One Stop Guide To Singapore Travel
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Singapore is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the
Malay Peninsula, lying 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of
Indonesia's
Riau
Islands. Before European settlement, the island now known as
Singapore was the site of a Malay fishing village at the mouth of the
Singapore
River. In 1819, the British East India Company, led by Sir Stamford Raffles, established a trading post on the island, which was used as a port along the spice route.
Singapore became one of the most important commercial and military centers of the
British Empire, and the hub of British power in
Southeast Asia. The city was occupied by the Japanese during World War II.
Singapore reverted to British rule in 1945, immediately after the war. In1963, the city, having achieved independence from
Britain, merged with
Malaysia. However, the merger proved unsuccessful and less than two years later, it seceded from the federation and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965.The the city-state is often referred to as the
Lion
City.
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, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of
Singapore's many smaller islands.
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.
Singapore has been rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world.
Singapore is also considered to be one of the top centers of finance in the region and the world. |
|
 People & Culture
The population of
Singapore is approximately 4.86 million.
Singapore is highly cosmopolitan and diverse with Chinese people forming an ethnic majority with large populations of Malay, Indian and other people. Various Chinese linguistic groups formed 75.2% of
Singapore's residents, Malays 13.6%, Indians 8.8%, while Eurasians, Arabs and other groups formed 2.4%. English, Malay, Tamil, and Chinese are the official languages. The national language of
Singapore is Malay for historical reasons, and it is used in the national anthem. English is the main language of
Singapore and has been heavily promoted as such since the country's independence. The English used is primarily based on British English, with some American English influences. The use of English became widespread in
Singapore after it was implemented as a first language medium in the education system, and English is the most common language in Singaporean literature.
Singapore is a multi-religious country. According to Statistics Singapore, around 51% of resident Singaporeans practice Buddhism and Taoism. About 15%, mostly Chinese, Eurasians, and Indians, practice Christianity. Muslims constitute 14%, of whom Malays account for the majority with a substantial number of Indian Muslims and Chinese Muslims. Smaller minorities practice Sikhism, Hinduism and others, according to the 2000 census.
 With its multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-linguistic society,
Singapore culture is truly a melting pot. The culture of
Singapore expresses the diversity of the population as the various ethnic groups continue to celebrate their own cultures while they intermingle with one another.
Singapore has achieved a significant degree of cultural diffusion with its unique combination of these ethnic groups, and has given
Singapore a rich mixture of diversity for its young age. Singaporean cuisine is also a prime example of diversity and cultural diffusion in
Singapore. In
Singapore's hawker centres, for example, traditionally Malay hawker stalls selling halal food may serve halal versions of traditionally Tamil food. Chinese stalls may introduce Malay ingredients, cooking techniques or entire dishes into their range of catering. This continues to make the cuisine of
Singapore significantly rich and a cultural attraction. Singaporeans also enjoy a wide variety of seafood including crabs, clams, squid, and oysters. |
 Tourism
Singapore is a popular travel destination, making tourism one of its largest industries. About 7.8 million tourists visited
Singapore in 2006. A lot of its cultural attraction can be attributed to its cultural diversity that reflects its colonial history and Chinese, Malay, Indian and Arab ethnicities. It is also environmentally friendly, and maintains natural and heritage conservation programs. As English is one of its numerous official languages, it is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country. The
Orchard Road shopping district is one of
Singapore's most well-known and popular tourist draws, which is dominated by multi-story shopping centres and hotels, can be considered the center of tourism in
Singapore. Other popular tourist attractions include the Singapore Zoo and its Night Safari, which allows people to explore Asian, African and American habitats at night without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals. The Singapore Zoo has embraced the 'open zoo' concept whereby animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats, instead of caging the animals.
Jurong
Bird
Park is another zoological garden centered around birds, which is dedicated towards exposing the public to as much species and varieties of birds from around the world as possible, including a flock of one thousand flamingos. The tourist island of Sentosa, which attracts more than 5 million visitors a year, is located in the south of Singapore, consists of about 20-30 landmarks, such as Fort Siloso, which was built as a fortress to defend against the Japanese during World War II. Guns from the World War II era can be seen at
Fort
Siloso, from a mini-sized to a 16 pound (7 kg) gun. Recently, the island has built the
Carlsberg
Sky
Tower, which allows visitors to view the whole of Sentosa, as well as the Sentosa Luge.
 Singaporean cuisine is an example of diversity and cultural diffusion, with influences from Chinese, Indian, Malay and Tamil cuisine. In
Singapore's hawker canters, traditionally Malay hawker stalls selling halal food may serve halal versions of traditionally Tamil food. Chinese food stalls may introduce indigenous Malay ingredients or cooking techniques. This continues to make the cuisine of
Singapore a significant cultural attraction. Local foods are diverse, ranging from Hainanese chicken rice to satay. Singaporeans also enjoy a wide variety of seafood including crabs, clams, squid, and oysters. One such dish is stingray barbecued and served on banana leaf with sambal or chili. Amongst locals, popular dishes include bak chor mee, mee pok, sambal stingray, laksa, nasi lemak, chili crab and satay. All of which, can be found at local hawker centres around
Singapore. Cuisine has also been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists, with the Singapore Food Festival in July organized annually to celebrate
Singapore's cuisine.
 Singapore is emerging as a cultural centre for arts and culture, including theatre and music. As a cosmopolitan and multi-racial society,
Singapore is often identified with the "gateway between the East and West". In the past decade, there is an emergence of several performing arts groups in
Singapore, especially in theatrical arts. A number of productions were staged successfully and several groups have performed overseas. In recent years, more and more contemporary dance companies were formed as dancers from pioneering companies become individual artists.
Singapore hosts an annual Singapore Arts Festival when international and local artists gather in the country to perform in a wide variety of events including music, dance and theatre. The Singapore Arts Festival has become an event for
Singapore to showcase its ability to buy international renowned performing arts products.
Singapore is fast positioning itself as a medical tourism hub — about 200,000 foreigners seek medical care in the country each year and Singapore medical services aim to serve one million foreign patients annually by 2012 and generate USD 3 billion in revenue. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
