Portal:Singapore

Welcome to the Singapore Portal

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country in Southeast Asia. Its territory comprises a main island, over 60 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. The country 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.

In its early history, Singapore was a maritime emporium known as Temasek; subsequently, it was a major constituent 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 direct British control as part of the Straits Settlements. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942 and returned to Britain as a 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; it 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, Singapore has the highest PPP-adjusted GDP per capita in the world and is the only country in Asia with a AAA sovereign credit rating from all major rating agencies. Identified as a tax haven, it is a major aviation, financial and maritime shipping hub and has consistently been ranked as one of the most expensive cities for expatriates and foreign workers. Singapore ranks highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, housing, peacefulness, passport strength, personal safety and infrastructure, with a high home-ownership rate. Singaporeans enjoy one of the longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds, lowest infant mortality rates and lowest levels of corruption in the world. Singapore is organised into five regions, 55 planning areas and hundreds of subzones. It has the second highest population density of any country, 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 country's major ethnic groups, 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.

Singapore is a parliamentary republic and its legal system is based on common law. While it is constitutionally a multi-party democracy where free elections are regularly held, it functions as a de facto one-party state, with the People's Action Party (PAP) maintaining continuous political dominance since 1959. The PAP's longstanding control has resulted in limited political pluralism and a highly centralised governance structure over national institutions. 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. (Full article...)

More about Singapore...

Selected article -

Replica of Zubir Said's handwritten score of "Majulah Singapura" exhibited at the National Museum of Singapore. The original is currently on display at the Malay Heritage Centre.

"Majulah Singapura" is the national anthem and motto of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said in 1958 as a theme song for official functions of the City Council of Singapore, the song was selected in 1959 as the nation's anthem when it attained self-government. Upon full independence in 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was formally adopted as Singapore's national anthem. By law, the anthem must be sung with Malay lyrics, but there are authorised translations of the lyrics of the anthem in Singapore's three other official languages: English, Mandarin and Tamil.

The national anthem is regularly performed or sung in schools and armed forces camps at ceremonies held at the beginning and/or the end of each day, during which the national flag is also raised and lowered and the national pledge is taken. Singaporeans are especially encouraged to sing the national anthem on occasions of national celebration or national significance such as at the National Day Parade (NDP), National Day Concert (NDC), at National Day observance ceremonies conducted by educational institutions and government departments and at sporting events at which Singapore teams are participating. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected picture

The new and old buildings of the Supreme Court of Singapore. The older building was constructed in the 1930s and is now the National Art Gallery of Singapore. The new supreme court building was constructed between 2002 and 2005. Read more...

General images

The following are images from various Singapore-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A hawker centre in Lavender, Singapore (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 2The old and the new Singapore as seen from an alley behind Boat Quay (2023) (from History of Singapore)
Image 31955 stamp with the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (from History of Singapore)
Image 4The Sultan Mosque, built in 1826 in the Kampong Glam district, is the oldest and one of the largest mosque in Singapore. (from Singaporeans)
Image 5Quadrilingual sign for Parliament House (from Singaporeans)
Image 6Enlargeable, detailed map of Singapore (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 7Singapore's urban geography is often characterised by extensive use of HDB flats, which the majority of citizens reside in. (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 8The Singaporean delegation at the 1956 constitutional talks in London. Lim Yew Hock and David Marshall are sat first and second from the left, respectively. (from History of Singapore)
Image 9The Marina Bay Sands integrated resort. Opened in 2010, it has become a key feature of Singapore's modern skyline. (from History of Singapore)
Image 10A statue of Raffles by Thomas Woolner now stands in Singapore, near Raffles's landing site in 1819. (from History of Singapore)
Image 11The Plan of the Town of Singapore, or more commonly known as the Jackson Plan or Raffles Town Plan. (from History of Singapore)
Image 12Fireworks over the Marina Bay skyline following the conclusion of the 2015 National Day Parade on 9 August 2015. (from History of Singapore)
Image 13St Andrew's Cathedral (from Singaporeans)
Image 14A busy Victoria Dock, Tanjong Pagar, in the 1890s. (from History of Singapore)
Image 15Hainanese chicken rice (from Singaporeans)
Image 16The Mao Kun map from Wubei Zhi which is based on the early 15th century maps of Zheng He showing Temasek (淡馬錫) at the top left, and Long Ya Men (龍牙門) on the right panel. (from History of Singapore)
Image 17Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall (from Singaporeans)
Image 18The Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 19Restored shophouses running along a street in Chinatown, which reflects the Victorian architecture of buildings built in Singapore during the earlier colonial period, with styles such as the painted ladies. (from History of Singapore)
Image 20Upper Seletar Reservoir (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 21Old Supreme Court of Singapore (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 22The country celebrates its National Day on 9 August each year. (from History of Singapore)
Image 23Shophouses in Singapore (from Singaporeans)
Image 24View of Bukit Batok Estate. Large scale public housing development has created high housing ownership among the population. (from History of Singapore)
Image 25Chinese community in Singapore carrying the Flag of the Republic of China (written Long live the motherland) to celebrate the victory, also reflected the Chinese identity issues at that time. (from History of Singapore)
Image 26The Thian Hock Keng, completed in 1842, served as a place of worship for early immigrants. (from History of Singapore)
Image 27Centre square of Raffles Place (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 28A fragment of the Singapore Stone, inscribed with an Indic script, c. 10th to 13th century. (from History of Singapore)
Image 29Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (from Singaporeans)
Image 30Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 31Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, led by a Japanese officer, marches under a flag of truce to negotiate the capitulation of Allied forces in Singapore, on 15 February 1942. It was the largest surrender of British-led forces in history. (from History of Singapore)
Image 32Men of Chinese, Malay, and Indian ethnicities gather at a street corner in Singapore, circa 1900. (from Singaporeans)
Image 33Mass Rapid Transit (from History of Singapore)
Image 34Afternoon thunderstorms are a frequent occurrence in Singapore, which has an equatorial climate. (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 35Japanese POWs are taken to work where they were made to clear up the city during the British reoccupation in September 1945
Image 36Portrait of Stamford Raffles by George Francis Joseph, 1817 (from History of Singapore)
Image 37Traffic in Singapore, 1981. Prior to the introduction of the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) in 1990, vehicles per capita in Singapore was the highest in ASEAN. (from History of Singapore)
Image 38Baedeker map of the city and environs, c. 1914
Image 391890 German map of Singapore (from History of Singapore)
Image 40Jurong Industrial Estate, Singapore, with Jurong Island in the background (from Geography of Singapore)
Image 41Sign board with warnings in Singapore's four main languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 42Deepavali decorations in Singapore. (from Culture of Singapore)
Image 43The Jurong Industrial Estate was developed in the 1960s to industrialise the economy. (from History of Singapore)

Selected biography -

Kelvin Tan Wei Lian (陈伟联, born 5 October 1981) is a Singaporean Mandopop singer who earned a living as a busker before he won the first edition of Project SuperStar in 2005. He has released three albums, All I Want Is... (2006), i-Weilian (2007) and Moving Notes...Kelvin Tan (2009). He also had a solo concert at the Singapore Expo, lead a choir at the opening ceremony at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, and singing Singapore's 2009 National Day Parade's theme song. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that a train station in Singapore repeatedly had issues with the design of its stairs?
... that Sun Haiyan is the first Chinese ambassador to Singapore who was not a member of the Foreign Ministry of China?
... that Singaporean former lawyer David Yong learned Korean and moved to South Korea to become a K-pop singer?
... that Ambo Sooloh pledged allegiance to the British government on behalf of all Malays in Singapore?
... that architect Geoff Malone was tasked with impressing visitors with a "rocket ship" design for a Singapore movie theatre?
... that the Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple in Singapore houses effigies of both the Jade Emperor and Mahaganapati?

In this month

8 August 1967: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was founded with Singapore as one of its founding members.
9 August 1965: Singapore becomes an independent country after its separation from Malaysia.
9 August 2015: The "Singapore50" initiative is launched in Singapore to celebrate 50 years of independence from Malaysia. National Day Parade ceremonies for that year are themed Majulah Singapura - Onward Singapore.
14 August 1945: Japan surrenders, marking the end of the Japanese occupation of Singapore during World War II.

More Anniversaries...

More did you know -

...that the Singapore Government has introduced the "Punggol 21-plus" plan to re-vitalise Punggol New Town (pictured), after an unsuccessful attempt in the late 1990s?

... that Catherine Lim's 1994 essay The PAP and the people - A Great Affective Divide invoked such a strong response from the Singapore government, its then-PM Goh Chok Tong outlined which topics were permissible for public discussion?

... that Tang Choon Keng, who established Tangs and built the former Dynasty Hotel, was also known as the "Tin Trunk Man" in Singapore for his rags to riches legacy?

... that four Japanese War Memorials found in the Japanese Cemetery Park were built without knowledge of the British colonial government of Singapore?

... that the Former Singapore Badminton Hall was marked as a historical site by Singapore's National Heritage Board in 1999, as it held two Thomas Cup tournaments and was the vote counting station for a landmark 1962 referendum?

More...

Selected panorama

The National Stadium (Chinese: 国家体育场; Malay: Stadium Nasional Singapura) is located in Kallang. Opened in July 1973, the National Stadium was officially closed on June 30, 2007 and will be demolished in late 2008 to make way for the Singapore Sports Hub which is expected to open in 2011.

Singapore topics

Related portals

Southeast Asia

Other Countries

Tasks

Things you can do

Check for latest announcements and updates at the WikiProject Singapore
Make yourself known as a Singaporean Wikipedian
Create or improve on the articles listed in the to do list
Share with us your level of proficiency in Singlish by putting one of the 4 Singlish Babel tags (1 2 3 4) onto your user page
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