Singapore, formally the Republic of Singapore, is a city-state in Southeast Asia. The islet is located at the southern end of the Melakka Peninsula. The country is slightly larger than the Noordoostpolder and has 5.4 million inhabitants, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

The Marina Coastal Expressway.

Geography

According to ABBREVIATIONFINDER, Singapore is located on an island at the southern end of the Melakka Peninsula. It is separated from Malaysia by a narrow strait, connecting the country by several bridges. To the south are the Malacca Straits, a series of straits that separate the country from Indonesia. Despite its small area and large population, not all of Singapore is built-up, in the middle is a large nature reserve and the northwest is also not built-up, this consists mainly of forested area. Port areas have been created mainly with land reclamation in the southwest.

Singapore consists of 63 islands in total, but the majority of the population lives on the main island. Land reclamation has substantially increased the country from 582 km² in the 1960s to 722 km² in 2018. Some small islands are joined by land reclamation.

The country has a tropical rainforest climate with more or less the same temperatures throughout the year, the average maximum temperature ranges from 30 to 32°C. More than 2150 mm of rain falls per year, spread fairly evenly throughout the year. Unlike the rest of Southeast Asia, Singapore does not have a monsoon period or dry and wet seasons. In the period November-January there is more precipitation than the other months, but all months are richly provided with precipitation. The country has high humidity.

Demographics

Of the approximately 5.6 million inhabitants, two-thirds have Singaporean nationality and the rest are expats or migrant workers. Originally, the island was hardly populated. The people are descendants of migrants who moved there in the course of the 20th century. See Singapore population density. About three quarters of the population is of Chinese descent, about 13% is Malaysian, 9% Indian and 3% other. Singapore has a low birth rate, with 0.8 children per woman in 2014, the lowest in the world.

Singapore has four official languages, English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. English is the lingua franca and is used by business, government, media and education. Most residents are multilingual, with English spoken by 80%, Chinese by 65% ​​and Malay by 17%. Singapore English is based on British English in spelling and pronunciation.

Economy

Singapore is a highly developed market economy, originally based on trade. Its strategic location allowed Singapore to become one of the most prosperous cities in the world. The economy ranks at the top of freedom, innovation, competitiveness and business-friendly in the world. Singapore is also considered one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Singapore traditionally has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world. In Singapore you pay with the Singapore dollar.

Singapore’s economy is diverse. There is large-scale industry in the port areas of western Singapore, but it is also an important financial center. It also exports electronics and oil. Singapore airport is a major hub for air traffic in Southeast Asia, as well as transcontinental flights from Europe to Oceania. Due to the good accessibility, tourism plays an important role in the economy.

History

Singapore was founded in 1819 by Briton Stamford Raffles. It was a trading post of the British East India Company. After this company went bankrupt in 1858, it became a crown colony within the British Raj. During World War II it was occupied by Japan. Singapore became independent from the United Kingdom in 1963 and merged into a federation with Malaysia. However, after 2 years Singapore seceded and became an independent country. Under Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was in power from 1959 to 1990, Singapore developed from a small trading city into an international metropolis. Singapore became a textbook example of a modern nation that could develop without corruption. In 1981 Singapore Changi Airport opened and the port of Singapore developed into one of the busiest ports in the world, in 2005 it became the busiest container port in the world.