Global InformationSingapore information
Republic of Singapore
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 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: Majulah Singapura (Malay) "Onward Singapore" | |||||||
| Anthem: Majulah Singapura (Malay) "Onward Singapore" | |||||||
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| Capital | Singapore (city-state)[a] 1°17′N 103°50′E / 1.283°N 103.833°E | ||||||
| Largest planning area by population | Bedok[2] | ||||||
| Official languages |
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| National language | Malay | ||||||
| Ethnic groups (2020)[b] |
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| Religion (2020)[c] |
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| Demonym(s) | Singaporean | ||||||
| Government | Unitary dominant-party parliamentary republic | ||||||
• President | Tharman Shanmugaratnam | ||||||
• Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong | ||||||
• Speaker of Parliament | Seah Kian Peng | ||||||
• Chief Justice | Sundaresh Menon | ||||||
| Legislature | Parliament | ||||||
| Independence from the United Kingdom and Malaysia | |||||||
• Self-governance | 3 June 1959 | ||||||
• Malaysia Agreement | 16 September 1963 | ||||||
• Proclamation of Singapore | 9 August 1965 | ||||||
| Area | |||||||
• Total | 735.2 km2 (283.9 sq mi)[4] (176th) | ||||||
| Population | |||||||
• 2023 estimate |  5,917,600[d] (113rd) | ||||||
• Density | 7,804/km2 (20,212.3/sq mi) (2nd) | ||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate | ||||||
• Total |  $794.179 billion[6] (38th) | ||||||
• Per capita | $133,737[6] (3rd) | ||||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate | ||||||
• Total | $525.228 billion[6] (32nd) | ||||||
• Per capita | $91,100[6] (5th) | ||||||
| Gini (2017) |  45.9[7]medium | ||||||
| HDI (2022) | 0.949[8] very high (9th) | ||||||
| Currency | Singapore dollar (S$) (SGD) | ||||||
| Time zone | UTC+8 (Singapore Standard Time) | ||||||
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy | ||||||
| Driving side | left | ||||||
| Calling code | +65 | ||||||
| ISO 3166 code | SG | ||||||
| Internet TLD | .sg | ||||||
Singapore,[e] officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It is located about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Strait of Malacca to the west, the Singapore Strait to the south along with the Riau Islands in Indonesia, the South China Sea to the east, and the Straits of Johor along with the State of Johor in Malaysia to the north. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet; the combined area of these has increased by approximately 25% since the country's independence as a result of extensive land reclamation projects. It has the second highest population density of any country in the world, although there are numerous green and recreational spaces as a result of urban planning. With a multicultural population and in recognition of the cultural identities of the major ethnic groups within the nation, Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. English is the lingua franca, with its exclusive use in numerous public services. Multi-racialism is enshrined in the constitution and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, and politics.
Singapore's history dates back at least eight hundred years, having been a maritime emporium known as Temasek and subsequently a major constituent part of several successive thalassocratic empires. Its contemporary era began in 1819, when Stamford Raffles established Singapore as an entrepôt trading post of the British Empire. In 1867, the colonies in Southeast Asia were reorganised, and Singapore came under the direct control of Britain as part of the Straits Settlements. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942 and 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, most notably the perceived encroachment of the egalitarian "Malaysian Malaysia" political ideology led by Lee Kuan Yew into the other constituent entities of Malaysia—at the perceived expense of the bumiputera and the policies of Ketuanan Melayu—eventually led to Singapore's expulsion from the federation two years later; Singapore became an independent sovereign country in 1965.
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. With its growth based on international trade and economic globalisation, it integrated itself with the world economy through free trade with minimal-to-no trade barriers or tariffs, export-oriented industrialisation, and the large accumulation of received foreign direct investments, foreign exchange reserves, and assets held by sovereign wealth funds. As a highly developed country, it has one of the highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world. Identified as a tax haven, Singapore is the only country in Asia with a AAA sovereign credit rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major aviation, financial, and maritime shipping hub and has consistently been ranked as one of the most expensive cities to live in for expatriates and foreign workers. Singapore ranks highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety, infrastructure, and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 88 percent. Singaporeans enjoy one of the longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds, lowest infant mortality rates, and lowest levels of corruption in the world.
Singapore is a unitary parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government, and its legal system is based on common law. While the country is de jure a multi-party democracy with free elections, the government under the People's Action Party (PAP) wields widespread control and dominance over politics and society without much electoral competition. The PAP has governed the country continuously since full internal self-government was achieved in 1959, and currently holds a supermajority with 79 out of 93 elected seats in Parliament. One of the five founding members of ASEAN, Singapore is also the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council Secretariat, and is the host city of many international conferences and events. Singapore is also a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the East Asia Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth of Nations.
- ^ "Singapore". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
The city, once a distinct entity, so came to dominate the island that the Republic of Singapore essentially became a city-state.
- ^ "Singapore Department of Statistics population report for 2022". Singstat. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Census 2020" (PDF). Singapore Department of Statistics. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "Environment - Latest Data". Singapore Department of Statistics. 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ "Population and Population Structure". Department of Statistics Singapore. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2024 Edition. (Singapore)". www.imf.org. International Monetary Fund. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Distribution of Family Income – GINI Index". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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