Singapore
Singapore is a city and state in Southeast Asia. Its main territory is a diamond-shaped piece of land that would be an island, if it was not connected to the Malay Peninsula by a man-made causeway to the north. There is also a bridge to the west. Singapore also has dozens of smaller islands.
To the west and south of Singapore is the Indonesian island of Sumatra. To the north is Malaysia. To the east is the island of Borneo.
Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 as a British settlement. It was captured by Japan during World War II, and returned to British administration in 1945. Self-government was granted by the British in 1959, and in 1963, Singapore joined Malaysia. It was expelled from Malaysia in 1965, and re-instituted as an independent republic. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe. See also the History of Singapore.
Singapore has a Westminster-style constitution. In practice, politics is dominated by the People's Action Party, which has ruled since Independence. The mode of government is perhaps closer to authoritarianism than true democracy. Paradoxically (for political scientists), Singapore has a highly successful, corruption-free, and transparent market economy.
- History
- Geography
- Demographics of Singapore
- Government
- Economy
- Communications
- Transportation
- Military
- Transnational issues
See also:
The CIA World Factbook (on which this article is based) [1]
Other Links
The Singapore Infomap http://www.sg/