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Singapore
, 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 along with the
Riau Islands
in
Indonesia
, the
South China Sea
to the east, and the
Straits of Johor
along with the
State of Johor
in
Malaysia
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 approximately 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
common language
, 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 eight hundred years, having been a maritime
emporium
known as
Temasek
and subsequently a major constituent part of several successive
thalassocratic
empires. Its contemporary era began in 1819, when
Stamford Raffles
established
Singapore as an
entrepot
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
. As a highly
developed country
, it has one of 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
in the
Westminster tradition
of
unicameral
parliamentary government, and its legal system is based on
common law
. While the country is
de jure
a
multi-party democracy
with
free elections
, the
government
under the
People's Action Party
(PAP) wields widespread control and
dominance
over
politics
and
society
without much
electoral competition
. The PAP has governed the country continuously since full internal
self-government
was achieved in 1959, and currently holds a
supermajority
with 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
, the
World Trade Organization
, the
East Asia Summit
, the
Non-Aligned Movement
, and the
Commonwealth of Nations
. (
Full article...
)
The entrance of Sembawang Hot Spring Park
Sembawang Hot Spring Park
is a natural
hot spring
and a public park in
Singapore
. It is located beside a military camp about 100 metres (330 ft) off the main road, Gambas Avenue. Like hot springs worldwide, it can have health healing properties with proper use in moderation, and its natural spring water had once been bottled commercially by
Fraser and Neave
, under the brand name of Seletaris. Since its discovery in 1909, the spring has been through a few changes of ownership and potential redevelopment proposals. The hot spring has a rural rustic feel for visitors to unwind from the hustle and bustle of the modern metropolitan city. The
National Parks Board
took over the ownership of the park for redevelopment, which officially reopened on 4 January 2020. Sembawang Hot Spring is one of two hot springs in Singapore, with the other located on
Pulau Tekong
. (
Full article...
)
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The following are images from various Singapore-related articles on Wikipedia.
Rex Anthony Shelley
(27 October 1930 ? 21 August 2009) was a Singaporean author. A graduate of the
University of Malaya
in Malaysia and
Cambridge
trained in engineering and economics, Shelley managed his own business and also worked as member of the
Public Service Commission
(PSC) for over 30 years. For his service, he was conferred the
Bintang Bakti Masyarakat
(Public Service Star) by the
Government of Singapore
in 1978, and an additional Bar the next year.
Shelley started writing fiction late in life, publishing his first novel,
The Shrimp People
, in 1991 at the age of sixty one. The first substantial work by a Singaporean writer about the
Eurasian community in Singapore
, it was highly commended by
The Straits Times
and won the 1992 National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) Award. The books
People of the Pear Tree
(1993),
Island in the Centre
(1995) and
A River of Roses
(1998), on the same theme, followed within a decade; respectively, they won NBDCS Highly Commended Awards in 1994 and 1996, and the
Dymocks Singapore Literature Prize
in 2000. In 2007 he was the Singaporean winner of the
S.E.A. Write Award
. Critics have responded positively to his writing, noting its "passionate, humane" style, and observing how his breadth of life experience gave rise to a talent for characterisation plus an ability to blend "a sharp sense of observed commentary with historical detail". (
Full article...
)
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Did you know
(auto-generated)
- ... that
Dragon's Teeth Gate
, an ancient navigational landmark, was documented in one of the earliest historic records of Singapore?
A view of
Gardens by the Bay
(Chinese: ?海?花?; pinyin: b?nh?i w?n hu?yuan), a park spanning 101 hectares (250 acres) of reclaimed land in central Singapore. The Conservatories and Supertrees are visible, as is the
Singapore Flyer
in the background.
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