Singapore

Background

The Republic of Singapore, conventionally known as Singapore or “Lion City,” is a prosperous island nation in Southeast Asia that consists of the main island of Singapore plus 63 offshore islands. Originally founded as a British trading colony in 1819, Singapore gained independence from the British in 1963, merged with Malaysia for two years, and became fully independent in 1965. Today, Singapore is a leading financial and high-tech hub and has one of the busiest ports in the world. The estimated GDP in 2010 was $292.2billion. The most common industries in Singapore’s export-driven economy are consumer electronics, information technology products, pharmaceuticals, and financial services.

Nearly 5 million people live in Singapore, and the entire population lives in an urban setting. The population is 77% Chinese, 14% Malay, and 7% Indian. Between one-third and one-fourth of the population are foreigners. Buddhism is the most popular religion (42.5%), followed by Muslim (14.9%), and Christian (9.8%). There are four official languages: Mandarin, English, Malay, and Tamil. The national anthem is exclusively sung in Malay. The life expectancy of 82 years is among the highest in the world, and 92.5% of the population is literate.