Singapore
Country Overview
Singapore is an island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula located approximately 137
kilometers north of the equator, in the Southeast Asian region of the Asian continent. It comprises
the main island of Singapore and some 63 offshore islands. The main island has a total land area of
682 square km.
History
The first records of settlement in Singapore are from the 2nd century AD under the rule of Emperor
Sumatran Srivijaya and originally had the Javanese name Temasek (‘sea town’). Between the 16th and
early 19th centuries, Singapore was part of the Sultanate of Johor. In 1613, Portuguese raiders burnt
down the settlement at the mouth of Singapore River and the island sank into obscurity for the next
two centuries.
The British entered Singapore in 1819 to develop the southern part of Singapore as a British trading
post and settlement. It officially became a British colony in August 1824 by a treaty signed by the
British East India Company and Malay Sultan who was controlling the Island Territory. Singapore
declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963 and officially gained sovereignty on
9th August 1965.
Economy
Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan,
Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported
goods, especially in manufacturing and includes significant electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals,
mechanical engineering, and biomedical sciences sectors.
Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world and is the world’s fourth largest foreign exchange
trading center after London, New York, and Tokyo. The World Bank ranks Singapore as the world’s top logistics hub.
Singapore’s economy has been ranked amongst the world’s ten most open, competitive and innovative. Rated as the
most business-friendly economy in the world, Singapore is a hub of many Multinational companies.
Climate
Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons, uniform temperature and pressure,
high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 22 to 34 °C (71.6 to 93.2 °F).
May and June are the hottest months, while November and December make up the wetter monsoon season.
However, there is rainfall throughout the year. From August to October, there is often haze, sometimes
severe enough to prompt public health warnings, due to bush fires in neighbouring Indonesia.
Culture
Due to its diverse population and immigrant background, Singaporean culture has often been described as
a mix of cultures – British, Malay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan. Foreigners also make up 42% of the
population in Singapore and they play an important role in influencing Singaporean culture.
Food
Singaporean cuisine is an example of the country’s diversity and cultural diffusion; with significant
influences from British, Chinese, Indian, Malay, Tamil cuisine, and Indonesian cuisine. Typical
Singaporean food includes the satay, nasi lemak, fish and chips, and the famed Hainanese chicken rice.
While there are fancy restaurants offering every kind of cuisine, there are also fast food chains,
hawker centers where you can have a very satisfying meal for a few dollars. You can have Chinese
noodles, with an Indian curry & a Malay side dish followed by a French dessert.
Public Holidays
- New Year’s Day– January 1st
- Chinese New Year– 1st and 2nd days of the Chinese calendar
- Good Friday– varies every year
- Labour Day– May 1st
- Vesak Day (Birth of Buddha)– varies every year
- National Day– August 9th (Singapore Independence Day)
- Hari Raya Puasa (End of Ramadan month)– varies every year
- Deepavali (Hindu Holiday)– varies every year
- Hari Raya Haji (Feast of the Sacrifice)– varies every year
- Christmas Day– December 25th
Time Zones
Singapore Standard Time (SST) – 2:30 hours plus IST
* IST – Indian Standard Time
Why Singapore?
Singapore is the fifth wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP and per capita income.
Unemployment rate in Singapore is one of the lowest in the world. With a dynamic and high-spirited
life and work culture, Singapore has become a cosmopolitan destination.
- 2nd safest Country to live & Crime Free Country
- The cleanest country
- HUB of Business in Asia– Fertile ground for Banking & Service Industry.
- World’s No.1 producer of Electronics, Shipping, Logistics & Bunker Oil
- Almost every MNC has its Asia-Pacific Head Office in Singapore making it
easier for students to find jobs. I.e., Home to more than 7000 MNC’s.
- Growing steadily at more than 5% rate for many decades with strong links
to US, EU, China, India & Japan.
- The 25th best highly developed nation with state-of-art transport system
& 3G telecom network that’s second only to USA.
- Singapore is a nation built by immigrants and it still welcomes all who are
keen to play a part in its economic development.
- Singapore offers globally top ranked working populace, recognized for its high
level of productivity, technical proficiency & positive work attitude.
- Singaporeans don’t need a VISA to enter about 60 Countries including USA & EU
- Processing for PR (Permanent Residency) takes only 71 Days.
- Singapore is ideally located as the gateway to regional countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia,
Philippines, Brunei & Thailand. All are easily reached via Ferry, Train, plane or even coach
with travel times being no longer than three hours.
- Singapore is the world’s 3rd wired nation and Asia’s most wired one where online banking &
mobile lifestyle have become the norm.
- Close to 99% of the population or almost every home, school & business has access to Broadband Internet.
- There are already more than 50,000 International students in Singapore, of which about 2000 are
Indian Students pursuing educations at various levels.
- Many international students are attracted to the quality UG & PG programs offered by Singapore’s local
Universities as well as International Universities based in Singapore.
Facts
- Full name: Republic of Singapore
- Population: 5,850,342 (2020 estimates according to UN data)
- Capital: Singapore
- Area: 710.2 sq km
- Major language: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil
- Major religion: Buddhism
- Life expectancy: 82.1 years (men), 86.2 years (women)
- Monetary unit: 1 Singapore dollar SGD
- Main exports: Integrated Circuits ($115B), Refined Petroleum ($43.1B), Gold ($10.3B), Computers ($7.37B) and Packaged Medicaments ($6.01B)
- GNI per capita: $94,670 (World Bank, 2018)
- Internet domain: .sg
- International dialing code: +65