NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Singapore

Singapore (in Mandarin: 新加坡, Xīnjiāpō; in Malay: Singapura; in Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர், Cingkappūr) is an island nation located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 704.0 km² (272 sq mi), it is one of the few remaining city-states in the world and the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Image File history File links Flag_of_Singapore. ... For other uses, see Motto (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Singapore User:DanielZm/test Template:Singapore infobox User:Instantnood/Sandbox/Template:Singapore infobox ... Not to be confused with capitol. ... The Downtown Core is technically an urban planning area in the city-state of Singapore which surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River, and is part of the Central Area, Singapores central business district. ... An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Not to be confused with the Malayalam language, spoken in India. ... Map of eastern China and Taiwan, showing the historic distribution of Mandarin Chinese in light brown. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... Parliamentary republics around the world, shown in Orange (Parliamentary republics with a non-executive President) and Green (Parliamentary republics with an executive President linked to Parliament). ... The President of the Republic of Singapore is the nations head of state. ... Sellapan Ramanathan (born July 3, 1924) is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Singapore. ... The Priminster of Singa pyohbsdg vjhd|Lee Kuan Yew||3 June 1959 || 28 November 1990 || 1968 GE 94. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is æŽ (Lee) Lee Hsien Loong (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born February 10, 1952) is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, we list here areas between 100 kmÂ² and 1000 kmÂ². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (â‰ˆ1,609 m) in length. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... A percentage is a way of expressing a proportion, a ratio or a fraction as a whole number, by using 100 as the denominator. ... Map of countries by population for the year 2007 This is a list of countries ordered according to population. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... Population density by country, 2006 List of countries and dependencies by population density in inhabitants/kmÂ². The list includes sovereign states and self-governing dependent territories that are recognized by the United Nations. ... PPP of GDP for the countries of the world (2003). ... There are three lists of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year). ... Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head. ... This article includes two lists of countries of the world[1] sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year divided by the average population for the same year. ... Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head. ... This page talks about Human Development Index, for other HDIs see HDI (disambiguation) World map indicating Human Development Index (2007). ... This talks about the countries in the Human Development Index, for information on the Human Development Index, please Click Here World map indicating Human Development Index (2007) (Colour-blind compliant map) For red-green color vision problems. ... ISO 4217 Code SGD User(s) Singapore, Brunei Inflation 1% Source The World Factbook, 2006 est. ... ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Singapore observes a time zone eight hours ahead of UTC, (UTC+8), known as Singapore Standard Time or SGT. It is the same time zone as Australian Western Standard Time, Malaysian Standard Time, Chinese Standard Time and Hong Kong Time. ... UTC redirects here. ... Although DST is common in Europe and North America, most of the worlds people do not use it. ... UTC redirects here. ... A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a top-level domain used and reserved for a country or a dependent territory. ... .sg is the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) for Singapore. ... This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E.164. ... The Singapore telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Numbering Management Department of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), taking over the role from the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore upon its formation in December 1999. ... A city-state is a region controlled exclusively by a city. ... This article is on all of the Northern and Southwestern Chinese dialects. ... Not to be confused with the Malayalam language, spoken in India. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... An island nation is a country that is wholly confined to an island or islands. ... The Malay Peninsula (Malay: Semenanjung Tanah Melayu) is a major peninsula located in Southeast Asia. ... World map showing the equator in red In tourist areas, the equator is often marked on the sides of roads The equator marked as it crosses IlhÃ©u das Rolas, in SÃ£o TomÃ© and PrÃncipe. ... State motto: Kepada Allah Berserah State anthem: Lagu Bangsa Johor Capital Johor Bahru Royal capital Pasir Pelangi1 Ruling party Barisan Nasional - Sultan Sultan Iskandar - Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman History - Johor Sultanate 14th century - British control 1914 - Japanese occupation 1942 - Accession into Federation of Malaya 1948 Area - Total 19,984... The Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau (Kepri for short) or sometimes Riau Kepulauan in Bahasa Indonesia) are a province and a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, off the eastern coast of Riau province on Sumatra island. ... A city-state is a region controlled exclusively by a city. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

The British East India Company established a trading post on the island in 1819. The main settlement up to that point was a Malay fishing village at the mouth of the Singapore River. Several hundred indigenous Orang Laut people also lived around the coast, rivers and smaller islands. The British used Singapore as a strategic trading post along the spice route.^[4] It became one of the most important commercial and military centres of the British Empire. When it was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, Winston Churchill called it "Britain's greatest defeat".^[5] Singapore reverted to British rule in 1945. In 1963, it merged with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. Less than two years later it split from the federation and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965. Singapore joined the United Nations on September 21 that same year. The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... The Malays in Singapore (Malay : Orang Melayu Singapura) constitute 13. ... Singapore River The Singapore River is a small river in terms of physical attributes, but of extreme historical importance to the country of Singapore, the political entity which shares its name. ... Orang Laut are a group of Malay people living in the Riau Islands of Indonesia. ... A trade route is the sequence of pathways and stopping places used for the commercial transport of cargo. ... The Japanese Occupation of Singapore was to become a major turning point in the history of several nations, including that of the Japanese, who rampaged down the Malay Peninsula with the singular intent of occupying Singapore to gain greater control over her war-time resource gathering efforts, the British, with... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Churchill redirects here. ... The Federation of Malaya, or in Malay Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, was formed in 1948 from the British settlements of Penang and Malacca and the nine Malay states and replaced the Malayan Union. ... For other uses, see Sabah (disambiguation). ... For the river, see Sarawak River. ... Look up republic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... UN redirects here. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Since independence, Singapore's standard of living has increased. Foreign direct investment and a state-led industrialization drive based on plans drawn up by the Dutch economist Albert Winsemius have created a modern economy based on electronics manufacturing, petrochemicals, tourism and financial services alongside the traditional entrepôt trade. Singapore is the 17th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita.^[6] This small nation has foreign exchange reserves of US$171.7353 billion. ^[7] The standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people and the way these services and goods are distributed within a population. ... This article is about economics. ... Dr Albert Winsemius (1910-1996), a Dutch economist, was Singapores long-time economic advisor from 1961 to 1984. ... An entrepÃ´t is a trading centre, or simply a warehouse, where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. ... Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a calculation method in national accounting (see Measures of national income and output) is defined as the total value of final goods and services produced within a countrys borders in a year, regardless of ownership. ... Foreign exchange reserves (also called Forex reserves) in a strict sense are only the foreign currency deposits held by central banks and monetary authorities. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

The population of Singapore is approximately 4.68 million.^[2] The Chinese form the majority of the population. English is the administrative language of the country.

The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore established the nation's political system as a representative democracy, while the country is recognized as a parliamentary republic.^[8] The People's Action Party (PAP) dominates the political process and has won control of Parliament in every election since self-government in 1959.^[9] The Constitution of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore and it is a codified constitution. ... Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of popular sovereignty by the peoples representatives. ... Parliamentary republics around the world, shown in Orange (Parliamentary republics with a non-executive President) and Green (Parliamentary republics with an executive President linked to Parliament). ... Party logo with a symbol of red lightning that signifies action. ... The unicameral Parliament of Singapore is the legislature of Singapore with the President as its head [1]. It currently consists of 94 Members of Parliament. ...

History

Main article: History of Singapore

The history of Singapore began as early as the 3rd Century when a Chinese account described the island at the tip of the Malay peninsula. ...

Etymology

The name Singapura comes from the Sanskrit singha ("lion") and pura ("city").^[10] According to the Malay Annals, this name was given by a 14th century Sumatran prince named Sang Nila Utama, who, landing on the island after a thunderstorm, spotted an auspicious beast on the shore. His chief minister errorneously identified as a 'singha' or lion.^[11] However, recent studies of Singapore indicate that lions have never lived there (not even Asiatic lions), and the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama was likely a tiger, most likely the Malayan Tiger.^[12]^[13] Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Sejarah Melayu or The Malay Annals is a historical Malay literary work that chronicles the establishment of the Malacca Sultanate and spans over 600 years of the Malay Peninsulas history. ... For other uses, see Sumatra (disambiguation). ... Sang Nila Utama, also known as Sri Tri Buana, is a legendary prince who founded Singapore in the countrys ancient history. ... Trinomial name Panthera leo persica Meyer, 1826 Synonyms Leo leo goojratensis (India) Leo leo persicus (Persia) The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is a subspecies of lion. ... For other uses, see Tiger (disambiguation). ... Trinomial name Panthera tigris jacksoni Luo et al. ...

First settlement

Main article: Early history of Singapore

The first records of settlement in Singapore are from the 2nd century AD.^[14] The island was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and originally had the Javanese name Temasek ('sea town'). Temasek (Tumasek) rapidly became a significant trading settlement, but declined in the late 14th century. There are few remnants of old Temasek in Singapore, but archaeologists in Singapore have uncovered artifacts of that and other settlements. Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, Singapore island was part of the Sultanate of Johor. During the Malay-Portugal wars in 1613, the settlement was set ablaze by Portuguese troops.^[15] The Portuguese subsequently held control in that century and the Dutch in the 17th, but throughout most of this time the island's population consisted mainly of fishermen. ... For other uses, see Sumatra (disambiguation). ... Map of Southeast Asia at end of 12th century. ... Javanese is a term used to describe a native of the Indonesian island of Java. ... Temasek (Sea Town in Javanese, spelt Tumasik; Simplified Chinese: ) was the name of an early city on the site of modern Singapore. ... Archaeology in Singapore is a niche discipline. ... The Sultanate of Johor (or sometimes Johor-Riau) was founded by Malaccan Sultan Mahmud Shahs son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah in 1528. ...

Colonial rule

Main article: Founding of modern Singapore

Statue of Thomas Stamford Raffles by Thomas Woolner, erected at the location where he first landed at Singapore. He is recognized as the founder of modern Singapore.

On 29 January 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on the main island. Spotting its potential as a strategic geographical trading post in Southeast Asia, Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah on behalf of the British East India Company to develop Singapore as a British trading post and settlement, marking the start of the island's modern era. Raffles's deputy, William Farquhar, oversaw a period of growth and ethnic migration, which was largely spurred by a no-restriction immigration policy. The British India office governed the island from 1858, but Singapore was made a British crown colony in 1867, answerable directly to the Crown. By 1869, 100,000 lived on the island. ^[16] The founding of modern Singapore in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles paved the way for Singapore to become a modern port and established its status as a gateway between the Western and Eastern markets. ... Download high resolution version (768x1024, 122 KB) Sir Stamford Raffles was the first Westerner to discover Singapore in 1819, and subsequently became the first governor of the entrepot city. ... Download high resolution version (768x1024, 122 KB) Sir Stamford Raffles was the first Westerner to discover Singapore in 1819, and subsequently became the first governor of the entrepot city. ... Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (6 July 1781 - 5 July 1826) was the founder of the city (now country) of Singapore, and is one of the best-known of the many Britons who created the largest empire the world has ever seen. ... Statue of Sir Stamford Raffles by Woolner, erected at the spot where he first landed at Singapore. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1819 (MDCCCXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) in the [[Grhttp://en. ... Thomas Stamford Raffles. ... Sultan Hussein Shah was the seventeenth Sultan of Johor. ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... William Farquhar (1774 â€“ 1839) is a historical figure of Singapore. ... Anthem God Save The Queen/King British India, circa 1860 Capital Calcutta (1858-1912), New Delhi (1912-1947) Language(s) Hindi, Urdu, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India - 1877-1901 Victoria - 1901-1910 Edward VII - 1910-1936 George V - January-December 1936 Edward VIII - 1936-1947 George... Location of the British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories are fourteen[1] territories which the United Kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty, but not as part of the United Kingdom itself. ...

The early onset of town planning in colonial Singapore came largely through a "divide and rule" framework where the different ethnic groups were settled in different parts of the South of the island. The Singapore River was largely a commercial area that was dominated by traders and bankers of various ethnic groups with mostly Chinese and Indian coolies working to load and unload goods from barge boats known locally as "bumboats". The Malays, consisting of the local "Orang Lauts" who worked mostly as fishermen and sea-farers, and Arab traders and scholars were mostly found in the South-east part of the river mouth, where Kampong Glam stands today. The European settlers, who were few then, settled around Fort Canning Hill and further upstream from the Singapore River. Like the Europeans, the early Indian migrants also settled more inland of the Singapore River, where Little India stands today. Very little is known about the rural private settlements in those times (known as kampongs), other than the major move by the post-independent Singapore government to re-settle these residents in the late 1960s.

World War II

Main article: Japanese occupation of Singapore

During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya, culminating in the Battle of Singapore. The ill-prepared British were defeated in six days, and surrendered the supposedly impregnable "Bastion of the Empire" to General Tomoyuki Yamashita on 15 February 1942 in what is now known as the British Empire's greatest military defeat. The Japanese renamed Singapore Shōnantō (昭南島, Shōnantō^?), from Japanese "Shōwa no jidai ni eta minami no shima" ("昭和の時代に得た南の島"^?), or "southern island obtained in the age of Shōwa", and occupied it until the British repossessed the island on 12 September 1945, a month after the Japanese surrender.^[17] The Japanese Occupation of Singapore was to become a major turning point in the history of several nations, including that of the Japanese, who rampaged down the Malay Peninsula with the singular intent of occupying Singapore to gain greater control over her war-time resource gathering efforts, the British, with... The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) (KyÅ«jitai: å¤§æ—¥æœ¬å¸åœ‹é™¸è», Shinjitai: , Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun), or more officially Army of the Greater Japanese Empire was the official ground based armed force of Imperial Japan from 1867 to 1945. ... Combatants Malaya Command: Indian III Corps Australian 8th Div. ... Tomoyuki Yamashita, 1945 General Tomoyuki Yamashita (å±±ä¸‹ å¥‰æ–‡ Yamashita Tomoyuki,) (November 8, 1885 â€“ February 23, 1946) was a general of the Japanese Imperial Army during the World War II era. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The ShÅwa period (Japanese: æ˜å’Œæ™‚ä»£, ShÅwa-jidai, period of enlightened peace) was the time in Japanese history when Emperor Hirohito reigned over the country, from December 25, 1926 to January 7, 1989. ... The ShÅwa period (Japanese: æ˜å’Œæ™‚ä»£, ShÅwa-jidai, period of enlightened peace) was the time in Japanese history when Emperor Hirohito reigned over the country, from December 25, 1926 to January 7, 1989. ... The Japanese Occupation of Singapore was to become a major turning point in the history of several nations, including that of the Japanese, who rampaged down the Malay Peninsula with the singular intent of occupying Singapore to gain greater control over her war-time resource gathering efforts, the British, with... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Japanese representatives, Mamoru Shigemitsu and Yoshijiro Umezu, on board USS Missouri during the surrender ceremonies on 2 September 1945. ...

The name Shōnantō was, at the time, romanized as "Syonan-to" or "Syonan", which means "Light of the South". Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana ManyÅgana Uses Furigana Okurigana RÅmaji The romanization of Japanese is the use of the Latin alphabet (called rÅmaji ) in Japanese) to write the Japanese language, which is normally written in logographic characters borrowed from Chinese (kanji) and syllabic scripts...

Independence

Main article: History of the Republic of Singapore

The Downtown Core at dusk, the civic and business district of Singapore.

Singapore became a self-governing state within the British Empire in 1959 with Yusof bin Ishak its first Yang di-Pertuan Negara and Lee Kuan Yew its first Prime Minister. It declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963, before joining the Federation of Malaysia in September along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as the result of the 1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore. Singapore left the federation two years later after heated ideological conflict between the state's PAP government and the federal Kuala Lumpur government. Singapore officially gained sovereignty on 9 August 1965.^[18] Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as the first President of Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew remained prime minister. The history of the Republic of Singapore began when Singapore gained its independence and became a republic following a secession from the Federation of Malaysia on 9 August 1965. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Singapore. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Singapore. ... The Downtown Core is technically an urban planning area in the city-state of Singapore which surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River, and is part of the Central Area, Singapores central business district. ... This is a Malay name; the name Ishak is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be addressed by his or her given name, Yusof. The Malay word bin () or binte (), if used, means son of or daughter of respectively. ... Yang di-Pertuan Negara is a title in Malay that is translated as the Head of State, which was used in Singapore between 1959 and 1965. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is æŽ (Li) Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; born September 16, 1923; also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew), was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. ... The Priminster of Singa pyohbsdg vjhd|Lee Kuan Yew||3 June 1959 || 28 November 1990 || 1968 GE 94. ... The Federation of Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. ... The Federation of Malaya, or in Malay Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, was formed in 1948 from the British settlements of Penang and Malacca and the nine Malay states and replaced the Malayan Union. ... For other uses, see Sabah (disambiguation). ... For the river, see Sarawak River. ... The 1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore was a referendum held in Singapore on September 1, 1962, which called for people to vote on the terms of merger with Malaysia. ... The sometimes tumultous relationship between the Peoples Action Party (PAP) and United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which were, and still are, the ruling parties respectively of Singapore and Malaysia, has impacted the recent history of both states. ... Nickname: Motto: Maju dan makmur (English: Progress and Prosper) Location in Malaysia Coordinates: , Country State Establishment 1857 Granted city status 1974 Government - Mayor (Datuk Bandar) Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan From 14 December 2006 Area - Total 243. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... This is a Malay name; the name Ishak is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be addressed by his or her given name, Yusof. The Malay word bin () or binte (), if used, means son of or daughter of respectively. ... The President of the Republic of Singapore is the nations head of state. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is æŽ (Li) Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; born September 16, 1923; also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew), was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. ...

While trying to be self-sufficient, the fledging nation faced problems like mass unemployment, housing shortages, and a dearth of land and natural resources. During Lee Kuan Yew's term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, his administration tackled the problem of widespread unemployment, raised the standard of living, and implemented a large-scale public housing programme. It was during this time that the foundation of the country's economic infrastructure was developed; the threat of racial tension was curbed; and an independent national defence system centring around compulsory male military service was created. CIA figures for world unemployment rates, 2006 Unemployment is the state in which a person is without work, available to work, and is currently seeking work. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... CIA figures for world unemployment rates, 2006 Unemployment is the state in which a person is without work, available to work, and is currently seeking work. ... The standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people and the way these services and goods are distributed within a population. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words Î¿Î¯ÎºÏ‰ [okos], house, and Î½ÎÎ¼Ï‰ [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ...

In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister. During his tenure, the country tackled the impacts of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak, and terrorist threats posed by Jemaah Islamiyah after the September 11 attacks. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister.^[19] Amongst his more notable decisions is the plan to open casinos to attract more foreign tourists. This is a Chinese name; the family name is Goh Goh Chok Tong (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Hokkien: GÃ´Â· Chok-tÃ²ng; born May 20, 1941), was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from November 28, 1990 to August 12, 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew. ... The East Asian financial crisis was a period of economic unrest that started in July 1997 in Thailand and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices in several Asian countries, many considered East Asian Tigers. ... SARS redirects here. ... The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is campaign begun by the Bush administration which includes various military, political, and legal actions taken to ostensibly curb the spread of terrorism following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. ... Jemaah Islamiyah[1] (JI, Arabic phrase meaning Islamic Group or Islamic Community) is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah[2] (Islamic State) in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei[3]. JI was added to the United Nations... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is æŽ (Lee) Lee Hsien Loong (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born February 10, 1952) is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Government and politics

Parliament House

Main article: Politics of Singapore

See also: Law of Singapore

Singapore is a parliamentary democracy with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing different constituencies. The bulk of the executive powers rests with the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister, currently Mr Lee Hsien Loong. The office of President of Singapore, historically a ceremonial one, was granted some veto powers as of 1991 for a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of judiciary positions. Although the position is to be elected by popular vote, only the 1993 election has been contested to date. The legislative branch of government is the Parliament. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Parliament House The Parliament House of Singapore is a public building and cultural landmark and houses the Parliament of Singapore. ... The politics of Singapore takes place in a framework of a parliamentary republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Singapore is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... The former Supreme Court building, which was in use between 1939 and 2005, as it appeared in August 2006. ... The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, in London. ... For unicameral alphabets, see the article letter case. For The unicameral, see Nebraska Legislature. ... The constituencies of Singapore are electoral divisions in the politics of Singapore which may be represented single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. ... The cabinet of Singapore forms the executive and it is headed by the prime minister, who is the head of government. ... The Priminster of Singa pyohbsdg vjhd|Lee Kuan Yew||3 June 1959 || 28 November 1990 || 1968 GE 94. ... The President of the Republic of Singapore is the nations head of state. ... In the law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ... A legislatureis a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to ratify laws. ...

Parliamentary elections in Singapore are plurality-based for group representation constituencies since the Parliamentary Elections Act was modified in 1991.^[20] The Parliamentary elections in Singapore began with the independence of Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia on 9 August 1965, thus renaming the Singapore State Governments Legislative Assembly as the Parliament of Singapore. ... An example of a plurality ballot. ... Group representation constituencies (GRCs) and single member constituencies (SMCs) are electoral divisions and constituencies within the political system of Singapore. ... The Parliamentary Elections Act is an act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of Singapore regulating the procedures, requirements and laws for parliamentary elections in Singapore. ...

The Members of Parliament (MPs) consist of either elected, non-constituency or nominated Members. The majority of the Members of Parliament are elected into Parliament at a General Election on a first-past-the-post basis and represent either Single Member or Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs).

The elected Members of Parliament act as a bridge between the community and the Government by ensuring that the concerns of their constituents are heard in the Parliament. The present Parliament has 94 Members of Parliament consisting of 84 elected Members of Parliament, one NCMP and nine Nominated members of Parliament.

Elected Members, In Group Representation Constituencies, political parties field a team of between three to six candidates. At least one candidate in the team must belong to a minority race. This requirement ensures that parties contesting the elections in Group Representation Constituencies are multi-racial so that minority races will be represented in Parliament. Presently there are 14 Group Representation Constituencies and 9 Single Member constituencies.

Non-Constituency Members,This is to ensure that there will be a minimum number of opposition representatives in Parliament and that views other than the Government's can be expressed in Parliament.

Nominated Members, up to nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) was made in 1990 to ensure a wide representation of community views in Parliament. Nominated Members of Parliament are appointed by the President of Singapore for a term of two and a half years on the recommendation of a Special Select Committee of Parliament chaired by the Speaker. Nominated Members of Parliament are not connected to any political parties.

The Istana, the official residence and office of the President of Singapore

Politics in Singapore have been controlled by the People's Action Party (PAP) since self-government was attained.^[21] In consequence, foreign political analysts and several opposition parties like the Workers' Party of Singapore, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) have argued that Singapore is essentially a one-party state. Many analysts consider Singapore to be an illiberal or procedural democracy than a true democracy. The Economist Intelligence Unit describes Singapore as a "hybrid regime" of democratic and authoritarian elements.^[22] Freedom House ranks the country as "partly free".^[23] Though general elections are free from irregularities and vote rigging, the PAP has been criticised for manipulating the political system through its use of censorship, gerrymandering, and civil libel suits against opposition politicians. Francis Seow, the exiled former Solicitor-General of Singapore, is a prominent critic. Seow and opposition politicians such as J.B. Jeyaretnam and Chee Soon Juan claim that Singapore courts favour the PAP government, and there is no separation of powers.^[24] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 482 KB) Istana, Singapore. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 482 KB) Istana, Singapore. ... The Istana, the official residence and office of the President of Singapore. ... The President of the Republic of Singapore is the nations head of state. ... Workers Party logo The Workers Party of Singapore (abbrev: WP; Chinese: æ–°åŠ å¡å·¥äººå…š) is one of the largest opposition parties in Singapore, with 1 of the 84 elected seats in the current session of Parliament of Singapore. ... Party logo The Singapore Democratic Party (abbrev: SDP; Chinese: æ–°åŠ å¡æ°‘ä¸»å…š) is a liberal party in Singapore. ... Alliance logo The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) is an alliance of political parties in Singapore. ... A single-party state or one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election. ... Technically speaking, an illiberal democracy could be any democracy that is not a liberal democracy. ... Procedural theory sets forth principles that describe how government should make decisions. ... This entity, also known as EIU is part of The Economist Group. ... Freedom House is a United States-based international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights. ... A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box: The Gerry-Mander first appeared in this cartoon-map in the Boston Gazette, 26 March 1812 Gerrymandering is a form of redistricting in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are manipulated for an electoral advantage. ... â€œLibelâ€ redirects here. ... Francis Seow is a Singapore born, Oxbridge and Harvard-educated political dissident who is in self-imposed exile from Singapore. ... Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam (born 1926), usually J.B. Jeyaretnam and often abbreviated JBJ, is a Singaporean politician. ... Dr. Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Dr. Chee Soon Juan (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: , born 1962) is the Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box: Separation of powers is a term coined by French political Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu[1][2], is a model for the governance of democratic states. ...

Singapore has a successful and transparent market economy. Government-linked companies are dominant in various sectors of the local economy, such as media, utilities, and public transport. Singapore has consistently been rated as the least corrupt country in Asia and among the world's ten most free from corruption by Transparency International.^[25] A market economy (also called a free market economy or a free enterprise economy) is an economic system in which the production and distribution of goods and services take place through the mechanism of free markets (though completley useless to some dumbasses) guided by a free price system. ... A Government Linked Company (GLC) is a corporate entity that may private or public (listed on a stock exchange) where an existing government owns a stake using a holding company. ... The Public Utilities Board (Chinese: å…¬ç”¨äº‹ä¸šå±€), more commonly abbreviated as PUB, is a statutory board of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources under the Government of Singapore. ... Public transport in Singapore covers a variety of transport modes such as bus, rail and taxi and is widely utilised by her population. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... Transparency International (TI) is an international organisation addressing corruption, including, but not limited to, political corruption. ...

Although Singapore's laws are inherited from British and British Indian laws, including many elements of English common law, the PAP has also consistently rejected liberal democratic values, which it typifies as Western and states there should not be a 'one-size-fits-all' solution to a democracy. There are no jury trials. Laws restricting the freedom of speech are justified by claims that they are intended to prohibit speech that may breed ill will or cause disharmony within Singapore's multiracial, multi-religious society. For example, in September 2005, three bloggers were convicted of sedition for posting racist remarks targeting minorities.^[26] Some offences can lead to heavy fines or caning and there are laws which allow capital punishment in Singapore for first-degree murder and drug trafficking. Amnesty International has criticised Singapore for having "possibly the highest execution rate in the world" per capita.^[27] The Singapore government argues that there is no international consensus on the appropriateness of the death penalty and that Singapore has the sovereign right to determine its own judicial system and impose capital punishment for the most serious crimes.^[28] Anthem God Save The Queen/King British India, circa 1860 Capital Calcutta (1858-1912), New Delhi (1912-1947) Language(s) Hindi, Urdu, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India - 1877-1901 Victoria - 1901-1910 Edward VII - 1910-1936 George V - January-December 1936 Edward VIII - 1936-1947 George... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... Liberal democracy is a form of government. ... Occident redirects here. ... Sedition is a term of law which refers to covert conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority as tending toward insurrection against the established order. ... This article is about the physical punishment. ... Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in Singapore. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amnesty international Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization which defines its mission as to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience... Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head. ... â€œSovereignâ€ redirects here. ...

Geography and climate

Singapore Downtown as seen from the DHL Balloon.

Main article: Geography and climate of Singapore

Singapore consists of 63 islands, including mainland Singapore. There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia — Johor-Singapore Causeway in the north, and Tuas Second Link in the west. Jurong Island,

Encyclopedia > Singapore > Transnational-issues

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