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Singapore Facts |
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Geography: Located between the latitudes 103 and 104 degrees east. Singapore experiences tropical climate. It is warm and humid all round the year. The country is connected with Malaysia by a man made causeway, the Johor causeway. Rainfall occurs throughout the year with maximum rainfall in the months of November and January. The maximum temperatures can go up to 31 degree Celsius and the minimum temperatures are 23 degrees. Average annual rainfall is approximately 2, 370 mm. the geological structure of the landmass is composed of igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks.
History: The first historical evidence of the existence of Singapore dates back to the 3rd century AD Chinese texts. The year 1819 is very important as Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, a British East India Company official, established Singapore into a trading post after signing a treaty with the Sultan of Johor. Gradually, the country rose up the level of importance and was declared to be a crown colony in the year 1867. The Battle of Singapore culminated from the Japanese invasion during the World War II. Singapore stepped into the democratic set up with the first elections in 1959 and Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister. In the year 1965, on the 9th of august, Singapore became a sovereign nation and Yosuf bin Ishak became the first President.
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Economy: With a highly – developed economy which thrives on a free market policy, Singapore boasts of a corruption free set – up. The GDP (PPP) is $126.5 billion and per capita GDP is $28, 600, which is very close to the four developed nation of the world. The most important source of income for Singapore is exports which accounts for $204.8 billion. The important products of export are machinery and electronic equipments. The largest industry, undoubtedly, is tourism with 9.05 million visitors every year. The Singapore Tourism Board has even organized Singapore Food Festival keeping in mind the growing interest of the local cuisine in the minds of the tourists.
Transport System:
Travel to Singapore – Travel by air to the Changi Airport. Flights from 160 cities in 53 countries arrive. For air travelers from Malaysia, flights land in the Seletar Airport.
You can travel by bus from various Malaysian destinations. You can take a train from Kuala Lampur and Kota Baru run by the KTMB, the Malaysian state railways. You can also avail of the ferry service from Riau Islands in Indonesia and Johor in Malaysia. Star Cruises also feature as the favorite way to Travel to Singapore.Traveling in Singapore – The transport system in Singapore is facilitated with public transport buses, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) railway system, taxi, bus, small boat, car, and ferry and cycle taxi.
Administration and Government: Singapore has a parliamentary democracy with Singapore city as the capital of the island. It attained independence from the Malaysian Federation in the year 1965, on the 9th of August. The legal system is based on English Common Law. The President is the head of the state. At present the President is S. R. Nathan. The head of the government is Prime Minister, who is Lee Hsien Loong.
Society and Cultural Life: The ethnic composition of the people consists of 77% Chinese, 14% Malay and 8% Indian. Singapore is multi religious with Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Taoist and Hindu. Dance, music and food make up the cultural life of the people. Their family values are very strong. The Peranakans, a sub – culture, has developed from inter marriage between the Malays and the Chinese. They are also a part of the Singaporean culture.
Educational Institutions: There are private schools, government owned schools and international schools in Singapore. After the students complete their secondary education they have to clear a pre – college exam to prove their merits. The National University of Singapore, the Singapore Management University and the Nanyang Technological University are some of the public universities. There are numerous institutes specializing in the field of polytechnic education like the Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic.
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