhist Library in Singapore

The Buddhist Library of Singapore

... that the Buddhist Library (pictured), which is located in a shophouse, is Singapore's first dedicated Buddhist library and is unique in that it is neither an association nor a temple?

... that John Martin Scripps was the first Briton in Singapore to be sentenced to death by hanging?

... that Saint Jack, a 1979 fiction film about a prostitute in Singapore and the only Hollywood film about Singapore to be shot on location, was banned in the country until 2006?

... that the Presidential Council for Minority Rights, a Singaporean body that ensures laws do not discriminate against racial or religious minorities, has not issued an adverse report since its creation?

... that Ah Meng, a Sumatran Orangutan and tourism icon of Singapore, had breakfast with celebrities including the Duke of Edinburgh and pop star Michael Jackson?

More...

Selected panorama

Bukit Ho Swee

Bukit Ho Swee is a place in Singapore which is located near Jalan Bukit Ho Swee. It was once an unplanned self-built township of about 20,000, though this was destroyed by the Bukit Ho Swee Fire, which broke out on 25 May 1961. It is now a residential area with little remains of its chaotic past.

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Create or improve on the articles listed in the to do list
Share with us your level of proficiency in Singlish by putting one of the 4 Singlish Babel tags (1 2 3 4) onto your user page
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