Portal:Singapore

Today is June 11, 2008

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The Singapore Portal

Singapore is an island nation located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the Equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 704.0 km² (272 sq mi), it is one of the few remaining city-states in the world and the smallest country in Southeast Asia.

The British East India Company established a trading post on the island in 1819. The main settlement up to that point was a Malay fishing village at the mouth of the Singapore River. Several hundred indigenous Orang Laut people also lived around the coast, rivers and smaller islands. The British used Singapore as a strategic trading post along the spice route. It became one of the most important commercial and military centres of the British Empire. Winston Churchill called it "Britain's greatest defeat" when it was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. Singapore reverted to British rule in 1945. In 1963, it merged with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. Less than two years later it split from the federation and became an independent republic on August 9, 1965. Singapore joined the United Nations on September 21 that same year.

Since independence, Singapore's standard of living has increased. A state-led industrialization drive, aided by foreign direct investment has created a modern economy based on electronics manufacturing, petrochemicals, tourism and financial services alongside the traditional entrepôt trade. Singapore is the 17th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita. The small nation has a foreign reserve of S$222 billion (US$147 billion).

More about Singapore...

Selected article

"Majulah Singapura" is the national anthem of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said, the song was selected in 1959 as the island's anthem. Upon full independence from Malaysia in 1965, Majulah Singapura was formally adopted as the national anthem. Originally written in Malay, the title means Onward Singapore. In 2001, the key was officially lowered from G major to F major to allow a "grander expression". (more...)

Recently featured: Fort Pasir Panjang, Singapore Changi Airport, Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

Selected picture

A panorama photo of the southern part of the Singapore's Downtown Core Skyline at night, which is dominated by commercial buildings in Raffles Place and Shenton Way.

Did you know...

...that through the opening of the Thomson MRT Line and Eastern Region MRT Line by 2020, Singapore's rail network density will rise from 31 km per million residents today to 51 km per million, surpassing what Hong Kong and Tokyo currently have?

...that Howe Yoon Chong played a key role in establishing Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit system, Changi Airport and public housing?

...that Singaporean dancer, choreographer and teacher Neila Sathyalingam, who dances in the classical Indian style, decided to devote her life to dance after performing for Queen Elizabeth II?

...that during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore the Kempeitai East District Branch was the site of interrogation and torture of many civilians and that later the building housed the YMCA?

...that the architecture of the Singapore Power Building (pictured) was influenced by Gerhad M. Kallmann's Boston City Hall and Le Corbusier's Sainte Marie de La Tourette?

...that the Bukit Timah Monkey Man is a Singapore cryptid said to inhabit the centrally forested Bukit Timah area ?

...that Singapore's Ee Hoe Hean Club, a century-old millionaires' club for Chinese businessmen, became a headquarters of an anti-Japanese movement in Southeast Asia from 1937-1942?

In the news

2008

February 21: Singapore was declared host of the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics via live telecast from Lausanne, Switzerland, winning by a tally of 53 votes to 44 for Moscow. (IOC)

2007

September 2: Singapore Airlines and Temasek Holdings formally announce they will buy a combined 24% stake in China Eastern Airlines for US$923 million, giving Singapore's national flag carrier an entry into the growing commercial aviation sector in China. (CNA) (Reuters via FT)

August 10: Singapore is putting in a bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2010. (CNA)

June 1: The Sixth Shangri-La Dialogue of the International Institute for Strategic Studies begins in Singapore, attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and opened with an address by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Lee says ASEAN "ought not to be hostage with the problems with Myanmar", and that ASEAN "will leave Myanmar to work itself out." (CNA)

May 11: The Singapore Grand Prix has been confirmed for the Formula One 2008 season, with a planned 4.8km (3.0 miles) long street circuit around the downtown area. It is planned to be the event's first night race when safety and logistical concerns are addressed. (CNA)

More current events... | Current events on Wikinews

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