Singapore

Singapore (officially Republic of Singapore, English Republic of Singapore [ɹɪˈpʰʌb.lɪkʰ. əv.ˈsɪŋ.(g)ə.pʰɔː], Malay Republic of Singapura, Chinese 新加坡共和国, Pinyin Xīnjiāpō Gònghéguó, also: 新加坡 [ɕin.tɕiɑ.pʰuɔ], Tamil சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு Ciṅkappūr Kudiyarasu) is an island and city state, and the smallest state in Southeast Asia by area. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

After early years of turmoil, despite a lack of natural resources and a hinterland, the nation emerged as one of Asia's four tiger economies.

Singapore is the only country in Asia with a AAA country rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major financial and shipping hub. Singapore ranks high on key social indicators: Education, Healthcare, Quality of Life, Personal Safety and Public Housing with a home ownership rate of 91%. Singaporeans enjoy one of the longest life expectancies in the world, the fastest internet connection speeds and one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world.

The United Nations Development Programme ranks Singapore among the countries with very high human development. Singapore is one of the richest countries (and cities) in the world and is considered one of the cities with the highest cost of living in the world. The city-state is also one of the top ten most visited cities in the world, with more than eleven million foreign tourists a year, and is considered Asia's most important financial center, along with Hong Kong. Singapore is a multi-ethnic state in which Chinese, Malays and Indians make up the largest population groups.

Name origin

The name "Singapore" comes from Sanskrit and is composed of Singha (सिंह siṃha "lion") and Pura (पुर pura "city"), meaning lion city.

According to legend, Sang Nila Utama, a prince from Palembang, the then capital of the Srivijaya Empire, reached Singapore in 1299 and founded the kingdom of Singapura. After his arrival, the prince is said to have seen a lion in the dense jungle - but it was probably a Malaysian tiger, as no lions lived in this region. Impressed by the encounter, he interpreted it as a good omen and decided to call the place "Lion City" from then on and to build a settlement. The emblem of Singapore since 1964 is the Merlion, a mythical creature with a lion's head and a fish's body.

Geography

Location and area

The island state of Singapore comprises one main island, three larger islands and 58 other smaller islands. It is located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, separated from it by the Johor Strait. The islands are the southernmost extension of the Rear Indian Peninsula and the Asian mainland. To the west, the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest waterways in the world, is touched. In the south lies the Strait of Singapore. Neighboring countries are Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula in the north and Indonesia with Sumatra and the Riau Islands in the south.

The total area is just under the size of Hamburg. Land reclamation plays a major role for Singapore. The earth material is taken from its own mountains, the seabed or from neighbouring countries and filled up in the adjacent sea. As a result, the land area increased from 581.5 km² in the 1960s to 725.1 km² today and is expected to grow by another 100 km² (to around 800 km²) by 2030. The MacRitchie Reservoir was built in 1868.

Singapore is a city-state. The city of Singapore is located at coordinates 1° 17′ N, 103° 50′ E1.28333333333103.833333333Coordinates: 1° 17′ N, 103° 50′ E on the main island of Pulau Ujong, which occupies most of the state's territory. The Johor-Singapore Causeway, a man-made causeway to the north, connects the main island with Johor Bahru on the mainland, which is part of Malaysia. Another link to the mainland (Malaysia-Singapore Second Link) exists to the west through a bridge leading to Gelang Patah. The highest elevation of the island state is the Bukit Timah Hill in the Bukit Timah Reserve with 163.63 meters.

Sentosa Island is sometimes called the southernmost point of mainland Asia. This is somewhat controversial as both Sentosa and Singapore are islands; however, they are connected to the mainland by causeways and bridges.

Climate

The climate is tropical-humid. The temperature is almost all year round a little more than 28 degrees Celsius. In the months of October to February, the temperatures are only slightly lower than the rest of the year due to the monsoon, with heavier rainfall.

Singapore

Climate diagram

J F M A M J J A S O N D     198   30 23     154   31 24     171   31 24     141   32 24     158   32 25     140   31 25     145   31 24     143   31 24     177   31 24     167   31 24     252   31 24     304   30 23 Temperature in °C, precipitation in mm Source: WMO, wetter.de;

 

Monthly average temperatures and precipitation for Singapore Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature (°C) 29,9 31,0 31,4 31,7 31,6 31,2 30,8 30,8 30,7 31,1 30,5 29,6 Ø 30,9 Min. temperature (°C) 23,1 23,5 23,9 24,3 24,6 24,5 24,2 24,2 23,9 23,9 23,6 23,3 Ø 23,9 Precipitation (mm) 198,0 154,0 171,0 141,0 158,0 140,0 145,0 143,0 177,0 167,0 252,0 304,0 2150 Sunshine hours (h/d) 5,6 6,5 6,2 5,8 5,8 5,9 6,1 5,8 5,2 5,0 4,3 4,3 Ø 5,5 Rainy days (d) 19 12 17 19 18 18 18 17 18 19 23 22 220 Water temperature (°C) 27 27 28 28 28 29 28 28 28 28 28 27 Ø 27,8 Humidity (%) 83 82 83 84 84 83 83 83 84 84 86 87 Ø 83,8 Temperature 29,9 23,1 31,0 23,5 31,4 23,9 31,7 24,3 31,6 24,6 31,2 24,5 30,8 24,2 30,8 24,2 30,7 23,9 31,1 23,9 30,5 23,6 29,6 23,3 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec   Precipitation 198,0 154,0 171,0 141,0 158,0 140,0 145,0 143,0 177,0 167,0 252,0 304,0   Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Source: WMO, wetter.de;

Panorama of Singapore


Aerial view of Singapore, with Marina Bay Sands in the foreground