Singapore: city-state and economic and commercial center

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Singapore is a city state of Southeast Asia established in a parliamentary republic. Former English colony is today associated with the British Commonwealth. The state is made up of a single large island and a few small islets. The island of Singapore is almost completely flat, only in the center are some low hills, the highest of which is the Bukit Timah hill, which reaches 164 meters in height.

Singapore is located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, almost to the Equator, in fact the city is located one degree north of the equator. The island is divided from Malaysia by the Johor channel, while to the south lies the Singapore Strait which separates it from the Indonesian archipelago of Riau.

The city, thanks to its geographical position, is one of the most important ports in the world and one of the major financial, banking, economic and commercial centers of Southeast Asia. Agriculture is unimportant due to the scarcity of available agricultural land. Coconut palms, rubber, orchids and tobacco are grown there.

A certain importance is played by breeding and fishing. Industries are developed in the mechanical, textile, petrochemical, naval, electronic and pharmaceutical sectors. Tourism, in recent years, has assumed a significant weight in the country’s economy.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: WHAT TO VISIT IN SINGAPORE

Singapore is a popular tourist destination, making tourism one of its biggest industries. In 2018, more than 18 million tourists visited the city.

The Orchard Road neighborhood, which is dominated by shopping malls and multi-story hotels, is the center of Singapore’s tourism. Other tourist attractions are the zoo and its Night Safari, the tourist island of Sentosa, the Jurong Bird Park, the Botanical Garden (Singapore Botanical Gardens) which includes the National Orchid collection with over 3,000 types of orchids, the historians Boat Quay and Clarke Quay.

The cultural diversity that reflects its colonial history, and the various ethnic groups that make it up, such as the Chinese, Malaysians, Indians, Arabs and Europeans, are other important attractions. The cuisine is an excellent example of the ethnic diversity of the city’s culture. The government organizes the Singapore Food Festival every July to celebrate local cuisine.

There are also several interesting museums in this city state: The National Museum which houses exhibits related to Singapore’s history. The Asian Civilizations Museums in the Empress Place Building and Old Tao Nan School buildings. These museums specialize in the history of China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Western Asia. Finally, the Singapore Art Museum, a museum dedicated to visual works of art from all over Southeast Asia.

FLIGHT INFORMATION

This city-state is served by the Singapore Changi airport, which is one of the most important air hubs in Asia and in particular in the region of Southeast Asia. This airport is the main stopping point for the air route to Australia.

In 2018, the airport welcomed over 65 million passengers, making it the 19th busiest airport in the world and the 11th busiest airport in Asia for passenger traffic.

The climate of Singapore.

Area: 704 sqkm. (Arable 8%, Pastures 0%, Forests and Woodlands 5%, Uncultivated and Unproductive 87%)
Population: 4,680,000 (2007 data) (Chinese 76.8%, Malaysian 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, Europeans 1,4% (Census 2000))
State Capital: Singapore.
Languages: Official languages are Chinese, Malay, Tamil and English.
Religion: Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Christian 14.6%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4% (Census 2000).
Currency: Singapore Dollar (SGD)
Time: UTC +8 hours