Singapore (/ˈsɪŋ(ɡ)əpɔːr/ ( listen)), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island city-
state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles)
north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Straits of Malacca to
the west, the Riau Islands to the south, and the South China Sea to the east. The country's territory
is composed of one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet, the combined
area of which has increased by 25% since the country's independence as a result of extensive land
reclamation projects. It has the second greatest population density in the world. The country has
almost 5.7 million residents, 61% (3.4 million) of whom are Singaporean citizens. There are
four official languages of Singapore: English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil; with English being
the lingua franca. Multiracialism is enshrined in the constitution, and continues to shape national
policies in education, housing, and politics.
Although its history stretches back millennia, modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir
Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the British Empire. In 1867, the colonies in East Asia were
reorganised and Singapore came under the direct control of Britain as part of the Straits
Settlements. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942, but returned
to British control as a separate crown colony following Japan's surrender in 1945. Singapore gained
self-governance in 1959, and in 1963 became part of the new federation of Malaysia,
alongside Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak. Ideological differences led to Singapore being
expelled from the federation two years later, thereby becoming an independent country.
After early years of turbulence and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation
rapidly developed to become one of the Four Asian Tigers based on external trade, becoming a
highly developed country; it is ranked ninth on the UN Human Development Index, and has
the second-highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world. Singapore is the only country in Asia with an
AAA sovereign rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major financial and shipping hub,
consistently ranked the most expensive city to live in since 2013, and has been identified as a tax
haven. Singapore is placed highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of
life, personal safety and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 91%. Singaporeans enjoy one of
the world's longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds and one of the lowest infant
mortality rates in the world.
Singapore is a unitary parliamentary republic with a Westminster
system of unicameral parliamentary government. While elections are considered generally free, the
government exercises significant control over politics and society, and the People's Action Party has
ruled continuously since independence. One of the five founding members of ASEAN, Singapore is
also the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and Pacific
Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) Secretariat, as well as many international conferences and
events. Singapore is also a member of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, East Asia
Summit, Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth of Nations.
