Singapore

INTRO
At first glance Singapore appears outrageously modern and anonymous, but after visiting it, everyone realises that it has combined Malay, Chinese and Indian traditions on its quite small territory. Singapore is known for being one of the richest and best developed countries in the world, meticulously organized and with a very high standard of living. Some call it an island of "1000 shopping malls", the name which well reflects its character. The modern metropolis is surrounded by artificial "man-made" parks, and the skyscrapers are rising hundreds of meters in the sky of the city. The huge diversity of ethnic cultures, religions and lifestyles thrives within the frame of the modern and tolerant society of Singapore.

City Profile
City: Singapore
Country: Singapore
Area: 704 km2
Population: 4, 483, 900
Districts: 55 areas, organized in 5 regions
President: Sellapan Ramanathan
Prime minister: Lee Hsien Loong
Language: English, Mandarin, Malay language, Tamil language, Chinese

LOCATION
Singapore is an island city-state located at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula in South East Asia. It withstands 137 kilometres north of the Equator, south of Malaysia and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. With its territory of only 704 square kilometres, it is the smallest country in Asia.

TIME TO VISIT
Any time of the year is good for visiting Singapore. The city gets fairly steady rainfall, and the climate is not that major of a consideration. Some say that Singapore is one giant sauna in all seasons. Average temperatures that can be expected are around 30 degrees Celsius during the daytime, and at night - 24-25 °C. The wettest months are November, December and January, but the other time of the year cannot be called exactly dry. The lack of refreshing winds in March and September could be the only obstacle for a good stay in Singapore. There are various festivals and events that you could co-ordinate your trip with - if you want to feel the spirit of multi-cultural Singapore. Great Singapore Sale takes place in June, in February is Thaipusam - a spectacular festival, and if eating is a major concern for you, you have to visit the city-state in April - for the Singapore Food festival.

POPULATION
Singapore is the second most densely populated country in the world. As of June 2006, the total population living in Singapore is around 4.5 million, official demographic analysis and breakdowns are only released the 3.6 million who are Singaporean citizens and permanent residents. Chinese Singaporeans are the largest ethnic group - they form 75.2% of the total population. The second largest group make Malay Singaporeans - 13.6%. They include a few related ethnic groups from other parts of the Malay Archipelago - Javanese, Minangkabau, Bugis and Baweans. Indian Singaporeans are the third largest ethnic group - 8.8%. Eurasian Singaporeans, Arab Singaporeans, Thais, Jews, Japanese and Europeans form 2.4% of Singapore residents. There are a few official languages - English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and Chinese, but English is the most common - it is used everywhere in the city, and is common for the whole population.

DISTRICTS
The city-state of Singapore is divided into 55 urban planning areas which are organized into 5 regions.

Central region - it includes 22 planning areas and comprises of 130.5 square kilometres. This area of Singapore is mainly commercial - part of it is the Central Business District, but it also includes 324,000 residential housing units of various types. There are also almost 9 square kilometres of green spaces which were built with intention to make the area aesthetically pleasant and more or less to save it from turning into a concrete jungle.
East region - It includes six urban planning areas. That is the easternmost region of Singapore - as implied by its name. This region covers approximately 10,200 hectares of land. It holds 186,000 housing units of all types, as well as a wide variety of commercial facilities. The East region is well supported by community facilities - schools, hospitals, etc. It has well-established industrial estates and a business park.
North region - comprises of 97 square kilometres of land, and includes 8 urban planning areas. The population of this part of Singapore is around 400,000 people. It is relatively isolated from the Downtown Core, which belated the urban development of the area, and left more spaces of natural greenery.
North-East region - it covers approximately 10,500 hectares of land, of which 460 ha are green space. There are 195,000 existing homes in this region, and it also features variety of shopping malls, shops and neighbourhood centres. It is a mix of mature and new towns and landed housing estates, and has many popular established local places of distinct character - such as Jalan Kayu, Jalan Leban and Serangoon Gardens.
West region - it is the largest of all other regions - includes 12 planning areas and comprises of 201 square kilometres. The region includes the Western Water Catchment and the Western Islands. It has a population of around 740,000 people.

SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS

Chinatown - that is Singapore's cultural heart. It is bounded by Singapore River to the north and Maxwell Road to the south. There you can take a glimpse of the old days of Singapore - from the numerous temples and nicely decorated terraces, large number of shops and hectic conglomeration of merchants. Chinatown is a really fascinating place to explore while in Singapore
Sri Mariamman Temple - the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. The good goddess Sri Mariamman is favourite among Tamils for rain bringing inclinations and healing whatever ails a believer. The temple is located in the middle of Chinatown.
Changi Village - located on the east coast, it still has the village atmosphere of the old days, even though the traditional kampong houses no longer exist. During weekdays it is almost deserted and lets to escape from the hustle and bustle of the Central area of Singapore. While in Changi Village, the famous Changi Prison is also worth visiting - it is still used as a prison, but has an adjacent museum.
Arab Street - that is the Muslim centre of Singapore, and also a traditional textile district. The Grand Sultan Mosque in that street is the biggest mosque in the city.
Jurong Town - located west of the city centre, it is the powerhouse of Singapore's economy. This huge industrial and housing area has a lot of sights that could be fascinating for the visitors - the Jurong Bird Park, Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the Singapore Science Centre.
Little India - centred around the southern end of Serangoon Road, this is an area of Hindi film music and wall-to-wall shops.
Padang - a symbol of the British imperialism back in the old Days of Singapore - http://www.scc.org.sg
Underwater World - situated on Sentosa Island of Singapore Underwater World is an oceanarium showcasing some 250 species from around the regions - http://www.underwaterworld.com.sg

AIRPORTS
No matter where you come from, Singapore is easy to reach. It is served by one major airport.

Singapore Changi Airport is a major aviation hub for Southeast Asia, and the main airport in Singapore. Located in Changi, it withstands about 20 km east of the commercial centre of the city. The airport is an important contributor to Singapore economy - some 13,000 people are employed at it. The flights to over 50 countries are operated by 80 airlines to 184 - those are the simple figures. The airport has 3 terminals, and a fourth terminal is under construction, due to be operational by January 2008. It has over 30,000 sq m of space for shopping and eating outlets. The easiest and cheapest way to get to Changi Airport is by bus - from certain stations in the Central district. Bus routes serve all terminals. More info - at http://www.changiairport.com/.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

Mass rapid transit - a transportation system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore. It has a network spanning the entire city-state. Its initial section was opened in 1987, making the MRT the second oldest metro system in Southeast Asia. The average daily ridership is 1.3 - 1.4 million, and fares vary between 0.7 to 3.5 USD.
Taxi - around 15,000 air-conditioned comfortable cabs serve the city-state. There are well-marked taxi stands outside most major shopping malls, business centres and hotels. All taxis are metered, and fares are combination of flat rate and time and distance rate - flag-down rate is normally 2,50 USD, there is charge of 0,10 USD for every 210 meters, and another 0,10 for every 25 seconds of waiting. There is also midnight surcharge.
Buses - if you decide to get around Singapore on a bus, you can buy an ez-link card, which is also used in MRT. Buses could have or not have air-conditioning.

HISTORY
The name "Singapura" is derived from 2 words in Malay language - singa (lion) and pura (city). The first records of settlement in Singapore date back to the 2nd century AD. The island then bore the Javanese name Temasek (sea town) and it quickly became a major trading city, but in 14th century it declined. In the 16th and the 17th century Portuguese and Dutch held control over the island, but throughout most of that time it was inhabited mainly by fishermen. In the 19th century Singapore was made a British crown colony, answerable directly to the Crown. The badly prepared British army was defeated in World War 2 by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Battle of Singapore. Japanese occupied it until British repossessed the island in 1945 - after the Japanese surrender. In 1959 Singapore became a self-governing state, and in 1962 followed the Merger Referendum of Singapore when the city-state joined Malaya. 3 years after that - in 1965 - it was expelled from the Federation of Malaysia after heated ideological conflict between the state's government and the federal Kuala Lumpur government. On the 9th of August Singapore officially gained sovereignty.

CITY LINKS

Singapore official website - http://app.www.sg/
Singapore government - http://www.gov.sg/
The Straits Times newspaper - http://www.straitstimes.com/Home.html
Singapore Airlines - http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/index.jsp
Tourism Board of Singapore - http://www.stb.com.sg/
Singapore post - http://www.singpost.com.sg/

UNIVERSITY LINKS

National University of Singapore - http://www.nus.edu.sg/
Nanyang University -http://www.cornellnanyang.com/
Nanyang Technological University - http://www.ntu.edu.sg/publicportal/
Singapore Management University - http://www.smu.edu.sg/