Back Singapura ACE Сингапур ADY Singapoer Afrikaans Singapur ALS ሲንጋፖር Amharic Singapore AMI Singapur AN Singapore ANG सिंगापुर ANP سنغافورة Arabic
Republic of Singapore
| |
|---|---|
| Motto: Majulah Singapura (Malay) "Onward Singapore" | |
| Anthem: Majulah Singapura (Malay) "Onward Singapore" | |
_zoom.svg) | |
| Capital | Singapore (city-state)[a] 1°17′N 103°50′E / 1.283°N 103.833°E |
| Largest planning area by population | Bedok[2] |
| Official languages | |
| National language | Malay |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2020)[c] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Singaporean |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Tharman Shanmugaratnam | |
| Lee Hsien Loong | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Independence from the United Kingdom and Malaysia | |
| 3 June 1959 | |
| 16 September 1963 | |
| 9 August 1965 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 734.3 km2 (283.5 sq mi)[5] (176th) |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate |  5,637,000[d] (115th) |
• Density | 7,804/km2 (20,212.3/sq mi) (2nd) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $757.726 billion[7] (38th) |
• Per capita | $133,894[7] (3rd) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $515.548 billion[7] (30th) |
• Per capita | $91,100[7] (5th) |
| Gini (2017) |  45.9[8]medium |
| HDI (2021) | 0.939[9] very high · 12th |
| Currency | Singapore dollar (S$) (SGD) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (Singapore Standard Time) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +65 |
| ISO 3166 code | SG |
| Internet TLD | .sg |
Singapore (/ˈsɪŋ(ɡ)əpɔːr/ ⓘ SING-(g)ə-por), officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It is located about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Strait of Malacca to the west, the Singapore Strait to the south, the South China Sea to the east, and the Straits of Johor to the north. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet; the combined area of these has increased by 25% since the country's independence as a result of extensive land reclamation projects. It has the second highest population density of any country in the world, although there are numerous green and recreational spaces as a result of urban planning. With a multicultural population and in recognition of the cultural identities of the major ethnic groups within the nation, Singapore has four official languages – English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. English is the lingua franca, with its exclusive use in numerous public services. Multi-racialism is enshrined in the constitution and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, and politics.
Singapore's history dates back at least a millennium, having been a maritime emporium known as Temasek and subsequently as a major constituent part of several successive thalassocratic empires. Its contemporary era began in 1819 when Stamford Raffles established Singapore as an entrepôt trading post of the British Empire. In 1867, the colonies in Southeast Asia were reorganised and Singapore came under the direct control of Britain as part of the Straits Settlements. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942, and returned to British control as a separate Crown colony following Japan's surrender in 1945. Singapore gained self-governance in 1959 and in 1963 became part of the new federation of Malaysia, alongside Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak. Ideological differences, most notably the perceived encroachment of the egalitarian "Malaysian Malaysia" political ideology led by Lee Kuan Yew into the other constituent entities of Malaysia—at the perceived expense of the bumiputera and the policies of Ketuanan Melayu—eventually led to Singapore's expulsion from the federation two years later; Singapore became an independent sovereign country in 1965.
After early years of turbulence and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation rapidly developed to become one of the Four Asian Tigers. With its growth based on international trade and economic globalisation, it integrated itself with the world economy through free trade with minimal-to-no trade barriers or tariffs, export-oriented industrialisation, and the large accumulation of received foreign direct investments, foreign-exchange reserves, and assets held by sovereign wealth funds. A highly developed country, it has the highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world. Identified as a tax haven, Singapore is the only country in Asia with a AAA sovereign credit rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major aviation, financial, and maritime shipping hub, and has consistently been ranked as one of the most expensive cities to live in for expatriates and foreign workers. Singapore ranks highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety, infrastructure, and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 88 percent. Singaporeans enjoy one of the longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds, lowest infant mortality rates, and lowest levels of corruption in the world.
Singapore is a unitary parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government, and its legal system is based on common law. While the country is a multi-party democracy with free elections, the government under the People's Action Party (PAP) wields significant control and dominance over politics and society. The PAP has governed the country continuously since full internal self-government was achieved in 1959, currently holding 79 out of 93 elected seats in Parliament. One of the five founding members of ASEAN, Singapore is also the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council Secretariat, and is the host city of many international conferences and events. Singapore is also a member of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, East Asia Summit, Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth of Nations.
- ^ "Singapore". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
The city, once a distinct entity, so came to dominate the island that the Republic of Singapore essentially became a city-state.
- ^ "Singapore Department of Statistics population report for 2022". Singstat. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ "Rethinking Race: Beyond the CMIO categorisations". New Naratiff. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Census 2020" (PDF). Singapore Department of Statistics. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "Environment - Latest Data". Singapore Department of Statistics. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ "Population and Population Structure". Department of Statistics Singapore. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2023 Edition". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ "Distribution of Family Income – GINI Index". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).