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• Singapore is a small and prosperous city-state located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, just south of the westernmost section of Malaysia. Formerly part of Malaysia, Singapore became an independent nation in 1965.

• Fast Facts

  1. Capital: Singapore City
  2. Government: Parliamentary republicCIA The World Factbook: Singapore - Government
  3. Population: 4,608,167 (July 2008 estimate)CIA The World Factbook: Singapore - People
  4. Currency: Singapore Dollar (SGD)
  5. Official Languages: English, Mandarin, Malay, TamilUniquely Singapore: About Singapore - People, Language, Religion
  6. Country code: 65
  7. Time zone: SST
  8. Airport code: SINWorld Airport Codes.com: Changi Airport (SIN)
  9. Climate: Tropical rainforest
  10. First mentioned in Chinese account in the 3rd century as Puluo ChungUniquely Singapore: About Singapore - Brief History
  11. Established settlement of the Srivijaya Empire in the 14th century and called SingapuraUniquely Singapore: About Singapore - Brief History

• Brief History

  Established as a trading post by Sir Thomas Raffles in 1819, Singapore grew throughout the 19th century to become a strategically important port for British trade in the region. The British ruled the island city as a British crown colony until 1942, when Japanese forces invaded the city and all of the Malay Peninsula. After the end of World War II, Singapore again became a British colony but in 1963, the island joined with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form the modern nation of Malaysia. Two years later, however, Singapore seceded and it has been an independent nation ever since. Today, Singapore is one of the wealthiest nations on Earth.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Singapore Vacation | Singapore Tours | Singapore Restaurants | Singapore Hotels | Philippines | Thailand | Malaysia | Indonesia | Cambodia | Vietnam | South China Sea

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