Portal:Singapore

Welcome to the Singapore Portal Map of Singapore Singapore (/ˈsɪŋ(ɡ)əpɔːr/ (listen)), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Straits of Malacca to the west, the Riau Islands to the south, and the South China Sea to the east. The country's territory is composed of one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet, the combined area of which has increased by 25% since the country's independence as a result of extensive land reclamation projects. It has the second greatest population density in the world. The country has almost 5.7 million residents, 61% (3.4 million) of whom are Singaporean citizens. There are four official languages of Singapore: English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil; with English being the lingua franca. Multiracialism is enshrined in the constitution, and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, and politics. Although its history stretches back millennia, modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the British Empire. In 1867, the colonies in East Asia were reorganised and Singapore came under the direct control of Britain as part of the Straits Settlements. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942, but returned to British control as a separate 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 being expelled from the federation two years later, thereby becoming an independent country. 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 based on external trade, becoming a highly developed country; it is ranked ninth on the UN Human Development Index, and has the second-highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world. Singapore is the only country in Asia with an AAA sovereign rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major financial and shipping hub, consistently ranked the most expensive city to live in since 2013, and has been identified as a tax haven. Singapore is placed highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 91%. Singaporeans enjoy one of the world's longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds and one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. Singapore is a unitary parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. While elections are considered generally free, the government exercises significant control over politics and society, and the People's Action Party has ruled continuously since independence. One of the five founding members of ASEAN, Singapore is also the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) Secretariat, as well as many international conferences and events. Singapore is also a member of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, East Asia Summit, Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth of Nations. (Full article...) More about Singapore... Selected article - The Internal Security Act (ISA) of Singapore (Cap. 143, 1985 Rev. Ed.) is a statute that grants the executive power to enforce preventive detention, prevent subversion, suppress organized violence against persons and property, and do other things incidental to the internal security of Singapore. The present Act was originally enacted by the Parliament of Malaysia as the Internal Security Act 1960 (No. 18 of 1960), and extended to Singapore on 16 September 1963 when Singapore was a state of the Federation of Malaysia. Before a person can be detained under the ISA by the Minister for Home Affairs, the President must be satisfied that such detention is necessary for the purposes of national security or public order. In the landmark case of Chng Suan Tze v. Minister for Home Affairs (1988), the Court of Appeal sought to impose legal limits on the power of preventive detention by requiring the Government to adduce objective facts which justified the President's satisfaction. Two months after the decision, a series of legislative and constitutional amendments was enacted that effectively reversed the Chng Suan Tze decision. These amendments were subsequently confirmed to be valid by the High Court and Court of Appeal in Teo Soh Lung v. Minister for Home Affairs (1989–1990), which held it is sufficient for the President to be subjectively satisfied that a detainee is a threat to national security in order for a detention order to be issued under the ISA. Notable ISA cases include Operation Coldstore in 1963 which led to the arrest of some 100 left-wing politicians and trade unionists, including members of the socialist opposition party, the Barisan Sosialis. Chia Thye Poh, an alleged Communist, was detained and subject to other restrictions on his liberty under the ISA from 1966 to 1998. The Chng Suan Tze and Teo Soh Lung cases resulted from a 1987 security operation called Operation Spectrum in which 22 Roman Catholic church and social activists and professionals accused of being members of a Marxist conspiracy were detained under the ISA. (Full article...) List of selected articles Battle of Kranji Fort Pasir Panjang Kent Ridge Park Singapore Stone Majulah Singapura Flag of Singapore Sembawang Hot Spring Park Durian Tropical Storm Vamei Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) Cabinet of Singapore Bombing of Singapore (1944–1945) Toa Payoh ritual murders Pathlight School Singapore strategy I Not Stupid Lyo and Merly Pedra Branca dispute Marine Parade Community Building North South MRT line Voting rights in Singapore Threshold issues in Singapore administrative law History of Singapore Changi Murals 111 Somerset Money No Enough 2015 Singapore Grand Prix Death in Singapore Kent Ridge Park Sungei Road Singapura cat Old National Library Building Parliament of Singapore Pathlight School 1915 Singapore Mutiny Double Tenth incident Disneyland with the Death Penalty Sources of Singapore law Speakers' Corner, Singapore Selected picture The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is an integral part of the Central Area. Read more... General images The following are images from various Singapore-related articles on Wikipedia. Hainanese chicken rice Lieutenant-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. Restored 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. MediaCorp, Singapore's public broadcaster Afternoon thunderstorms are a frequent occurrence in Singapore, which has a tropical rainforest climate. Men of various races- Chinese, Malay, and Indian gather at a street corner in Singapore, circa 1900. Baedeker map of the city and environs, c. 1914 The Marina Bay Sands integrated resort. Opened in 2010, it has become a key feature of Singapore's modern skyline. Traffic 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. The Jurong Industrial Estate was developed in the 1960s to industrialise the economy. Damage caused by a Japanese air assault on 8 February 1942. Many civilians were killed in these air raids. JJ Lin is a Singaporean singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. A statue of Raffles by Thomas Woolner now stands in Singapore, near Raffles's landing site in 1819. Singapore's urban geography is often characterised by extensive use of HDB flats, which the majority of citizens reside in. An artist's impression of Parameswara, who ruled Singapore in the 1390s. Chinese 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. Top view of Bukit Batok West. Large scale public housing development has created high housing ownership among the population. Shophouses in Singapore Fireworks over the Marina Bay skyline following the conclusion of the 2015 National Day Parade on 9 August 2015. The Plan of the Town of Singapore, or more commonly known as the Jackson Plan or Raffles Town Plan. Engraving of Sir Stamford Raffles by James Thomson Old Supreme Court of Singapore Japanese POWs are taken to work where they were made to clear up the city during the British reoccupation in September 1945 Flag of Singapore The country celebrates its National Day on 9 August each year. The Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay The 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. A busy Victoria Dock, Tanjong Pagar, in the 1890s. 1888 German map of Singapore A hawker centre in Lavender, Singapore The Esplanade Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum A fragment of the Singapore Stone, inscribed with an Indic script, c. 10th to 13th century. Saint George's Church Orchids in the Botanic Gardens 1955 stamp with the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II Upper Seletar Reservoir Jurong Industrial Estate, Singapore, with Jurong Island in the background The Thian Hock Keng, completed in 1842, served as a place of worship for early immigrants. Singapore Sports Hub Mural of Singapore's landmarks Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum Singapore's first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew declaring the forming of the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 in Singapore. Selected biography - Feng in 2008 Feng Tianwei PJG (simplified Chinese: 冯天薇; traditional Chinese: 馮天薇; pinyin: Féng Tiānwēi, pronounced [fə̌ŋ tjɛ́nwéi]) is a Singapore table tennis player. She moved to Singapore under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme in March 2007 and commenced her international career in competitive table tennis the following month. Feng represented Singapore for the first time in the Olympic Games at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. On 15 August 2008, the Singapore team comprising Feng and her teammates Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu defeated South Korea 3–2 in the semifinals. The team lost to China in the final, obtaining the silver medal. This was Singapore's first Olympic medal in 48 years and its first as an independent nation. (Full article...) List of selected biographies Ho Yuen Hoe Gan Eng Seng Hugh Hickling Zubir Said Tang Da Wu Edwin Thumboo Teresa Hsu Fandi Ahmad Denise Phua Li Jiawei Glenn Knight Laurentia Tan Tao Li Yip Pin Xiu Neila Sathyalingam Walter Woon Han Sai Por Rex Shelley Lee Choon Seng Balaji Sadasivan Choor Singh Kelvin Tan Xiaxue In this month 7 November 1987: The first section of Singapore's MRT system on the North South MRT Line opens. 22 November 1990: Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 begins operation. 28 November 1990: Goh Chok Tong becomes the second Prime Minister of Singapore, marking the first handover of power since Singapore's independence. More Anniversaries... Did you know - ... that the High Court of Singapore (Supreme Court Building pictured) is the sole court in Singapore exercising original criminal jurisdiction that may impose the death penalty? ... that through the opening of the Thomson MRT Line and Eastern Region MRT Line by 2020, Singapore's rail network density will rise from 31 km per million residents today to 51 km per million, surpassing what Hong Kong and Tokyo currently have? ... that the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act of Singapore allows restrictions to be placed on religious leaders who promote political causes under the guise of religious activity? ...that Inuka, a polar bear who is the mascot of the Singapore Zoo, is the first and only polar bear born in the tropics? ...that the apparent disparagement of Singapore as a "little red dot" by former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie has come to be used by Singaporeans with pride? 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 Asia Australia China Hong Kong Indonesia Japan Malaysia New Zealand South Korea Thailand Taiwan Vietnam Tasks Check for latest announcements and updates at the SGpedians' notice board Make yourself known as a Singaporean Wikipedian Create articles on the to do list Update the list of Singapore-related topics 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 (More...) 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