Singapore
The Republic of Singapore (Chinese 新加坡共和国, pinyin: Xīnjīapō Gònghéguó; Malay Republik Singapura; Tamil சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு, Cingkappūr Kudiyarasu), is an island city-state in Southeast Asia, at latitude 1°17'35"N longitude 103°51'20"E, situated on the southern tip of Malay Peninsula, south of the state of Johor of Peninsular Malaysia and north of the Indonesian islands of Riau.
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| National motto: Majulah Singapura (Malay: Onward, Singapore) |
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| Official languages | English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil | ||||||||
| National language | Malay | ||||||||
| Capital | Singapore | ||||||||
| Head of State | Sellapan Rama NATHAN | ||||||||
| Head of Government | LEE Hsien Loong | ||||||||
| Area - Total - % water |
697.1 km² 1.444% |
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| Population - Total (July 2003 est.) - Density |
4,185,200 6,004/km² |
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| GDP - Total (2003) - GDP/head |
US$93 billion US$22,366 |
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| Independence - Date |
From Malaysia August 9, 1965 |
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| Currency | Singapore Dollar (S$, SGD) | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC +8 | ||||||||
| National anthem | Majulah Singapura | ||||||||
| Internet TLD | .sg | ||||||||
| Calling code | 65 (02 when dialling from Malaysia) | ||||||||
| Contents |
History
Main article: History of Singapore
The history of Singapore begins with the earliest references to the island in Chinese texts from the 3rd century. The island served as an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and was originally given the Javanese name Temasek. Temasek rose to become a significant trading city in its heyday, but later declined in significance - little is to be found of old Temasek in Singapore other than archaeological evidence.
The current name of the city derives from the Sanskrit Singapura (Lion City); this name became common by the late 14th century. The 15th and 16th century Sultanate of Johore included Singapore. During the Malay-Portugal wars, Singapura was burned down by Portugese forces in 1617. The city was officially abandoned; the island remained inhabited by small bands of fishermen and pirates.
In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, an official with the British East India Company, established Singapore as a trade post and settlement, having made a treaty with the Sultan of Johor, the effective ruler of the island of Singapore then. After some conflict over the territory between the Dutch and the British, the Dutch withdrew objections to Great Britain's founding of Singapore as a trade city in Southeast Asia in August 1824. After undergoing a number of territorial incarnations, Singapore was made a crown colony in 1867.
Singapore prospered as a trading port. Entrepot trade grew, no doubt helped by Singapore's strategic location at an important trade route along the Straits of Malacca, later to become the busiest shipping route in the world.
During World War II, Japanese forces invaded Malaya and pushed southwards towards Singapore. The British and Allied forces were forced to retreat towards Singapore with the Japanese in pursuit. Despite having numerical superiority, the British and Allied troops were less well trained and they did not have the combined arms support of the navy and air force that the Japanese enjoyed after successful raids on the Royal Air Force base in Singapore and the destruction of the battleships, the "Prince of Wales" and the "Repulse". The Japanese landed in Singapore on February 7, 1942. On February 15, 1942, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, commander of British forces in Singapore surrendered to the Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita. The Japanese held Singapore until September 1945.
Singapore became a self-governing nation in 1959. Singapore joined Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as part of the Federation of Malaysia between 1963 and 1965. It however, withdrew from Malaysia, becoming a sovereign nation on August 9, 1965 as racial tensions grew within Malaysia. Singapore rapidly formed its own armed forces as Britain withdrew troops from Singapore in October 1971.
Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore's first Prime Minister, governing Singapore from 1959 to 1990. His main priority then was to raise Singapore from the ashes after the World War II and develop it to compete in the global market, which was extremely hard, given the economic and political state of Singapore after the war.
His successor Goh Chok Tong, took office in 1990 as the second Prime Minister, while Lee Kuan Yew became Senior Minister. Goh Chok Tong was faced with the problems of sustaining Singapore's growth and further promote it as a business hub. He also saw the country through crises such as the 1997 Asian economic crisis and SARS in 2003.
On August 12, 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, took over as the third Prime Minister of Singapore. In turn, Goh Chok Tong became Senior Minister while Lee Kuan Yew took on the newly created portfolio of Minister Mentor.
Geography & Climate
Main article: Geography & Climate of Singapore
Geography
Singapore's main territory is a diamond-shaped island which is connected to the city of Johor Bahru in the state of Johor, Malaysia by a man-made causeway to the north. There is also a bridge (Tuas Second Link) in the western part of Singapore connecting to Johor. Singapore also has dozens of smaller islands, of which Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the larger ones. The highest point of Singapore is Bukit Timah, with a height of 164m or 539 feet.
When Singapore was first colonized by the British, the city of Singapore was situated on the southern coast, around the mouth of the Singapore River. This area remains the downtown core of Singapore. The rest of the island was farmland and jungle. However, since the 1960s the government has constructed many new towns in other areas, so that today the island is nearly entirely built-up, with only a few exceptions. In addition, Singapore has reclaimed land with earth obtained from its own hills, the seabed, and neighbouring countries. As a result, Singapore's land area grew from 581.5km² in the 1960s to 697.1km² today, and may grow by another 100km² by 2030.
Since Singapore is basically a city-state, there are no further administrative divisions. Singapore does however have community development councils and town councils that handle local matters.
| Edit (http://www.askfactmaster.com/Template:Singapore) | Major Towns and Estates of Singapore | 
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| Aljunied | Ang Mo Kio | Bedok | Bishan | Boon Lay | Braddell | Bukit Batok | Bukit Gombak | Bukit Merah | Bukit Panjang | Bukit Timah | Buona Vista | Changi | Chinatown | Choa Chu Kang | Clementi | Dhoby Ghaut | Geylang | Ghim Moh | Holland Road | Hougang | Jalan Besar | Jurong ( Jurong East | Jurong West ) | Kallang | Katong | Kampong Glam | Kembangan | Kranji | Lim Chu Kang | Macpherson | Marina Bay | Marine Parade | Orchard Road | Pasir Panjang | Pasir Ris | Paya Lebar | Potong Pasir | Punggol | Queenstown | Raffles Place | Seletar | Sembawang | Sengkang | Serangoon | Siglap | Tampines | Tanjong Pagar | Telok Blangah | Thomson | Tiong Bahru | Toa Payoh | Tuas | Woodlands | Yio Chu Kang | Yishun | ||
| Islands: Jurong Island | Kusu Island | Pulau Brani | Pulau Tekong | Pulau Ubin | Sentosa | St John's Island | ||
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Climate
Singapore's climate is tropical ("tropical rainforest climate" under Köppen climate classification), with no distinct seasons. Because of its geographical location and maritime exposure, its climate is characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall. Temperature as a diurnal range of a minimum 23-26ºC and a maximum of 31-34ºC. Relative humidity has a diurnal range in the high 90's in the early morning to around 60 % in the mid-afternoon. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100 %.
The climate of Singapore can be divided into two main seasons, the Northeast Monsoon (December to early March) and the Southwest Monsoon season (June to September), separated by two relatively short inter-monsoon periods. (These seasons are usually found in more academic contexts and are not generally familiar to laypeople in Singapore.) During the Northeast Monsoon season, northeast winds prevail, sometimes reaching 20 km/h. Cloudy conditions in December and January with frequent afternoon showers. Spells of widespread moderate to heavy rain occur lasting from 1 to 3 days at a stretch. Relatively drier in February till early March. Also generally windy with wind speeds sometimes reaching 30 to 40 km/h in the months of January and February. During the Southeast Monsoon season, southeast/southwest winds prevail. Isolated to scattered showers occur in the late morning and early afternoon. Early morning "Sumatra" line squalls are common.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Singapore
Apart from the much smaller Monaco, Singapore is the most densely populated independent country in the world. 85% of Singaporeans live in public housing provided by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). Source: Singapore Department of Statistics (http://www.singstat.gov.sg/keystats/people.html#hhlds)
Singapore's population is diverse. The Chinese account for 76.8% of Singaporeans. Malays, who are the indigenous native group of the country, constitute 13.9%, though this number includes many Malay ethnic groups from other parts of the Malay archipelago including the Javanese, Bugis, Baweans and Minangs.The Indians are the third largest ethnic group at 7.9% which consisted of several groups - Tamils, who form the largest Indian group and others such as Malayalees, Punjabis and Bengalis. The rest are made up of smaller groups such as Arabs and Eurasians.
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 education, military and housing. So far the policy has been successful, and there has been no signs of ethnic unrest since the early 1970s. Issues exist such as bans on fundamentalist evangelical Christian activities and the Islamic headscarf in public schools (without a reciprocal ban on other religious symbols).
The official languages are English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil. English has been promoted as the country's lingua franca since independence, and it is spoken by the majority of the population. Malay remains Singapore's national language for historical reasons and it is used in the national anthem.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Singapore
Singapore is a small and relatively modern amalgam of indigenous Malay population with Chinese and Indian migrants. There appears little in the way of specifically Singaporean culture, as there is little intermarriage, although there is a community of Peranakan or "Straits Chinese", of mixed Chinese and Malay descent. The major public holidays in Singapore reflect this diversity, including the religious holidays of various denominations.
Officially, the English used is modelled on British English (spelling and grammar), with some American English influences. The local colloquial dialect of English is known formally as Singapore Colloquial English (though it is more commonly called "Singlish"), and has many creole-like characteristics, having incorporated much vocabulary and grammar from various dialects of Chinese, Malay, and Indian languages. Singlish is basically identical to Manglish (the English dialect of Malaysia), and is the usual language on the streets, but is frowned upon in official contexts, and this matter has been brought up in recent years by the government.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Singapore
Singapore has a Westminster-style constitution. There is an elected figurehead president, who has veto powers in a few key decisions - such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of key judiciary positions. True executive power rests with the prime minister who leads the majority party in the elected Parliament.
In practice, politics is dominated by the People's Action Party which has ruled since Independence. Over the years the PAP has been accused of taking overly harsh actions against opposition parties to discourage and impede their success, such as gerrymandering (redrawing electoral districts to one's own favour). Since most people are supportive or apathetic regarding PAP policies, the opposition parties are stereotypically associated with the truly political passionate (some say foolhardy). There are also several cases of government leaders taking out civil suits against the opposition for libel or slander. Critics point out that in any case brought before the Singaporean courts involving the PAP or the Singapore Government, judges have always ruled in their favour, although a few instances of successful opposition suits have been recorded. Western democracies consider the mode of government in Singapore to be closer to authoritarianism than true democracy.
Paradoxically (for political scientists), Singapore has a highly successful and transparent market economy. Singapore was originally known as a social democracy, but the PAP has consistently rejected the notion of being socialist. One difference from a social democracy could be the sense that it uses public opinion and feedback to make policies instead of rigorous lawmaking procedures. However, PAP's policies contain certain hallmarks of socialism, which includes government owned public housing constituting the majority of real estate and the dominance of government owned and controlled companies in the local economy. PAP has also consistently rejected Western democratic values in the past, with former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew citing incompatibilities with "Asian values". Most recently, the PAP has promulgated the loosening of social conservative policies and policies to promote enterpreneurship but the effects of both efforts have not completely manifested.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Singapore
As one of the East Asian Tigers, Singapore enjoys a highly developed and successful free-market economy, characterised by a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and one of the highest per capita GDP in the world. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing, and was hard hit in 2001 by the global recession and the slump in the technology sector. In 2001, GDP contracted by 2.2%. The economy has since recovered in response to improvements in the US economy, and is now expected to expand between 8 to 9% in 2004. In the longer term the government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle than the current export-led model, but is unlikely to abandon efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.
The per capita GDP in 2003 was US$22,366 (est.) with an unemployment rate hovering around 5% in the same year.
The Economic Review Committee (ERC), set up in December 2001, made key recommendations to remake Singapore into:
- a globalised economy where Singapore is the key node in the global network, linked to all the major economies;
- a creative and entrepreneurial nation willing to take risks to create fresh businesses and blaze new paths to success; and
- a diversified economy powered by the twin engines of manufacturing and services, where vibrant Singapore companies complement MNCs, and new startups co-exist with traditional businesses exploiting new and innovative ideas.
Transportation
Main article: Transportation in Singapore
Singapore is linked to Johor, Malaysia via a railway line operated by KTMB of Malaysia, the causeway and bridge. Changi International Airport is situated at the eastermost tip of the main island. Comprising of two terminals, it is one of the most important air hubs in the region, serving 167 cities in 53 countries. When construction of the third terminal is completed in 2006, Changi is capable of handling 64 million passengers every year.
Within Singapore, there is a well-developed system of expressways and public transport roads
In addition, Singapore has a subway system (Mass Rapid Transit and Light Rail Transit) consisting of five lines. There is also a well-worked system of bus routes throughout the island, most of which have air conditioning due to Singapore's yearlong sweltering heat, while buses without air conditioning will be gradually phased. A contactless smartcard (EZ-link) is used to pay bus and subway fares.
| Edit (http://www.askfactmaster.com/Template:Expressways_of_Singapore) | Expressways of Singapore |
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| Pan Island Expressway | East Coast Parkway | Ayer Rajah Expressway | Central Expressway | Tampines Expressway | Seletar Expressway | Kranji Expressway | Bukit Timah Expressway | Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway | ||
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Laws
History
For most of the 19th century the criminal law which was applied in the three Straits Settlement of Singapore, Penang and Malacca was that of England, in so far as local circumstances were permitted. There was little doubt that English common law crimes were recognised in these territories at the time. Certain problems, such as the application of certain Indian Acts, however, arose in 1871 and the Straits Settlements Penal Code was passed. It came into operation on 16 September 1872. The Code is practically a re-enactment of the Indian Penal Code.
The original Code, as amended on numerous occasions, presently states the law of Singapore. The most recent amendment was made by the Penal Code (Amendment) Act 1984 which came into effect on 31 August 1984. The effect of this amendment was that minimum penalties were provided for certain offences. The last major amendment of the Code prior to 1984 took place in 1973 when punishments for certain offences were enhanced.
Prior to 1870 the law relating to Criminal Procedure in force in Singapore was mainly found in the Indian Act XVI of 1852. As a consequence of the passing of the Straits Settlements Penal Code in 1871, the Criminal Procedure Ordinance V of 1870 was passed which replaced the Criminal Procedure Act XVI of 1852 but continued the English system of Criminal Procedure and made it applicable to the Penal Code. This was found impracticable as the Penal Code did away with the division of crimes into felonies and misdemeanours and the Criminal Procedure Ordinance VI of 1873 was passed accordingly. The Ordinance VI of 1873 marked the passage of the English Criminal Law in favour of the Indian. The Ordinance did away with indictments and instituted charges for all criminal offences; it abolished the Grand Jury and Special and Common Juries.
A new Code of Criminal Procedure was enacted in 1902. The present Code was passed by the Legislative Council on 28 January 1955. It repeals and re-enacts with the amendments the previous Code. All offences under the Penal Code are inquired into and tried according to the Criminal Procedure Code. Source: Electric Law Library (http://www.lectlaw.com/files/int21.htm)
Some laws
Laws are often strict (there is a saying "Singapore is a 'fine' country", where the "fine" is of the monetary kind):
- The sale of chewing gum was forbidden for 12 years until May 2004, where the sale of chewing gum for medical purposes is approved (gum as a candy remains prohibited). However, those that buy chewing gum must present identification and have a doctor's prescription. If the pharmacist that sells the gum does not take the name of the buyer, they face a SGD 3,000 fine.
- Heavy fines and community service are levied on people who litter or discard items in public areas.
- Eating and drinking on public transport also carry heavy fines.
- There is a tax on the use of city streets.
- Vandalism and graffiti are punishable by mandatory caning.
- There is tough (by western standards) censorship:
- Some foreign newspapers and magazines, such as the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review have had their circulation or sale restricted. Malaysian newspapers are not allowed to be sold in Singapore (and vice versa)
- Pornography is not allowed; depiction of sex and nudity is restricted, e.g. Playboy and certain other 'adult' magazines are not allowed, Cosmopolitan Magazine was only recently permitted. Sex and nudity, if allowed at all, must be relevant to the context; movies containing nudity, sex or high levels of violence are usually categorised as Restricted 21 (R21) or are banned.
- It is of note that the government has shown some interest in relaxing these standards, and has in recent times introduced a new movie category allowing 18-year-olds to view more mature content (M18), besides the existing NC-16 and R21 ratings.
- Private ownership of satellite dishes is banned, and international TV broadcasts (such as CNN, BBC, etc) can only be received by cable.
- Certain political material is not allowed.
- Material which may disturb religious and racial harmony is not allowed.
- Narcotics laws are very strict.
- Anyone caught with more than or equal to 13 g (0.5 ounces) of heroin, 28 g (1 ounce) of morphine or 480 g (17 ounces) of cannabis faces mandatory capital punishment. From 1991-2004, 400 people have been hanged in Singapore, mostly for drug trafficking, the highest execution rate in the world relative to population. See Singapore Government's response (http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=990&type=4) to its capital punishment.
- Sex deemed by the Government to be "against the order of nature", including oral sex and anal sex, is illegal.
- Car ownership is curbed through a government scheme in which car owners must bid for a Certificate of Entitlement (COE).
Recent developments
In recent years, the Singaporean government has relaxed some of the stricter laws. For example, bungy jumping is no longer illegal. Film censorship has also been relaxed. There are also signs that the government is considering relaxing a number of laws concerning sex.
It is of note that while some archaic laws do remain from British common law, the judicary usually does not deliberately enforce these laws. For instance, while possession of pornography is illegal, no known checks have been made. However, in 2004, Chief Justice Yong Pung How sentenced a 25-year-old former policeman, Annis Abdullah, to jail for 12 months for receiving oral sex from a teenage girl. In his statement he said that despite growing permissiveness in some countries there were "certain offences that are so repulsive in Asian culture".
An American teenager, Michael Fay, aroused passionate media interest from the United States after he was caught vandalising Singaporean cars in 1994. There was a formal request by the American government not to carry out the sentence, which was caning. Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew called American practices "soft" and denied the appeal, although the number of strokes given was lessened. Fay was caned and interest in the incident has fallen since.
Capital punishment
Singapore is believed to possess the highest per capita rate of executions in the world, according to Amnesty International. The Singapore government has released figures (http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=990&type=4#_ftnref4) giving a breakdown of the numbers of executions that have taken place over the past five years. Executions by hanging occur every Friday morning in Changi prison; relatives are informed of the date of the execution four days before it is scheduled to take place, seven to fourteen days beforehand in the case of foreigners as is detailed in the Singapore government's response (http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=990&type=4) to Amnesty International on the subject.
See also: Getforme.com Singapore Law (http://www.getforme.com/Info_singaporelaw.htm)
Miscellaneous topics
- Date format: DD/MM/YYYY
- Voltage: 220-240V, 50 Hz; Power connector: 3-pin rectangular (British)
- Postal code: 6 digits.
- Telephone prefixes: 6xxx-xxxx land lines; 8xxx-xxxx and 9xxx-xxxx mobile lines; 9xxx-xxxx pager lines.
- Cellular frequency: GSM 900, GSM 1800
- Cellular technology: GSM/GPRS
- Wireless hotspots in Singapore (http://sg.mobile.yahoo.com/www/sg_hotspots.php)
See also
- Changi International Airport
- Communications in Singapore
- Education in Singapore
- Foreign relations of Singapore
- Military of Singapore
- Religion in Singapore
- Tourism in Singapore
Reference
- This article incorporates public domain text from the websites of Singapore Department of Statistics, United States Department of State & CIA World Factbook (2004).
External links
- The Singapore AskFactMaster.Com (http://www.sgAskFactMaster.Com.com)
- Singapore Government Online Portal (http://www.gov.sg/)
- The Singapore Infomap (http://www.sg/)
- Talking Cock, a political satire website (http://talkingcock.com/)
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da:Singapore
de:Singapur
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fr:Singapour
id:Singapura
ms:Singapura
minnan:Sin-ka-pho
nl:Singapore
ja:シンガポール
no:Singapore
pl:Singapur
pt:Singapura
ru:Сингапур
sl:Singapur
fi:Singapore
sv:Singapore
ta:சிங்கப்பூர்
th:ประเทศสิงคโปร์
uk:Сингапур
[[zh-cn:新加坡]]
Categories: Capitals in Asia | Coastal cities | Singapore