Singapore 
From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle
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Singapore, formally the "Republic of Singapore" (Republik Singapura; Chinese: 新加坡共和国, Pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Gònghéguó; சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு, Ciŋkappūr Kudiyarasu), is an island city-state and the smallest country in Southeast Asia. It is rather small being a small city-state having an area of 699 km2 being the reason for its dense population. Geographically, Singapore is located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, south of the Malaysia state of Johor, and north of the Indonesia Riau Islands. It lies just 137 kilometres (miles) north of the Equator.
Citizens of Singapore are known as Singaporeans.
Interestingly, Singapore is in fact one of the most enjoyable cities in Southeast Asia and arguably in the World. Famous for having a clean and green environment, the country is rumoured to be "blandly efficient and safe, a boringly tasteless, disciplinarian and unadventurous place where citizens are robbed of their cherished freedom to spit on the street and chew gum" - this is utter nonsense!
The climate in Singapore is hot and humid as it is located in the tropics. The temperature ranges from 34C in the day to 22C at night. The rainy season is from November to January while there may be some rain the whole year through. The skyscrapers occupy 50% of the land of Singapore; however, there are still many parks, zoos, botanic gardens and waterfalls for you to visit on your trip to Singapore. Most of this is artificial where even beach sand is imported to make Singapore a tourist destination for millions of tourists every year.
Singapore has four official languages – Mandarin, English, Tamil and Malay. Accordingly, the population is a mix of Chinese, Indians, Malays and a minority of other nationals. Despite being a small city, Singapore is presently an industrial country having one of the busiest ports of the world.
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Word History
Singapore comes from Malay Singapora, "Lion-city," but it is possible that one element of its name had a more distant original source. Pora comes from Sanskrit puram, "city, fortress," and is related to Greek polis, "citadel, city." Singa- comes from Sanskrit siha, "lion," and is familiar to us in the name Singh, which all male Sikhs use as at least one of their personal names. Interestingly, siha is probably related to Swahili simba, "lion," but since lions are native to Asia as well as Africa, it is not known whether the word came into India from Africa or the other way around, or if both are from a third source.
Brief Overview
Singapore is a country of southeast Asia comprising Singapore Island and adjacent smaller islands. A trading center as early as the 14th century, Singapore was later part of Johor, a region of the southern Malay Peninsula, under the Malacca Sultanate. The island of Singapore was ceded to the British East India Company in 1819, and the city was founded the same year by Sir Thomas Raffles. The British took complete control in 1824 and added Singapore to the newly formed Straits Settlements in 1826. During World War II it was held by the Japanese (1942-1945) before being retaken by the British. Singapore became a crown colony in 1946, a self-governing state in 1959, part of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, and a fully independent republic in 1965. The city of Singapore is the capital. Population: 4,600,000.
Economy
The Singapore Advantage
The growth of Singapore is much talked about the world over. Visionary governance has amply compensated the absence of natural resources. The fact that Singapore is today the world's 4th largest center for foreign exchange dealings after New York, Tokyo, and London, reflects the extent of globalization and the importance of this city-state. Singapore is also one of the most wired countries in the world. A leader in telecom and IT services, Singapore has been an early adopter of the world's latest technologies and many global companies have made it their regional home.
The mere mention of Singapore conjures up superlative epithets. Singapore is rated to have the best business environment in the region, and is rated the fifth best worldwide out of 60 countries. Singapore's stock exchange is one of Asia's largest. In 2004, the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report placed Singapore among the Top 10 most sophisticated financial markets in the world. Most international banks have their regional head quarters in Singapore and close to 20% of its GDP is contributed by financial services alone.
Singapore is one of the most safe and modern cities to work in. Apart from this, working in a global firm headquartered in Singapore can be a truly fulfilling experience.
Singapore's Economic Development Board explains that the country's success so far is underpinned by, what it calls, the CORE fundamentals - Connectivity, Openness, Reliability and Enterprise. It is these CORE strengths, which will continue to take Singapore into the next phase of growth, as the city marches into the future.
Key Factors of Singapore's Success
- Singapore is a renowned talent capital
- High standard of English language education system
- Variety of on-job training, holiday work options and interaction with industry leaders
- Conducive environment for management education
- Equatorial Climate with sunshine all year round
- Sound political and economic system
- Safe and harmonious environment with clean and green surrounding
- World class transportation system
- Honest and efficient workforce
Just as Dubai has an international trade and business environment, Singapore has similar trade and business growth rates that are mind boggling. It has a safe, legally sound, vibrant business environment, has an extensively well-developed finance and insurance industry, retailing is a high-priority area while it is a proven leader in Information Technology in the Asia-Pacific region. Its highly developed services sector creates huge growth opportunities for international business.
In terms of infrastructure, Singapore is second to none, it has a clean, safe and multi-cultural environment. As a result, it ends up being a destination of choice for some of the most qualified professionals from around the world.
Singapore's business growth fuels a growing need for talented management professionals.
Tourist Attractions
Few cities can boast Singapore's fascinating ethnic brew. Where else in the world can you dip into the cultures of China, Indian and Muslim Malaysia all in one day, against a backdrop of ultra-modern Western commerce? Not only has Singapore's history of migration left a rich cultural and architectural legacy that makes wandering the streets an absorbing delight, it has created one of the world's greatest eating capitals (see Food below). You don't have to look far to find echoes of the island's colourful, rakish past, or evidence of a thriving and creatively unfettered artistic community. Singapore's soul is alive and well - and it is "Wonderfully Singapore".
There are 58 smaller islands surrounding Singapore of which the most famous is Sentosa. This island is an attraction of Singapore and has museums, beaches, aquariums, camping sites and sports centers for tourists. There are lots of hostels and hotels that cater to your stay in Sentosa too.
Moreover, Singapore is not all about Tourist Attractions, Shopping and Food. Nor is the notion of Singapore as completely urbanised anything more than popular myth. Adventure activities include diving with sharks at Underwater World on Sentosa, mountain biking around Bukit Timah, leopard-spotting at the Singapore Zoo's magical Night Safari, waterskiing or wake-boarding on the Kallang River, Go-Karting and Rock Climbing. And if you want to retreat from civilisation completely, the centre of the island retains large tracts of forest where the only sound you can hear is the monkeys swinging through the trees. In fact, Singapore is one of only two cities in the world that still retains a patch of primary rainforest, in the form of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Food
Food is the national obsession in Singapore - and it's not difficult to see why. Sitting out under the stars at a bustling hawker centre with a few bottles of Tiger Beer and diving into an enormous array of Asian dishes is one of the iconic Singaporean experiences. Sambal Stingray, Char Kway Teow, Oyster Omelette, Chicken Rice, Clay-Pot Seafood, Fish Head Curry, Beef Rendang ... the list is as long as it is delicious!
And, of course, if your credit card hasn't already taken a battering in the shops, the city's Restaurants are some of the most stylish and innovative.
- List of Local Food in Singapore
- List of Restaurants in Singapore
- List of Hawker Centres in Singapore
- List of Food Courts in Singapore
Shopping
Shopping is what brought Singapore its fame. Everything can be bought here from electronic goods to clothes to herbal medicine. Orchard road is the hub of activity of Singapore and is the best place for shopping addicts. You find the latest in the fashion world and are sure to enjoy yourself even just window shopping here. This is also the dining center of Singapore where you can find international cuisine to tingle your taste buds.
If there's one thing more stylish than the bars and restaurants, it's the boutiques that have made Singapore the byword in Asia for extravagant shopping. Away from the Gucci and Louis Vuitton onslaught of Orchard Road, however, there are bargains to be found on everything from clothes to electronics - and a range of art and antique shops that few Asian cities can match.
