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Singapore (Malay: Singapura; Chinese: 新加坡, Xīnjiāpō; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர், Ciŋkappūr), officially the Republic of Singapore (Malay: Republik Singapura; Chinese: 新加坡共和国; Pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Gònghéguó; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு, Ciŋkappūr Kudiyarasu), is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometers (85 miles) north of the Equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 704.0 km² (272 square miles), it is the smallest country in Southeast Asia.
The main island was a fishing village sparsely populated by indigenous Malays and Orang Lauts when it was colonized by the British East India Company in 1819. The British used the position as a tactical trading outpost along the spice route.[1] Occupied by the Japanese Empire during World War II, it reverted to British rule in 1945 and was later part of the merger which established Malaysia in 1963. Two years later, it was expelled due to ideological differences.
Since gaining independence, Singapore has seen its standard of living rise dramatically. Foreign investment and government-led island-wide industrialization have created a modern economy based on electronics and manufacturing, featuring entrepôt and financial trade centering around the country's strategic location. In terms of GDP per capita, Singapore is the 18th wealthiest country in the world.[2] The geographically small nation has a foreign reserve of S$212 billion (US$139 billion).[3] In terms of quality of life, The Economist (2005) ranked Singapore highest in Asia and 11th in the world.[4] Despite wealth and a high standard of living, Singapore also has the highest per capita execution rate in the world at 13.57 per 1,000,000 residents, compared to just 4.65 in Saudi Arabia and 2.01 in China.[5]
The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore established the city-state's political system as a representative democracy while the country has official United Nations' recognition as a parliamentary republic. The People's Action Party has won control of Parliament in every election since self-government in 1959.
Politics and government
Main article: Politics of Singapore
Singapore is a republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing different constituencies. The bulk of the executive powers rests with the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. The office of President of Singapore, historically a ceremonial one, was granted some veto powers as of 1991 for a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of judiciary positions.[14] Although the position is to be elected by popular vote, only the 1993 election has been contested to date. The legislative branch of government is the Parliament.
Parliamentary elections in Singapore are plurality-based for group representation constituencies since the Parliamentary Elections Act was modified in 1991.[15]
Singaporean politics have been dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP) since self-government was attained.[16] In consequence, foreign political analysts and several opposition parties like the Workers' Party of Singapore, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) have argued that Singapore is essentially a one-party state. Many analysts consider Singapore to be more of an illiberal or procedural democracy than a true democracy. The Economist Intelligence Unit lists Singapore as a country with a "hybrid" system comprised of democratic and authoritarian elements.[citation needed] Freedom House ranks the country as "partly free".[17] Though general elections are free from irregularities and vote rigging, the PAP has been criticised for manipulating the political system through its use of censorship, gerrymandering, and civil libel suits against opposition politicians. Francis Seow, the exiled former solicitor-general of Singapore, is a prominent critic. Seow and opposition politicians such as J.B. Jeyaretnam and Chee Soon Juan claim that Singapore courts favour the PAP government, and there is no separation of powers.[18]
Singapore has a highly successful and transparent market economy. Government-linked companies are dominant in various sectors of the local economy, such as media, utilities, and public transport. Singapore has consistently been rated as the least-corrupt country in Asia and amongst the top ten cleanest from corruption in the world by Transparency International.[19]
Although Singapore's laws are inherited from British and British Indian laws, including many elements of English common law, the PAP has also consistently rejected liberal democratic values as "Western." Laws restricting freedom of speech are justified by claims that unrestricted speech may breed disharmony within Singapore's multi-racial, multi-religious society. Some offences can lead to heavy fines or caning, and there are laws which allow capital punishment for first-degree murder and drug trafficking. More recently the PAP government has claimed to relax some of its socially conservative policies and created a "Feedback Unit"[20] to receive comments on some policies and public services.
Geography and climate
Main article: Geography and climate of Singapore
Singapore is divided into 55 urban planning areas, grouped into 5 regions.
Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island itself. There are two connections to Johor — the man-made Johor-Singapore Causeway in the north, and the Tuas Second Link in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore's many smaller islands. The highest natural point of Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill (166 metres, 538 ft).
The urban area used to only be concentrated on the south of Singapore, around the mouth of the Singapore River and what is now the Downtown Core, while the rest of the land was undeveloped tropical rainforest or used for agriculture. Since the 1960s, the government has constructed new residential towns in outlying areas, resulting in an entirely built-up urban landscape. The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the government agency responsible for urban planning.
Singapore has an on-going land reclamation project with earth obtained from its own hills, the sea-bed, and neighbouring countries. As a result, Singapore's land area grew from 581.5 square kilometres (224.5 sq mi) in the 1960s to 699.3 square kilometres (269.1 sq mi) today, and may grow by another 100 square kilometres (38.6 sq mi) by 2030.[21] Many of the smaller islands have been expanded and joined together through land reclamation in order to form larger, more functional islands, such as in the case of Jurong Island.
Under the Köppen climate classification system, Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinct seasons. Its climate is characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 22°C to 34 °C (72°–93°F). On average, the relative humidity is around 90% in the morning and 60% in the afternoon. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100%.[22] The lowest and highest temperatures recorded in its maritime history are 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) and 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) respectively. The highest wind speed recorded is 150 km/h on 26 May 2007. June and July are the hottest months, while November and December make up the wetter monsoon season. From August to October, there is often haze, sometimes severe enough to prompt public health warnings, due to bushfires in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore does not observe daylight savings time or a summer time zone change. The length of the day is nearly constant year round due to the country's location near the equator.
About 23% of Singapore's land area consists of forest and nature reserves.[23] Urbanization has eliminated many areas of former primary rainforest, with the only remaining area of primary rainforest being Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. A variety of parks are maintained with human intervention, such as the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Without natural freshwater rivers and lakes, the primary domestic source of water supply in Singapore is rainfall, collected in reservoirs or catchment areas. Rainfall supplies approximately 50% of Singapore's water; the remainder is imported from Malaysia or obtained from recycled water facilities and desalination plants. More NEWater and desalination plants are being built or proposed to reduce reliance on foreign supply.[24]
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Singapore and Tourism in Singapore
Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy, which historically revolves around extended entrepot trade. The economy depends heavily on exports refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing. Manufacturing constitutes 28% of Singapore's GDP in 2005.[citation needed] The manufacturing industry is well-diversified into electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences manufacturing. Singapore is the busiest port in the world in terms of tonnage shipped. [25]
Singapore is the world's fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre after London, New York City and Tokyo.[26] If the economy does well, it may overtake Tokyo as the third largest foreign exchange centre by 2008.
Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. Singapore has been rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world, with thousands of foreign expatriates working in multi-national corporations. [27] The city-state also employs thousands of foreign workers from around the world.
In 2001, a global recession and slump in the technology sector caused the GDP to contract by 2.2%. The Economic Review Committee (ERC), set up in December 2001, recommended several policy changes with a view to revitalising the economy. Singapore has since recovered from the recession, largely due to improvements in the world economy; the Singaporean economy itself grew by 8.3% in 2004 and 6.4% in 2005.[28]
The per capita GDP in 2005 was US$26,833[29] and the unemployment rate was 2.7% in 2006, with[30] 173,000 new jobs being created in 2006, a record high. The economy grew by 7.9% in 2006.[31]
In the first quarter of Year 2007, the economy grew by 6.1%. The economy is expected to expand by 6.1%, 6.0% and 6.2% in the second, third and fourth quarters of Year 2007 respectively. [32] In Year 2008, economists expects economic growth to be around 5.8%.
As the economy grew at a much faster pace than expected, the government raised the economic growth forecast to 5%-7% instead of the initial 4.5%-6.5% for the full year. [33] Finance Minister Lee Hsien Loong also had said in an interview in April 2007 that Singapore's economy is expected to grow by at least 5% for the next 5 years.
Singapore introduced a Goods and Services Tax (GST) with an initial rate of 3% on 1 April 1994 substantially increasing government revenue by $1.6 billion and stabilizing government finances.[34] The taxable GST was increased to 4% in 2003 and to 5% in 2004.[35] The GST will be further increased to 7% on 1st July 2007.[36] To help Singaporeans cope with the GST tax increase, the government has introduced the GST Offset Package (similar to the Progress Package given out last year) on 14 May 2007. Each citizen would be able to receive an amount of between S$150- S$1,000, depending on the individual salary.
Singapore is a popular travel destination, making tourism one of its largest industries. About 9.7 million tourists visited Singapore in 2006.[37] The Singaporean government hopes to have at least 17 million visitor arrivals by 2015. The Orchard Road district is the centre of shopping hub in Singapore. To attract more tourists, the government decided in 2005 to legalise gambling and to allow two Integrated Resorts to be developed at Marina South and Sentosa.[38] Other than the Integrated Resort, about 15 new developments are coming up, which include the Singapore Flyer, which would be the largest ferris wheel in the world, the Gardens by the Bay and a 280-metre Double Helix Bridge connecting tourist attractions in and around Marina Bay. Cuisine has been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists, with the Singapore Food Festival in July organized annually to celebrate Singapore's cuisine. In 2008, Formula One racing will return when the Singapore Grand Prix will resume, having not been held since 1972. The circuit will be the first night-time race in Formula One's history.
To compete with its many rivals such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore has announced that the city would be transformed into a more vibrant and exciting place with more buzz by lighting up the city completely. The purpose of this is to attract more tourists.
Military
Main articles: Military of Singapore and Total Defence
The military of Singapore serves primarily as a deterrent to potential invaders of the island. Singapore has mutual defence pacts with several countries, most notably the Five Power Defence Arrangements. The country subscribes to a philosophy of Total Defence, which identifies five aspects of a holistic national defence.
The military of Singapore includes the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Navy, and the Republic of Singapore Air Force, collectively known as the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) oversees its functioning, with some private companies also playing a supporting role. Singapore requires that all males from 18 to 40 years of age, except those with certain medical or other exemptions, to become reservists after completing mandatory National Service duty.
The recent rise in unconventional warfare and terrorism has cast increasing emphasis on the non-military aspects of defence. The Gurkha Contingent, part of the Singapore Police Force, is also a counter-terrorist force. 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 current concern is Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant Islamic group whose plan to attack the Australian High Commission was ultimately foiled in 2001.
Singapore's defence resources have been used in international humanitarian aid missions, including United Nations peacekeeping assignments in Kosovo, Kuwait and East Timor,[39] and participating in the multinational force in Iraq.[40]
Population
Main articles: Demographics of Singapore and Religion in Singapore
Singapore is the second-most densely populated country in the world, not including Macau and Hong Kong, which are parts of the People's Republic of China. While the total population living in Singapore as of June 2006 is about 4.5 million, official demographic breakdowns and statistical analysis are only released for the 3.6 million who are Singaporean citizens and permanent residents (termed 'Singapore Residents').
After two decades of a successful family planning policy, Singapore is now facing the threat of an ageing population with declining birth rates. The government is encouraging Singaporeans to have more children through the provision of financial incentives for the first to fourth child of each family.[41]
In 2006, 38,232 babies were born, compared to around 37,600 in 2005. The number, however, is still not sufficient to maintain the population. Singapore's large number of migrants has kept Singapore's population from declining.[42]
Religion
Singapore is also a multi-religious country. Around 51% of Singaporeans practice Buddhism and Taoism. About 15%, mostly Chinese and Indians, practice Christianity. Muslims constitute 16%, of whom Malays account just over 13%. Smaller minorities practise Sikhism, Hinduism, and others, according to the 2000 census.[43] About 15% of the population have no religious affiliation.
Languages
The national language of Singapore is Malay for historical reasons, and it is used in the national anthem, "Majulah Singapura". The official languages are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. English has been promoted as the country's language of administration since independence, and it is spoken by the majority of the population, especially the young. Public signs and official publications are in English, although there are usually translated versions in the other official languages.
The English used is primarily British English, with some American English influences. The local colloquial dialect of English is Singlish, which has many creole-like characteristics, having incorporated vocabulary and grammar from various Chinese dialects, Malay, and Indian languages. Singlish is spoken commonly on the streets, but the government frowns upon its use in official contexts. The use of English became widespread in Singapore after it was implemented as a first language medium in the education system, and English is the most common language in Singaporean literature.
Main article: Architecture of Singapore
The architecture of Singapore is varied, reflecting the ethnic build-up of the country.
Singapore has several ethnic neighbourhoods, including Chinatown and Little India. These were formed under the Raffles Plan to segregate the immigrants, but now have a more diverse patronage. Many places of worship were also constructed during the colonial era. Sri Mariamman Temple, the Masjid Jamae Mosque and the Church of Gregory the Illuminator are among those that were built during the colonial period. Work is now underway to preserve these religious sites as National Monuments of Singapore.
Due to the lack of available space, few historical buildings remain in the centre of the Central Business District (CBD) of Singapore - the Fullerton Hotel and the previously-moved Lau Pa Sat being some exceptions.[citation needed] However, just outside of Raffles Place, and throughout the rest of the downtown core, there is a large scattering of pre-WWII buildings - some going back nearly as far as Raffles, as with the Empress Place Building, built in 1827.[citation needed] Many beautiful classical buildings were destroyed during the post-war decades, up until the 1990s, when things completely changed and the government started very strict programs to conserve the many remaining buildings and whole areas that are of historic and aesthetic value. Past the shopping malls are streets lined with old but newly-painted shophouses.[citation needed] Many other such areas have been gazetted as historic districts. Information can be found at the URA Centre in Maxwell Road, where there are exhibits and several models of the island and its architecture. Singapore has also become a centre for modern, or more correctly, postmodern architecture. Historically, the demand for high-end buildings has been in and around the Central Business District (CBD). After decades of development, the CBD has become an area with many tall office buildings. These buildings comprise the skyline along the coast of Marina Bay and Raffles Place, a famous tourist attraction in Singapore. Plans for tall buildings must be reviewed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore [44] No building in Singapore may be taller than 280 metres. [45] The three tallest buildings in Singapore, namely Republic Plaza, UOB Plaza One and OUB Centre, are all 280 metres in height.
In addition, some interesting signs of Singapore's colonial past remain in the form of "Black and White Houses". These large houses are situated further away from the CBD and were built in the early to mid 19th century. These homes were built to house the British generals and governors when Britain occupied the country. Later, they became home to many Japanese generals after the fall of Singapore during World War II.
Culture
Singapore is a mixture of an indigenous Malay population with a third generation Chinese majority, as well as Indian and Arab immigrants with some intermarriages. (Note: In reality, there are very few people in Singapore who can claim to be truly indigenous to the island of Singapore. Other than people who can trace their ancestry to the small number of Orang Laut and Malay fisherfolk living on the island then, the peoples of Singapore {including the Malays} are basically descendants of immigrants who came to Singapore to take advantage of the economic opportunities made available by the founding of modern Singapore by Raffles.) There also exist significant Eurasian and Peranakan (known also as 'Straits Chinese') communities. Singapore has also achieved a significant degree of cultural diffusion. One example is in Singaporean cuisine.
Since the 1990s, the government has been striving to promote Singapore as a centre for arts and culture, and to transform the country into a cosmopolitan 'gateway between the East and West'.[46]
Esplanade, Theatres on the Bay.
Esplanade, Theatres on the Bay.
The highlight of these efforts was the construction of Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, a centre for performing arts that opened on October 12, 2002[47].
Education
Primary education is compulsory in Singapore since 2000. The literacy rate is one of the highest in Asia, at 95%.[48]
The standard for the school curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education with a mix of private schools and public schools. There is no strict public-private dichotomy: the degree of autonomy, regarding curriculum and student admission, government funding received, and tuition burden on the students is further classified into "government-run", "government-aided", "autonomous", "independent", and "privately-funded".[49] In addition, international schools catered to expatriate students, which sometimes admit local students.
There have also been complaints about excessive educational streaming at a young age; a popular local film, I Not Stupid, highlights the competitiveness of the system and social stigma that students struggling with studies have to face.
After primary education, students take the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). After secondary education, a further set of examinations are taken which determine their individual subject mastery and which kind of tertiary education they can pursue, such as junior colleges, which provide a 2-year education route to the universities, or polytechnics, where students will graduate with a diploma. There are currently five universities (National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University,SIM University)and University of New South Wales Asia the fifth, which is also Singapore's first comprehensive international university, established by invitation of the Government of Singapore. But in 23 May 2007, the university announced its closure in June 2007.[50] There are also five polytechnics (Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic) in the country.
In 2004, a programme called Integrated Programme was created to remove the necessity of taking O-level examinations at Secondary 4, for more academically inclined students at certain secondary schools.
Other institutes include a teaching college to train teachers, various management institutes, and vocational education institutes such as the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). INSEAD, one of the leading business school in the world, has opened a second campus in Singapore in 2001. In parallel to the original France based campus, it offers MBA and Executive-MBA courses.
Last year, Singapore welcomed about 80,000 foreign students. The government hopes to get about 150,000 foreign students by Year 2015.
PRIME (Programme for Rebuilding and IMproving Existing Schools) is carried out by the Ministry of Education in phases to upgrade current school buildings. Many of the schools were built over 20 to 30 years ago. This programme is meant to upgrade school buildings to the current standards[51], to provide a better school environment for the students. It was first started in year 1999, as a $4.5 billion programme. Upgrading works can be carried out on-site while the build is still being utilised by the school, or the school can be relocated to a holding campus while upgrading is under way. The school can be relocated to a different and new site once the new site has been completed. Schools can also be merged to optimise the use of resources.
Phase 9 of the programme which was implemented in 2005, saw the FlexSI(Flexible School Infrastructure) framework. This extended to the building of modular classrooms which can be opened up for larger lectures, and allowing a school's staff members to mould their school's designs to suit the school's unique identity and culture. The phase also meant the provision of an indoor sports hall, to provide opportunity for schools to carry out Physical Education(PE) lessons in inclement weather. To date, 203 out of 235 schools under the first 8 phases have been upgraded. [52]
Main article: Transport in Singapore
International
Singapore is a major Asian transportation hub, strategically lying on the midpoints of certain sea and air trade routes. The transportation industry comprises over 10% of Singapore's GDP despite an increasingly diversified economy.[citation needed]
The Port of Singapore, managed by port operators PSA International and Jurong Port, was the world's busiest port in 2005 in terms of shipping tonnage handled, at 1.15 billion gross tons, and in terms of containerised traffic, at 23.2 million Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). It was also the world's second busiest in terms of cargo tonnage, coming behind Shanghai with 423 million tons handled. In addition, the Port is the world's busiest for transhipment traffic and the world's biggest ship refuelling center.[53]
Singapore is an aviation center, acting as a stopover point for the 'Kangaroo route' between Australasia and Europe. Singapore Changi Airport has a network of 81 airlines connecting Singapore to 179 cities in 57 countries (2005). It has been consistently rated as one of the best international airports by numerous international travel magazines. It was rated as the world's best airport in 2006 by Skytrax, defeating its long time rival, Hong Kong International Airport.[54] The airport currently has two passenger terminals, with a third under construction, and there are plans for a fourth terminal. The national carrier is Singapore Airlines (SIA).
Singapore is linked to Johor, Malaysia via the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the Tuas Second Link, as well as a railway operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu of Malaysia, with its southern terminus at Tanjong Pagar railway station. Frequent ferry service to several nearby Indonesian ports also exists.
