Singapore, on the Republic of Singapore to give the country its full title, is situated just north of the equator, at the foot of the Malaysia peninsula. It is a booming city-state, comprising Singapore Island and 58 smaller islands within its territory. At its widest point, Singapore Island measures roughly 42km across, and anywhere on the island is reachable within a couple of hours by car.

The Central Business District is made up of high-tech office-blocks, and modern hotels and shopping complexes. These are in contrast with the older, more traditional (but still bustling) streets of Chinatown and Little India. Singapore is hot all year round, (20-30 degrees ºC), and although it is wettest from November to January, there is not much seasonal variation at all. Singapore is a major Asian success story, with its strong economy and impressive infrastructure as an example to nations on every continent.

A real cosmopolitan society, the Chinese form the majority of the population, but there are extremely large Malay and Indian communities too, as well as a large number of Western expatriates and business people. Though Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English are all official languages, English is the language that unites the business community and the various ethnic groups.

Author
David Collins

Factfile

Area: 646 square kilometres
Population: 3.1 million
People: Chinese 78%, Malay 14%, Indian 7%
Language: Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, English
Religions: Taoist, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu
Major Industries: Shipping, banking, tourism, electronics, oil refining
Currency: Singapore Dollar