Geography

Singapore is a small island state connected by causeway to the southern tip of the Malay  peninsula.  Singapore exists because of its strategic position astride Asian maritime trade routes, and this geographic position helps ensure its continued success as a regional trading hub to this day.

Located less than 100 miles north of the equator, the climate is always hot, wet and humid.  Singaporeans see their city-state as a world leader in providing the perfect urban environment; littering is met with a steep and immediate fine, chewing gum is banned, and in general the place is spotless.

History

Malay legend has it that long ago a Sumatran prince visiting the island saw a strange animal, identified to him as a lion.  Prompted by the good omen, the prince founded a city on the spot, and named it Singapura, or ‘Lion City’ in Sanskrit.  Given that lions were not native to the area, it seems a bit far-fetched, and in any event Singapore was only sparsely populated by the 19th century.

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed in 1819, looking for a spot to found a new British center of commerce in the region a bit closer to China.  A new city was built, and thrived.  As in neighboring Malaysia, most labor was imported from China and, to a lesser extent, India, thus accounting for today’s ethnic mix.

World War II opened with a bang in Singapore:  the British had thought their island fortress impregnable, but were quickly overrun by a numerically inferior foe.  Churchill considered it the most embarrassing defeat in the history of the British Empire.

Independence followed in 1965, after a messy divorce with Malaysia prompted by ethnic tension between Malay-dominated Malaysia and Chinese-dominated Singapore.  Against all odds, Singapore’s prime minister Lee Kuan Yew led the transformation of a fragile state into a bustling little country, whose name has become synonymous with economic growth and social order.

People

Singapore boasts about 3 million people, with a density of over 13,000 per square mile (it doesn’t really seem that crowded).  The population is 76% Chinese and 15% Malay, with substantial Indian and European contingents.  Chinese and English are the most widely spoken languages.  

The Malay-Chinese racial tensions of the 1960s are now little apparent.  Most Singaporeans are shoppers, not fighters.  However, some are concerned about the way prosperity has led to a divergence from traditional values.

The UN ranks Singapore in the 87th percentile in terms of quality of life, based on life expectancy, education and income; this is first among Asian countries and comparable to the lower tier in Europe. 

Economy

Singapore is a high-income country, with a GNP per capita of $30,000.  This is extraordinary when you consider the country has only two strategic resources:  location and people.

Services, especially financial and business services, account for 64% of GDP.  57% of manufactured exports are of the high-tech sort, which is very high.  Tourism is also important, with 5.6 million arrivals in 1998, or two for every citizen.

Sources:  World Bank (1998 data), Dorling Kindersley World Reference Atlas, UNDP Human Development Report, Lonely Planet