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The Republic of Singapore is a country in the continent of Asia at the southern end of the Malay peninsula. 4.4 million people live in Singapore, and many of them (76%) are Chinese. In Sanskrit, "Singapore" means "Lion city" which is an ancient Indian language. The important languages of Singapore are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, with most Singaporeans speaking English. Singapore is located 137km (85 miles) north of the Equator.
[edit] History
Singapore was set up as a British trading town in 1819 by Thomas Stamford Raffles, and became an important town in the Malay Archipelago. The country was given colony status in 1867. The Japanese attacked Singapore in late 1941, and took control of the colony on 15 February 1942 and renamed it Syonan-to (pronounced as Sho-nan-to) during the rule. People of Singapore suffered during the Japapnese rule until the surrender in September 1945 back to the British. The suffering during the World War II made the people think that the British were not as powerful as before.
In 1963, Singapore joined Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form the new nation of Malaysia. Malaysia is a country with many races. Among the races, the Malays have special benefits. For example, the Malays can get university education more easily than other races. Most people in Singapore are Chinese. Singapore wanted equality (equal treatment) for all the people of Malaysia. This caused quarrels between the state government of Singapore and the federal government of Malaysia. Singapore separated from Malaysia and became independent on August 9 1965.
At first, many people thought Singapore would not be able to survive on its own. However, the people of Singapore wanted to make their new country better. Today, Singapore is doing very well economically.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Holidays
[edit] Currency
[edit] Transportation and tourism
Singapore has a railway system known as the Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore). It also has taxi companies like Comfort Cabs, SMRT Taxis, CityCab and Premier Taxi.
[edit] External links
- CIA World Factbook information about Singapore
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