Singapore,[e] officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia.
The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying
islet. It is about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the
southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Strait of Malacca to the west, the Singapore
Strait to the south along with the Riau Islands in Indonesia, the South China Sea to the east, and
the Straits of Johor along with the State of Johor in Malaysia to the north.
Singapore's history dates back at least eight hundred years, having been a
maritime emporium known as Temasek and subsequently a major constituent part of several
successive thalassocratic empires. Its contemporary era began in 1819, when Stamford
Raffles established Singapore as an entrepôt trading post of the British Empire. In 1867, Singapore
came under the direct control of Britain as part of the Straits Settlements. During World War II,
Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942 and 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's expulsion from the federation two years later;
Singapore became an independent sovereign country in 1965. 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.
As a highly developed country, it has one of the highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world. It is also
identified as a tax haven. Singapore is the only country in Asia with a AAA sovereign credit
rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major aviation, financial, and maritime shipping hub and
has consistently been ranked as one of the most expensive cities to live in for expatriates and foreign
workers. Singapore ranks highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of
life, personal safety, infrastructure, and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 88
percent. Singaporeans enjoy one of the longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection
speeds, lowest infant mortality rates, and lowest levels of corruption in the world. It has the third
highest population density of any country in the world, although there are numerous green and
recreational spaces as a result of urban planning. With a multicultural population and in recognition
of the cultural identities of the major ethnic groups within the nation, Singapore has four official
languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. English is the common language, with exclusive use
in numerous public services. Multi-racialism is enshrined in the constitution and continues to
shape national policies in education, housing, and politics.
Singapore is a parliamentary republic in the Westminster tradition of unicameral parliamentary
government, and its legal system is based on common law. While the country is de jure a multi-party
democracy with free elections, the government under the People's Action Party (PAP) wields
widespread control and political dominance. The PAP has governed the country continuously since
full internal self-government was achieved in 1959, and holds a supermajority in Parliament. One of
the five founding members of ASEAN, Singapore is also the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation Secretariat, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council Secretariat, and is the
host city of many international conferences and events. Singapore is also a member of the United
Nations, the World Trade Organization, the East Asia Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement, and
the Commonwealth of Nations.
Name and etymology
Main article: Names of Singapore
The English name of "Singapore" is an anglicisation of the native Malay name for the
country, Singapura (pronounced [siŋapura]), which was in turn derived from the Sanskrit word for
'lion city' (Sanskrit: सिंहपुर; romanised: Siṃhapura; Brahmi: 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀳𑀧𑀼𑀭; literally "lion
city"; siṃha means 'lion', pura means 'city' or 'fortress').[9] Pulau Ujong was one of the earliest
references to Singapore Island, which corresponds to a Chinese account from the third century
referred to a place as Pú Luó Zhōng (Chinese: 蒲 羅 中), a transcription of the Malay name for 'island at
the end of a peninsula'.[10] Early references to the name Temasek (or Tumasik) are found in
the Nagarakretagama, a Javanese eulogy written in 1365, and a Vietnamese source from the same
time period. The name possibly means Sea Town, being derived from the Malay tasek, meaning 'sea'
or 'lake'.[11] The Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan visited a place around 1330
named Danmaxi (Chinese: 淡馬錫; pinyin: Dànmǎxí; Wade–Giles: Tan Ma Hsi) or Tam ma siak,
depending on pronunciation; this may be a transcription of Temasek, alternatively, it may be a
combination of the Malay Tanah meaning 'land' and Chinese xi meaning 'tin', which was traded on
the island.[12][11]
Variations of the name Siṃhapura were used for a number of cities throughout the region prior to
the establishment of the Kingdom of Singapura. In Hindu–Buddhist culture, lions were associated
with power and protection, which may explain the attraction of such a name.[13][14] The
name Singapura supplanted Temasek sometime before the 15th century, after the establishment of
the Kingdom of Singapura on the island by a fleeing Sumatran Raja (prince) from Palembang.
However, the precise time and reason for the name change is unknown. The semi-historical Malay
Annals state that Temasek was christened Singapura by Sang Nila Utama, a 13th-century
Sumatran Raja from Palembang. The Annals state that Sang Nila Utama encountered a strange beast
on the island that he took to be a lion. Seeing this as an omen, he established the town
of Singapura where he encountered the beast.[15]: 37, 88–92 [16]: 30–31 The second hypothesis, drawn
from Portuguese sources, postulates that this mythical story is based on the real
life Parameswara of Palembang. Parameswara declared independence from Majapahit and mounted
a Lion Throne. After then being driven into exile by the Javanese, he usurped control over Temasek.
He may have rechristened the area as Singapura, recalling the throne he had been driven from.[17]
Under Japanese occupation, Singapore was renamed Syonan-to (Japanese: 昭 南, Hepburn: Shōnan),
meaning 'light of the south'.[18][19] Singapore is sometimes referred to by the nickname the "Garden
City", in reference to its parks and tree-lined streets.[20] Another informal name, the "Little Red Dot",
was adopted after an article in the Asian Wall Street Journal of 4 August 1998 said
that Indonesian President B. J. Habibie referred to Singapore as a red dot on a map.[21][22][23][24]
