The journey to Singapore, in the heart of Southeast Asia, can be a long one. For example, from the west coast of the U.S. it’s 4,500 miles and a 20-hour plane trip. However, visiting Singapore and getting to know her better is well worth our time and attention. To put it mildly, Singapore is unique. Where to begin?
Singapore is technically considered a city-state of the British Commonwealth (as opposed to a sovereign nation) located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, in the heart of Southeast Asia.
Singapore doesn’t have a capital since it’s a city-state – a country that is just a city.
Singapore is a tiny island occupying just 18 square miles. The area around Singapore includes about 60 smaller islets. Singapore’s geographic uniqueness sets it apart –literally—from anywhere else on Earth!
Consider these qualities:
*To the west it borders the Strait of Malacca
*To the south it borders the Singapore Strait and the Riau Islands of Indonesia
*To the east it touches the South China Sea
*To the north it is next to the State of Johor in Malaysia
This exposure connects Singapore to the colonial cultures of the British empire, as well as the cultures of Malaysia, China, and the Tamil of India. That’s right: there are four official languages in Singapore.
You can learn a lot about a place by observing the symbols it uses to represent itself. The symbol of Singapore is the Merlion, a creature with a lion’s head and the body of a fish. The fish represents Singapore’s humble origins as a fishing village called Temasek, later renamed Singapura or ‘Lion City,’ thus explaining the lion’s head.
While it is Singapore’s symbol and official mascot, it isn’t a ‘real’ mythical creature. It was designed by British ichthyologist Alex Fraser-Brunner in 1964 for the Singapore Tourism Board.
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Because of its location, Singapore plays an important role in world trade and commerce. It is one of the busiest ports in the world, and certainly the largest in all of Southeast Asia.
Singapore has a highly developed and diverse economy (we’ll come back to this). It was once named one of the “Four Asian Tigers” due to its rapid economic growth and development (the others were Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea).
About three quarters of Singapore’s population have a Chinese ethnicity. The Malay people make up the next largest group, followed in third place by the Indians. English is the common language (especially in industry, business, and legal communication), and Malay is considered the national language.
More than 6 million people live in Singapore, making it the third most densely populated country in the world (next to Macau and Monaco). About 43% of Singaporeans consider themselves to be Buddhist, while 15% are Muslim, 8.5% are Taoist, 5% are Catholic, and 4% are Hindu.
The History of Singapore
To understand this unusual combination of ethnicities and cultures, it’s important to know about the history of Singapore.
Humans settled the islands that now form Singapore as early as the 2nd century CE, but little is known about the early history of the area. Greek cartographer Claudius Ptolemaeus identified an island in Singapore’s location and noted that it was an important international trading port. Chinese sources note the existence of the main island in the third century but provide no details.
In 1320, the Mongol Empire sent emissaries to a place called Long Ya Men, or “Dragon’s Tooth Strait,” believed to be on Singapore Island. The Mongols were seeking elephants. A decade later, the Chinese explorer Wang Dayuan described a pirate fortress with mixed Chinese and Malay population called Dan Ma Xi, his rendering of the Malay name Tamasik (meaning “Sea Port”).
As for Singapore itself, its founding legend states that in the thirteenth century, a prince of Srivijaya, called Sang Nila Utama or Sri Tri Buana, was shipwrecked on the island. He saw a lion there for the first time in his life and took this as a sign that he should found a new city, which he named “Lion City”—Singapura.
Unless the big cat was also shipwrecked there, it is unlikely that the story is literally true, since the island was home to tigers but not lions.
Singapore Colonization
For the next three hundred years, Singapore changed hands between the Java-based Majapahit Empire and the Ayutthaya Kingdom in Siam (now Thailand).
In the 16th century, Singapore became an important trading depot for the Sultanate of Johor, based on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. However, in 1613 Portuguese pirates burned the city to the ground, and Singapore vanished from international notice for two hundred years.
By then, Singapore was part of the Johor Sultanate, a Malayan dynasty. The wider maritime region and much trade was under Dutch control for the following period after the 1641 Dutch conquest of Malacca.
In 1819, Britain’s Stamford Raffles founded the modern city of Singapore as a British trading post in Southeast Asia. It became known as the Straits Settlements in 1826 and then was claimed as an official Crown Colony of Britain in 1867.
Immigrants (many from China) found their way to Singapore to work on the agriculture plantations, and the population swelled. In the 1890s the rubber industry started up, and Singapore became a global center for rubber sorting and export.
Singapore During the World Wars
During World War I, Southeast Asia’s location kept Singapore apart from global events. The country had its own local conflicts with its Muslim population (part of the British empire). Another looming threat was invasion by the Japanese.
After the war to deter Japanese invasion, the British built a large naval base in Singapore.
Britain retained control of Singapore until 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Army launched a bloody invasion of the island as part of its Southern Expansion drive in World War II. The Japanese Occupation lasted until 1945. Singapore fell into a brief period of violence and disorder where looting and revenge-killing were rampant.
Much of Singapore’s infrastructure was destroyed during the war, including those needed to supply utilities. A shortage of food led to malnutrition, disease, and widespread crime and violence. A series of strikes in 1947 caused massive stoppages in public transport and other services.
However, by late 1947 the economy began to recover, facilitated by a growing international demand for tin and rubber. The failure of Britain to successfully defend its colony against the Japanese changed its image in the eyes of Singaporeans.
Following the Second World War, Singapore took a complex route to independence.
The British believed that the former Crown Colony was too small to function as an independent state. Still, between 1945 and 1962 Singapore received increasing measures of autonomy, culminating in self-government from 1955 to 1962.
In 1962, after a public referendum, Singapore joined the Malaysian Federation.
However, deadly race riots broke out between ethnic Chinese and Malay citizens of Singapore in 1964, and the island voted in 1965 to break away from the Federation of Malaysia once more.
As you might imagine, with the many neighboring countries and governments (China, Malaysia, Brunei, and Borneo, to name a few), Singapore has had to work hard to preserve its autonomy.
In 1965, the Republic of Singapore became a fully self-governing, autonomous state. The People’s Action Party (PAP) emerged as the dominant power, and it has prevailed for many decades.
Migration in Singapore
Migration has played a key role in Singapore’s development.
As Singapore’s economy expanded during the 19th century, more and more Chinese, Indian, and Malay labor immigrants arrived. Most of Singapore’s pre-World War II population growth was the result of immigration. During World War II, immigration came to a halt when the Japanese occupied the island but revived in the postwar years.
Policy was restrictive during the 1950s and 1960s, aiming to protect jobs for residents by reducing the intake of low-skilled foreign workers and focusing instead on attracting professionals from abroad with specialist skills. Because of this, the nonresident share of Singapore’s population plummeted to less than 3%.
As the country industrialized, however, it loosened restrictions on the immigration of manual workers.
From the 1980s through the 2000s, the foreign population continued to grow as a result of policies aimed at attracting foreign workers of all skill levels.
More recently, the government has instituted immigration policies that target highly skilled workers. Skilled workers are encouraged to stay and are given the opportunity to become permanent residents or citizens.
The country imposes restrictions on unskilled and low-skilled workers to ensure they do not establish roots, including prohibiting them from bringing their families and requiring employers to pay a monthly foreign worker levy and security bond.
The country has also become increasingly attractive to international students.
The growth of the foreign-born population has continued rapidly; as of 2015, the foreign-born composed 46% of the total population. At the same time, growing numbers of Singaporeans are emigrating for education and work experience in highly skilled sectors such finance, information technology, and medicine. Increasingly, their moves abroad are permanent.
Modern Singapore: Politics and Economics
Although it has faced difficulties, including more race riots in 1969 and the East Asian financial crisis of 1997, Singapore has proved overall to be a very stable and prosperous little nation.
Economic growth continued throughout the 1980s, with the unemployment rate falling and Gross Domestic Product on the rise. During the 1980s, Singapore began to shift towards high-tech industries, in order to remain competitive as neighboring countries began manufacturing with cheaper labor.
Singapore Changi Airport was opened in 1981 and Singapore Airlines was formed. The Port of Singapore became one of the world’s busiest ports and the service and tourism industries also grew immensely during this period.
The People’s Action Party has remained in power since independence. Some activists and opposition politicians see the government’s strict regulation of political and media activities as an infringement on political rights. In response, Singapore introduced changes in Parliament to include opposition party members and other minorities.
Clearly, Singapore has been greatly influenced by the west. It follows a parliamentary democracy lead by a president. Two houses in Parliament select a prime minister, who is the actual leader of the government.
Interestingly, voting is compulsory for registered Singaporeans.
As mentioned, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has been dominating the political scene for several decades. The country has prospered and grown under PAP administration, but it is also very controlling. Strict internal security has suppressed opposing political parties.
Singapore has a reputation for having a rigid code of public morality that focuses on personal appearance, political loyalty, cleanliness, and family planning.
Singapore is a wealthy country for several reasons.
It has the fifth highest gross domestic product in the world, and a 2% unemployment rate. Singapore ships raw materials to other countries, including timber, rubber, and spices from the Southeast Asian region. This is in exchange for finished goods from within and outside of the area.
Singapore imports machinery, transport equipment, and petroleum. Oil refining is a major industry in Singapore. It exports petroleum and machinery. Its trading partners are China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, and the U.S.
As a matter of fact, Singapore has the highest percentage of millionaires in the world. The United States may have the most millionaires, but Singapore has the highest percentage. One out of every six households boasts at least $1 million in disposable wealth.
Education in Singapore
The education system in Singapore is one of the best in the world.
The government’s Ministry of Education oversees the education system (both public and private schools). About 20% of the national budget is allotted to support education.
Education is free and compulsory. In fact, parents can be charged with a criminal offense if they don’t enroll their children and make sure they attend regularly!
One reason for Singapore’s reputation in education is a system that focused on student learning. Teachers ensure that every student has a deep understanding of the topic before moving on. This must work, since Singaporean students have top performance in global rankings.
English is the main language of instruction, though Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil are also taught in the context of the literature and culture of these languages.
There are 7 universities in Singapore, ranging from large public research institutions to technological and art schools.
Behave Yourself While Visiting Singapore
Behave yourself when visiting Singapore!
The country imposes many restrictions to make sure everyone is civil and hygienic.
For example…
It is illegal to chew gum in Singapore. Only pedestrians with a medical prescription can chew it. Those caught chewing gum illegally can face fines up to $100,000 and two years imprisonment.
There is even a law against not flushing toilets when using a public bathroom. If you’re caught not flushing a public toilet in Singapore, you’ll be fined at least $150.
You can still get caned in Singapore. This traces back to the nation’s history as a Victorian British colony. Caning was just one of the things introduced into then-Malaya and the Straits Settlements, one of which was Singapore.
You can get caned not only for vandalizing but for sexual abuse, rioting, and drug abuse, to name just a few. The punishment is applied to bare buttocks. Women are exempt.
Some Problems Singapore Faces
Singapore is a progressive and innovative society that does a lot of things right! But it’s not perfect.
According to a Time article, the small territory has both ecological and human-made problems to deal with. On the one hand, the sea level is rising! The island city-state has to create its own sand and soil to reclaim land from the sea.
Environmental sustainability continues to be a challenge, though we see how Singapore strives to preserve (and create) what little green space it has.
Another problem: the average number of children born in Singapore is at a record low.
This NPR article explains that Singapore has something called an inverted pyramid: there are too many retired people at the top, and not enough working people paying taxes. With a low fertility rate, fewer babies / future workers are being born.
The country began to offer incentives to encourage families to have more children (including tax benefits, subsidized child care and excellent parental leave).
In fact, the population of Singapore would be decreasing if it weren’t for immigration.
A final problem to mention is that Singapore does not have a sterling human rights reputation.
The country has a very strict criminal justice system, and this goes beyond caning as a punishment. Singapore also imposes the death penalty. Sixteen people were put to death in 2023 for drug-related crimes. This has put the country on human rights watch.
More Fascinating Facts About Singapore
Singaporeans have created a local lingo called “Singlish,” which is a combination of languages and slang that blend Malay, Tamil, Mandarin, English, and Hokkien.
You may think of Singapore as a skyscraper-ridden megacity, but that’s not strictly true.
Singapore is dedicated to “greening” efforts and is recognizable for its tree-lined streets and an increasing number of rooftop gardens and green buildings overflowing with tropical plants. It offers an innovative vision of the future.
Singapore features one UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site: the Singapore Botanic Gardens, founded in 1859 when Singapore was a colony of the British Empire. One of three gardens in the world to carry the UNESCO designation, the gardens played a major role in Southeast Asia’s rubber trade boom in the early 20th century.
Singapore is the fifth least corrupt city in the world and the least corrupt city in the whole of Asia. Singapore keeps its crime rate low by enforcing strict laws (including the death penalty).
Banknotes in Singapore feature a whole lot of micro text (words you can barely read). Most notes just say “Monetary Authority of Singapore” into infinity.
The $1,000 bill, however, has the entire Singaporean national anthem on the back in the micro text.
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What to See and Do When Visiting Singapore
Singapore is a case of “less is more.” Although the city-state is tiny, there is still much to see and do.
Singapore is famous for its open-air “hawker centers” where visitors can feast on cheap, diverse street food. You’ll find these centers in Chinatown, the Lau Pa Sat market, and the Newton Food Center (which was featured in the film “Crazy Rich Asians”).
Singapore may be known for its soaring skyscrapers, but, as mentioned, it is also called the “Garden City.” Singaporeans revere green space, and have created more than 400 parks and green spaces. These include Gardens by the Bay and impressive Botanic Gardens.
Singapore has the largest vertical greenhouse in the world.
You can also enjoy learning about Singapore’s history and culture through museums like the National Museum of Singapore, Fort Siloso (focus on WWII history), and the National Gallery,
Final Thoughts
I hope this background information helps better prepare you for any time you’ll spend visiting Singapore. My first trip to Singapore, which was some years ago, left me with so many questions. That’s why I dug in to research and enjoyed learning more about Singapore. It is, and I’m thinking will remain for a long time to come, a fascinating destination.
What were some of your impressions when you were visiting Singapore? Any particular tips on what to see and do? Let us know in the comments below!
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2 comments
The article have several errors. Some include that
1. Singapore is not 18 square miles. It’s almost 300 square miles.
2. Singapore was expelled from Malaysia. It did not leave on its own.
3. Chewing gum is not illegal. It is the unrestricted sale of it but it can be sold.
4. Singapore does not have 2 houses of Parliament. There is no Senate or House of Lords.
5. The PAP party does not impose “strict internal security” that suppress opposing parties. In fact, in most of the West, political parties promise a lot but do a poor job at government, leading to changes in government, which are, themselves, changed because of continued disillusionment. Singapore lacks polarizing figures like Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. In Singapore, the PAP has done a remarkable job at growing the economy from one of the poorest to one of the richest countries in the world in less than 40 years. The biggest bad things are opposition politicians can be sued if they lie and buying a car is very expensive, around the same as Norway.
5. Singapore is so *&&^#ing hot.
6. Singapore Airlines was not formed in 1981. It was formed in the early 1970’s, renamed from MSA.
The article is nice but not really focused on the title, “what you need to know”. What you need to know is to know where to see and not smuggle drugs into the country.
Singapore seceded from Malaysia, not expelled. Malaysia was a British colony that comprised Singapore and Brunei. Later, both countries seceded from Malaysia and today, they are wealthier than Malaysia. Though Malaysia is quite developed now, its development is stalled from corruption while Singapore is virtually corrupt free. Chewing gum is illegal in Singapore. I was in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei last December. The humid weather is unbearable in Singapore. When Singaporeans run ac in mid December, it is definitely not my ideal country to live in, weather wise. Its customs process is the best that beats Japan’s as it takes less than five minutes to breeze thorough.