Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometers (85 mi) north of the equator. It’s an island country made up of 63 islands, separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore had been a part of various local empires since it was first inhabited in the 2nd century AD. It hosted a trading post of the East India Company in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. It was occupied by the Japanese in World War II. Singapore declared independence, uniting with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963, although it was separated from Malaysia two years later. Since then it has had a massive increase in wealth, and is one of the Four Asian Tigers. Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial centre, and its port is one of the five busiest ports in the world.  The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing, which constituted 26% of Singapore's GDP in 2005.

Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system  of unicameral  parliamentary government. The People's Action Party has won every election since self-government in 1959. Singapore is one of the five founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, Singapore also hosts he APEC Secretariat, and is a member of the East Asia Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth.

Geography, location and Climate

Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island, widely known as Singapore Island but also as Pulau Ujong. There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia : the 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 smaller islands. The highest natural point is Bukit Timah Hill at 166 m (545 ft). There are ongoing land reclamation projects, which have increased its land area from 581.5 km2 (224.5 sq mi) in the 1960s to 704 km2(272 sq mi) today. About 23% of Singapore's land area consists of forest and nature reserves. Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons, uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures usually range from 23 to 32 °C (73 to 90 °F). Relative humidity averages around 79% in the morning and 73% in the afternoon. April and May are the hottest months, with the wetter monsoon season from November to January. From August to October, there is often haze caused by bush fires in neighbouring Indonesia. The length of the day is nearly constant all year round.

Economy

Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy  based historically on extended entrepôt  trade. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing, which constituted 26% of Singapore's GDP in 2005 and includes significant electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences sectors. The country is the world's fourth leading financial centre. Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world and is the world's fourth largest foreign-exchange trading centre after London, New York and Tokyo. The World Bank ranks Singapore as the world's top logistics hub. Before independence in 1965, Singapore had a GDP per capita of $511. After independence, foreign direct investment and a state-led drive for industrialization created a modern economy. In 2010, Singapore was the fastest-growing economy in the world, with GDP growth of 14.5% for the year 2010. As per the world banks information, Singapore is at sixth place on the basis of purchasing power parity at 47,490 USD. Singapore possesses the world's tenth largest foreign reserves. Singapore's external trade is of higher value than its GDP, making trade one of the most vital components of the economy.

Singapore has signed over ten free trade agreements with other countries and regions. Singapore's economy was ranked the world's most open in 2009, competitive and innovative. Singapore is rated the most business-friendly economy in the world. The currency of Singapore is the Singapore dollar, issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.  Maximum employment is in the service sector, which employed around 2,151,400 people out of 3,102,500 jobs in December 2010. Tourism forms a large part of the economy, and 10.2 million tourists visited the country in 2007. To attract more tourists, in 2005 the government legalised gambling and allowed two casino resorts ( called Integrated Resorts). These have become operational during 2009 and 2010.  Singapore is promoting itself as a medical tourism hub: about 200,000 foreigners seek medical care there each year.

Demography

As of 2010,  5.1 million people live in Singapore consisting of citizens and permanent residents or foreign workers. The median age of Singaporeans is 37 years old and the average household size is 3.5 persons. In 2010, the total fertility rate was 1.1 children per woman, the third lowest in the world and well below the 2.1 needed to replace the population. A large part of the population is foreigners. Foreign workers make up 80% of the construction industry and up to 50% in the service industry. 74.2% of residents were of Chinese descent, 13.4% of Malay descent, and 9.2% of Indian descent.

Religion

Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion in Singapore, with 33% of the resident population declaring themselves adherents at the most recent census. The next largest religions, in order of size, are Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism.

Languages

Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. English is the first language of the nation and is the language of business, government and medium of instruction in schools. The Singapore constitution and all laws are written in English. 80% of Singaporeans are literate in English as either their first or second language. Mandarin is the most commonly spoken, followed by Malay and Tamil. Chinese is the most common home language, used by about half of all Singaporeans. Singaporean Mandarin is the most common version of Chinese in the country, with 1.2 million using it as their home language. Nearly half a million speak other Chinese dialects, mainly Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese as their home language.

Education:

Education for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels is mostly supported by the state. English is the language of instruction in all public school and all subjects are taught and examined in English except for the "Mother Tongue" language paper. Education takes place in three stages: "Primary education", "Secondary education", and "Pre-university education", of which only the Primary level is compulsory. Students begin with six years of primary school. There are four standard subjects taught to all students, English, the mother tongue, mathematics, and science. Secondary school lasts from four to five years. Pre-university education takes place over two to three years at senior schools mostly called Junior Colleges. National examinations are standardised across all schools, with a test taken after each stage of school. After the first six years of education, students take the Primary School Leaving Examination which determines their placement at secondary school. After the next stage of school, General Certificate of Secondary Education exams are taken, with O levels taken after secondary school and A levels after pre-university level school.

Cuisine

   Dining, along with shopping, is said to be the country's national pastime. The diversity of food is touted as a reason to visit the country, and the variety of food representing different ethnicities is seen by the government as a symbol of its multiculturalism. The "national fruit" of Singapore is the Durian. In popular culture, food items belong to a particular ethnicity, with Chinese, Indian, and Malay food clearly defined. The diversity of cuisine has been increased further by the "hybridization" of different styles, e.g. the Peranakan style, a mix of Chinese and Malay cuisine

Arts

Since the 1990s, the government has been promoting Singapore as a centre for arts and culture, in particular the performing arts, and to transform the country into a cosmopolitan 'gateway between the East and West'. One highlight was the construction of Esplanade, a performing arts centre opened in October 2002. The annual Singapore Arts Festival  is organised by the National Arts Council.

Sport and recreation

Popular sports include football, basketball, cricket, swimming, sailing, table tennis and badminton. Most Singaporeans live in public residential areas near amenities such as public swimming pools, outdoor basketball courts  and indoor sport complexes. Water sports are popular, including sailing, kayaking and water skiing. Scuba diving  is another recreation, particularly around the southern island of Pulau Hantu, known for its rich coral reefs. Singapore began hosting a round of the Formula One World Championship in 2008. The race was staged at the Marina Bay Street Circuit  and became the first night race on the F1 circuit. and the first street circuit in Asia. Singapore hosted the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.