Singapore: A Land of Great Promises

  • 16 years ago
Singapore, the island-nation which has emerged as a shopping and entertainment haven, is located 137 kilometers north of Equator, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies in the north of Indonesia, and south of Malaysia. There are very few city-states remaining in the world and Singapore is one of them. Also, it is the smallest country in the whole of South-east Asia, with an area of 704 sq km.

The history of Singapore begins in the early nineteenth century. In the year 1819, a trading post was established on the island, by the British East India Company. The main settlement during those days was at the mouth of Singapore River. The Britishers tactfully used Singapore as a trading post along the spice route. Eventually Singapore became a strong military and commercial center of the mighty British empire. During the World War II, the Japanese occupied Singapore. But, again in the year 1945, Singapore reverted to the British reign. Eventually it became an independent national republic on 9thAugust 1965 and joined the UN on 21st September, in the same year.

With consistent growth and development, facilitated by pragmatic economic measures fuelled by foreign direct investment, the standard of living of the people in Singapore has increased a lot since its independence. Singapore is the 17th wealthiest country of the world in terms of per capita GDP. Singapore’s population is around 4.68 million. Though Chinese forms the majority of the population, the country’s official language is English.

Recommended