Singapore’s flowerpot state at the tip of the Malacca Peninsula is one of the smallest in the world but at the same time one of the richest and most competitive. The majority of the ethnically and culturally multi-layered population of five million lives on the main island of Singapore, the remaining 54 on small islands. The climate is hot and humid throughout the year.
Singapore is known as an Asian shopping paradise and its Changi Airport is a hub for international air travel. Well-kept, year-round flower parks and numerous restaurants serving a variety of cuisines from around the world are also Singapore’s guaranteed trademarks. On the way to Singapore, we will explore this Asian showcase of efficiency and effectiveness.
The strategically excellent location of the area was once discovered by pirates who had already moved through the Strait of Malakans but only the British and their representative Sir Thomas Raffles established a rubber and tin trading site in England in 1819. The name Raffles has survived in the name of one of the world’s most famous hotels. The famous Singapore Sling is still served at Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar. See beautypically.com for Singapore sights, UNESCO, climate, and geography.
Yearbook 2004
Singapore. In August, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took over the powerful Prime Minister post after Goh Chok Tong, who announced his departure the year before. 52-year-old Lee Hsien Loong is the son of Singapore’s country father Lee Kuan Yew, who was the country’s prime minister for over 30 years until he resigned in 1990. The father is still considered to exert great influence over politics through his government post as “minister mentor”. In his installation speech, Lee Hsien Loong said he intended to lighten the country’s restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly. Most analysts, however, did not consider that the change of power would mean a noticeable change in price in Singapore’s politics, which is characterized by authoritarian rule and large state involvement.
The total population in Singapore is 5,850,353 people in 2020. Singapore’s world-famous ban on chewing gum was lifted in May, at least in part. By presenting a prescription, chewers can now buy “medical chewing gums” (nicotine chewing gums) at pharmacies. The ban on chewing gum was introduced in 1992 for environmental reasons. It was pressure from the United States that caused Singapore to release the chewing gum restrictions as they constituted an obstacle to free trade between the two countries. Violation of the Chewing Gum Act, which has become a symbol of the involvement of the Singaporean state in the privacy of its citizens, can result in a year in prison.
Population
The very high demographic density of the urban microstate is partly due to the natural balance, which records very high positive values due to the significant drop in mortality, but above all to immigration flows from other countries in Southeast Asia and from China, which they remain consistent despite some restrictive measures adopted to avoid worrying congestion in the country and rising real estate costs. Some demographic values testify to the achievement, over the last two decades, of the standards of the Western world: in fact, the annual growth rate (2009 estimate) is just under 1%, the birth rate is 8.8 ‰, infant mortality is around 2.3 ‰ and life expectancy at birth is estimated at 82 years.
From an ethnic point of view, at least three distinct groups can be identified that have preserved their individuality: the Chinese one is prevalent (76.8%); the attendance of the Malaysian (13.9%), Indian and Pakistani groups (8.3%) was lower; the share of different nuclei, both European and Eurasian, is very modest. The linguistic division corresponds to the ethnic division; English is taught in every grade as a fundamental element of integration and communication. The framework of religions practiced is also very diverse: Buddhism (42.5%), Islam (14.9%), Christianity (14.6%, between Catholics and Protestants), Taoism (8.5%), Hinduism (4 %); 14.8% of the population professes to be atheists.
The city of Singapore, located in the southern section of the island, hosts almost the entire population of the country, legitimizing the definition of city-state. Equipped with one of the world’s largest seaports, state-of-the-art port and airport infrastructures, and characterized by a remarkable economic and building dynamism, it is one of the most important commercial, financial and industrial centers in Asia.
Climate
Tropical climate. The average temperature is around 27ºC all year round, the humidity is over 80% and up to 2500 mm of precipitation falls annually. The main rainy season is from October to January (northeast monsoons)