Singapore

Background

The Republic of Singapore is a prosperous island nation in Southeast Asia. Singapore, also known as "Lion City," consists of the main island of Singapore plus 63 offshore islands. Originally founded in 1819 as a British trading colony, 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 center and high-tech hub. It also has one of the busiest ports in the world. The estimated GDP in 2010 was $292.2 billion. 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.

References

1. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn.html 2. http://www.singstat.gov.sg/ 3. http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009/cpi_2009_table 4. http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=14C1E722FEE4F90E80256DFE0068898C&lang=e 5. http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/singapore/page.do?id=1011233 6. http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Singapore.htm 7. http://www.mfa.gov.sg/washington/ 8. http://app.www.sg/