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| Republic of Singapore (English) Republik Singapura (Malay) 新加坡共和国 (Simplified Chinese) சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு (Tamil) |
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| Motto: "Majulah Singapura" (Malay) "Onward, Singapore" |
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| Anthem: Majulah Singapura |
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| Capital | Singapore City (Downtown Core)1 | |||||
| Official languages | English Malay Mandarin Tamil |
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| Demonym | Singaporean | |||||
| Government | Parliamentary republic | |||||
| - | President | Sellapan Ramanathan | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong | ||||
| Independence | ||||||
| - | City status | July 24 1951 | ||||
| - | Self-government under the United Kingdom |
3 June 1959Singapore: History. Asian Studies Network Information Center. Retrieved on 2007-11-02. |
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| - | Declaration of independence | 31 August 1963 | ||||
| - | Merger with Malaysia | 16 September 1963 | ||||
| - | Separation from Malaysia | 9 August 1965 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 704.0 km² (190th) 270 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 1.444 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2007 estimate | 4,680,600 Population - latest data. Singapore Department of Statistics Singapore (2007-11-30). Retrieved on 2007-12-04. (117th) | ||||
| - | 2000 census | 4,117,700 | ||||
| - | Density | 6,369.2/km² (4th) 16,392/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2007 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | US$161.35 billion (54th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | US$37,489.61 (17th) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2007 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | US$171.95 billionGDP Latest Data - Singapore Department of Statistics Singapore (2008-02-14) retrieved on 2008-02-16 | ||||
| - | Per capita | US$39,952.44 | ||||
| HDI (2007) | ▬ 0.922 (high) (25th) | |||||
| Currency | Singapore dollar (SGD) |
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| Time zone | SST (UTC+8) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC+8) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .sg | |||||
| Calling code | +65² | |||||
| 1 | Singapore is a city-state. | |||||
| 2 | 02 from Malaysia. | |||||
Singapore (in Mandarin: 新加坡, Xīnjiāpō; in Malay: Singapura; in Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர், Cingkappūr) is an island nation located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the Equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia\'s Riau Islands. At 704.0 km² (272 sq mi), it is one of the few remaining city-states in the world and the smallest country in Southeast Asia.
The British East India Company established a trading post on the island in 1819. The main settlement up to that point was a Malay fishing village at the mouth of the Singapore River. Several hundred indigenous Orang Laut people also lived around the coast, rivers and smaller islands. The British used Singapore as a strategic trading post along the spice route.Flavours of Singapore. Uniquely Singapore. Singapore Tourism Board. Retrieved on 2007-04-13. It became one of the most important commercial and military centres of the British Empire. When it was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, Winston Churchill called it "Britain\'s greatest defeat"."The 30 Greatest Battles of World War II. Singapore reverted to British rule in 1945. In 1963, it merged with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. Less than two years later it split from the federation and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965. Singapore joined the United Nations on September 21 that same year.
Since independence, Singapore\'s standard of living has increased. Foreign direct investment and a state-led industrialization drive based on plans drawn up by the Dutch economist Albert Winsemius have created a modern economy based on electronics manufacturing, petrochemicals, tourism and financial services alongside the traditional entrepôt trade. Singapore is the 17th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita. List of GDP per capita by country. International Monetary Fund. Singapore is 44th (as on 2006). The small nation has a foreign reserve of S$224.65385 billion (US$158.99250 billion). Official Foreign Reserves. Statistics Singapore. Monetary Authority of Singapore. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
The population of Singapore is approximately 4.68 million.Population - latest data. Singapore Department of Statistics Singapore (2007-11-30). Retrieved on 2007-12-04. The Chinese form the majority of the population. English is the administration language of the country.
The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore established the nation\'s political system as a representative democracy, while the country is recognized as a parliamentary republic. CIA - The World Factbook - Singapore. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved on 2007-08-07. The People\'s Action Party (PAP) dominates the political process and has won control of Parliament in every election since self-government in 1959. Country Report: Singapore. Freedom House. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
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The name Singapura comes from the Malay words singa ("lion") and pura ("city"), which was in turn derived from the Sanskrit words simha and puram respectively.Singapore. bartleby.com. Retrieved on 2006-04-14. According to the Malay Annals, this name was given by a 14th century Sumatran prince named Sang Nila Utama, who, landing on the island after a thunderstorm, spotted an auspicious beast on the shore that his chief minister identified as a lion. Early History. Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore. Retrieved on 2006-04-14. Recent studies of Singapore indicate that lions have never lived there (not even Asiatic lions), and the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama was likely a tiger, most likely the Malayan Tiger.Studying In Singapore. Search Singapore Pte Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.[www.24hrart.org.au/pdf\'s/Utama_Every.pdf Sang Nila Utama]. 24hr Art. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
The first records of settlement in Singapore are from the 2nd century AD.Country Studies. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2007-05-01. The island was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and originally had the Javanese name Temasek (\'sea town\'). Temasek (Tumasek) rapidly became a significant trading settlement, but declined in the late 14th century. There are few remnants of old Temasek in Singapore, but archaeologists in Singapore have uncovered artifacts of that and other settlements. Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, Singapore island was part of the Sultanate of Johor. During the Malay-Portugal wars in 1613, the settlement was set ablaze by Portuguese troops.Singapore - Precolonial Era. U.S. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2006-06-18. The Portuguese subsequently held control in that century and the Dutch in the 17th, but throughout most of this time the island\'s population consisted mainly of fishermen.
Statue of Thomas Stamford Raffles by Thomas Woolner, erected at the location where he first landed at Singapore. He is recognized as the founder of modern Singapore.
On 29 January 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on the main island. Spotting its potential as a strategic geographical trading post in Southeast Asia, Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah on behalf of the British East India Company to develop Singapore as a British trading post and settlement, marking the start of the island\'s modern era. Raffles\'s deputy, William Farquhar, oversaw a period of growth and ethnic migration, which was largely spurred by a no-restriction immigration policy. The British India office governed the island from 1858, but Singapore was made a British crown colony in 1867, answerable directly to the Crown. By 1869, 100,000 lived on the island. Founding of Modern Singapore. Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
The early onset of town planning in colonial Singapore came largely through a "divide and rule" framework where the different ethnic groups were settled in different parts of the South of the island. The Singapore River was largely a commercial area that was dominated by traders and bankers of various ethnic groups with mostly Chinese and Indian coolies working to load and unload goods from barge boats known locally as "bumboats". The Malays, consisting of the local "Orang Lauts" who worked mostly as fishermen and sea-farers, and Arab traders and scholars were mostly found in the South-east part of the river mouth, where Kampong Glam stands today. The European settlers, who were few then, settled around Fort Canning Hill and further upstream from the Singapore River. Like the Europeans, the early Indian migrants also settled more inland of the Singapore River, where Little India stands today. Very little is known about the rural private settlements in those times (known as kampongs), other than the major move by the post-independent Singapore government to re-settle these residents in the late 1960s.
During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya, culminating in the Battle of Singapore. The ill-prepared British were defeated in six days, and surrendered the supposedly impregnable "Bastion of the Empire" to General Tomoyuki Yamashita on 15 February 1942 in what is now known as the British Empire\'s greatest military defeat. The Japanese renamed Singapore Shōnantō (昭南島?), from Japanese "Shōwa no jidai ni eta minami no shima" ("昭和の時代に得た南の島"?), or "southern island obtained in the age of Shōwa", and occupied it until the British repossessed the island on 12 September 1945, a month after the Japanese surrender. Ron Taylor. Fall of Malaya and Singapore. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
The name Shōnantō was, at the time, romanized as "Syonan-to" or "Syonan", which means "Light of the South".
Singapore became a self-governing state within the British Empire in 1959 with Yusof bin Ishak its first Yang di-Pertuan Negara and Lee Kuan Yew its first Prime Minister. It declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963, before joining the Federation of Malaysia in September along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as the result of the 1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore. Singapore was expelled from the federation two years later after heated ideological conflict between the state\'s PAP government and the federal Kuala Lumpur government. Singapore officially gained sovereignty on 9 August 1965.Road to Independence. U.S. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2006-04-14. Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as the first President of Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew remained prime minister.
While trying to be self-sufficient, the fledging nation faced problems like mass unemployment, housing shortages, and a dearth of land and natural resources. During Lee Kuan Yew\'s term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, his administration tackled the problem of widespread unemployment, raised the standard of living, and implemented a large-scale public housing programme. It was during this time that the foundation of the country\'s economic infrastructure was developed; the threat of racial tension was curbed; and an independent national defence system centring around compulsory male military service was created.
In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister. During his tenure, the country tackled the impacts of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak, and terrorist threats posed by the Jemaah Islamiyah group after the September 11 attacks. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister.Country profile: Singapore. BBC News. Retrieved on 2006-04-14. Amongst his more notable decisions is the plan to open casinos to attract more foreign tourists.
Singapore is a parliamentary democracy with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing different constituencies. The bulk of the executive powers rests with the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister, currently Lee Hsien Loong. The office of President of Singapore, historically a ceremonial one, was granted some veto powers as of 1991 for a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of judiciary positions. Although the position is to be elected by popular vote, only the 1993 election has been contested to date. The legislative branch of government is the Parliament.
Parliamentary elections in Singapore are plurality-based for group representation constituencies since the Parliamentary Elections Act was modified in 1991.Parliamentary Elections Act (Cap. 218, 2001 Rev. Ed.)
The Istana, the official residence and office of the President of Singapore
Singaporean politics have been controlled by the People\'s Action Party (PAP) since self-government was attained. Worthington (2002), Mauzy and Milne (2002). In consequence, foreign political analysts and several opposition parties like the Workers\' Party of Singapore, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) have argued that Singapore is essentially a one-party state. Many analysts consider Singapore to be more of an illiberal or procedural democracy than a true democracy. The Economist Intelligence Unit describes Singapore as a "hybrid regime" of democratic and authoritarian elements.Economist Intelligence Unit democracy index 2006 (PDF) (English). Economist Intelligence Unit (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-13. Freedom House ranks the country as "partly free".Country Report: Singapore. Freedom House (2006). Though general elections are free from irregularities and vote rigging, the PAP has been criticised for manipulating the political system through its use of censorship, gerrymandering, and civil libel suits against opposition politicians. Francis Seow, the exiled former Solicitor-General of Singapore, is a prominent critic. Seow and opposition politicians such as J.B. Jeyaretnam and Chee Soon Juan claim that Singapore courts favour the PAP government, and there is no separation of powers.Worldwide Press Freedom Index. Retrieved on 2006-04-13.
Singapore has a successful and transparent market economy. Government-linked companies are dominant in various sectors of the local economy, such as media, utilities, and public transport. Singapore has consistently been rated as the least corrupt country in Asia and among the world\'s ten most free from corruption by Transparency International.Transparency International - Corruption Perceptions Index 2006. Retrieved on 2007-02-03.
Although Singapore\'s laws are inherited from British and British Indian laws, including many elements of English common law, the PAP has also consistently rejected liberal democratic values, which it typifies as Western and states there should not be a \'one-size-fits-all\' solution to a democracy. There are no jury trials. Laws restricting the freedom of speech are justified by claims that they are intended to prohibit speech that may breed ill will or cause disharmony within Singapore\'s multiracial, multi-religious society. For example, in September 2005, three bloggers were convicted of sedition for posting racist remarks targeting minorities."Third racist blogger sentenced to 24 months supervised probation", Channel NewsAsia, 2005-11-23. Some offences can lead to heavy fines or caning and there are laws which allow capital punishment in Singapore for first-degree murder and drug trafficking. Amnesty International has criticised Singapore for having "possibly the highest execution rate in the world" per capita.Amnesty International. The death penalty: A hidden toll of executions. Retrieved on 2006-06-07. The Singapore government argues that there is no international consensus on the appropriateness of the death penalty and that Singapore has the sovereign right to determine its own judicial system and impose capital punishment for the most serious crimes.Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore (2004-01-30). "The Singapore Government\'s Response To Amnesty International\'s Report "Singapore - The Death Penalty: A Hidden Toll Of Executions"". Press release.
Singapore maintains diplomatic relations with 175 countries Singapore Missions Worldwide. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore (31 March 2007). although it does not maintain a high commission or embassy in many of those countries. It is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth, ASEAN and the Non-Aligned Movement. Due to obvious geographical reasons, relations with Malaysia and Indonesia are most important but the domestic politics of the three countries often threatens their relations. On the other hand, Singapore enjoys good relations with the United Kingdom which shares ties in the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) along with Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Good relations are also maintained with the United States, a country perceived as a stabilizing force in the region to counterbalance the regional powers.
Singapore supports the concept of Southeast Asian regionalism and plays an active role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Singapore is a founding member. Singapore is also a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum which has its Secretariat in Singapore.
Singapore has several long-standing disputes with Malaysia over a number of issues:
The ownership of Pedra Branca, an outcrop of rocks, is currently disputed between Singapore and Malaysia
Singapore consists of 63 islands, including mainland Singapore. There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia — Johor-Singapore Causeway in the north, and Tuas Second Link in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore\'s many smaller islands. The highest natural point of Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill at 166 m (545 ft).
The south of Singapore, around the mouth of the Singapore River and what is now the Downtown Core, used to be the only concentrated urban area, while the rest of the land was either undeveloped tropical rainforest or used for agriculture. Since the 1960s, the government has constructed new residential towns in outlying areas, resulting in an entirely built-up urban landscape. The Urban Redevelopment Authority was established on 1 April 1974, responsible for urban planning.
Singapore has on-going land reclamation projects with earth obtained from its own hills, the sea-bed, and neighbouring countries. As a result, Singapore\'s land area grew from 581.5 km² (224.5 sq mi) in the 1960s to 704 km² (271.8 sq mi) today, and may grow by another 100 km² (38.6 sq mi) by 2030.Towards Environmental Sustainability, State of the Environment 2005 Report (PDF). Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Singapore. Retrieved on 2006-04-14. The projects sometimes involve some of the smaller islands being merged together through land reclamation in order to form larger, more functional islands, such as in the case of Jurong Island.
Under the Köppen climate classification system, Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons. Its climate is characterized by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 22 °C to 34 °C (72°–93 °F). On average, the relative humidity is around 90 percent in the morning and 60 percent in the afternoon. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100 percent.Climate of Singapore. National Environment Agency, Singapore. Retrieved on 2006-04-14. The lowest and highest temperatures recorded in its maritime history are 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) and 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) respectively. The highest wind speed recorded was 150 km/h (93 mph) on 26 May 2007. June and July are the hottest months, while November and December make up the wetter monsoon season. From August to October, there is often haze, sometimes severe enough to prompt public health warnings, due to bushfires in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore does not observe daylight saving time or a summer time zone change. The length of the day is nearly constant year round due to the country\'s location near the equator.
About 23 percent of Singapore\'s land area consists of forest and nature reserves.Earthtrends country profile. Urbanization has eliminated many areas of former primary rainforest, with the only remaining area of primary rainforest being Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. A variety of parks are maintained with human intervention, such as the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Without natural freshwater rivers and lakes, the primary domestic source of water supply in Singapore is rainfall, collected in reservoirs or catchment areas. Rainfall supplies approximately 50 percent of Singapore\'s water; the remainder is imported from neighbouring countries or obtained from recycled water facilities and desalination plants. More NEWater and desalination plants are being built or proposed to reduce reliance on import.Clean Water. Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Singapore. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy, which historically revolves around extended entrepot trade. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on exports refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing. Manufacturing constituted 26 percent of Singapore\'s GDP in 2005.Gross Domestic Product by Industry (PDF) (English). Singapore Department of Statistics (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-13. The manufacturing industry is well-diversified into electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences manufacturing. In 2006, Singapore produced about 10 percent of the world\'s foundry wafer output.Xilinx (14 Sep 2007). "Xilinx Underscores Commitment To Asia Pacific Market At Official Opening Of New Regional Headquarters Building In Singapore". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-11-21. Singapore is the busiest port in the world in terms of tonnage shipped.2006 shipping figures. Singapore is the world\'s fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre after London, New York City and Tokyo.MAS Annual Report 2005/2006. Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Singapore has been rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world, Wong Choon Mei. "Singapore the most business-friendly economy in the world: World Bank", Singapore News, Singapore: Channel NewsAsia, 2006-09-06. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. "Singapore has been rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world. According to a World Bank-IFC report, Singapore beats previous winner New Zealand for the top spot in the 2005/2006 rankings while the United States came in third." "Singapore top paradise for business: World Bank", Washington: AFP, 2007-09-26. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. "SINGAPORE once again topped the World Bank\'s ranks for the best place in the world to do business, and Egypt is the leader in reforms to invite more business, the World Bank said on Tuesday. \'For the second year running, Singapore tops the aggregate rankings on the ease of doing business\' in 2006 to 2007, the World Bank said in releasing its \'Doing Business 2008\' report. www.Singaporeian.com" with thousands of foreign expatriates working in multi-national corporations. The city-state also employs tens of thousands of foreign blue-collared workers from around the world.
Singapore\'s Central Business District (CBD)
In 2001, a global recession and slump in the technology sector caused the GDP to contract by 2.2 percent. The Economic Review Committee (ERC), set up in December 2001, recommended several policy changes with a view to revitalising the economy. Singapore has since recovered from the recession, largely due to improvements in the world economy; the Singaporean economy itself grew by 8.3 percent in 2004, 6.4 percent in 2005Performance of the Singapore Economy in 2005, Ministry of Trade and Industry (PDF). Retrieved on 2006-04-14. and 7.9 percent in 2006.Dominique Loh. "Singapore\'s economy grows by 7.7 percent in 2006", Channel NewsAsia, 31 December 2006. In the first half of Year 2007, the economy grew by 7.6 percent. The growth forecast for the whole year is expected to be between 7 percent to 8 percent, up from the original estimation of 5 percent to 7 percent. PM Lee calls on Singaporeans to make country a special home. Retrieved on 2007-08-09. On August 19 2007, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in his National Day Rally Speech that Singapore\'s economy is expected to grow by at least 4-6 percent annually over the next 5-10 years.
The per capita GDP in 2006 was US$29,474.Per Capita GDP at Current Market Prices. Singapore Department of Statistics (2006-02-16). As of September 2007, the unemployment rate is 1.7 percent, which is the lowest in a decade, having improved to around pre-Asian crisis level.Manpower Research and Statistics Department. Employment Situation In Third Quarter 2007: Unemployment rate dropped to pre-Asian crisis level amid continued strong employment creation. Singapore Ministry of Manpower. Retrieved on 2007-12-30. Employment continued to grow strongly as the economy maintained its rapid expansion. In the first three quarters of 2007, 171,500 new jobs were created, which is close to the 176,000 for the whole of 2006. For the whole of 2007, Singapore\'s economy has grown 7.5 percent and drew in a record S$16 billion of fixed asset investments in manufacturing and projects generating S$3 billion of total business spending in services.Ramesh, S. "Singapore\'s economy grows 7.5% in 2007: PM Lee", Channel NewsAsia. The government expects the Singapore economy to grow by 4.5 percent to 6.5 percent in 2008.
Orchard Road is decorated for Christmas, 2005.
Singapore introduced a Goods and Services Tax (GST) with an initial rate of 3 percent on 1 April 1994 substantially increasing government revenue by S$1.6 billion and stabilizing government finances.FY 1996 Budget, Revenue And Tax Changes. Retrieved on 2006-05-01. The taxable GST was increased to 4 percent in 2003, to 5 percent in 2004, and to 7 percent on 1st July 2007.GST rate to rise to 7 percent from July 1. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.Singapore is a popular travel destination, making tourism one of its largest industries. About 9.7 million tourists visited Singapore in 2006.Record Year As Tourism Exceeds 2006 Targets With S$12.4 Billion Tourism Receipts And 9.7 Million Visitor Arrivals. Singapore Tourism Board. Retrieved on 2007-04-21. The Orchard Road shopping district is one of Singapore\'s most well-known and popular tourist draws. To attract more tourists, the government decided in 2005 to legalise gambling and to allow two casinos resorts (euphemistically called Integrated Resorts) to be developed at Marina South and Sentosa.Ministry of Trade and Industry (Singapore). "Proposal to develop Integrated Resorts - Ministerial Statement by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 18 April 2005". Press release. To compete with regional rivals like Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai, the government has announced that the city area would be transformed into a more exciting place by lighting up the civic and commercial buildings.URA News Releases: Let Bright Ideas Light Up Singapore. Urban Renewal Authority. Retrieved on 2007-12-29. Besides the Integrated Resorts, other upcoming attractions such as the Singapore Flyer, a 165-metres high ferris wheel, the Gardens by the Bay and a 280-metres Double Helix Bridge will be built in the Marina Bay area. Cuisine has also been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists, with the Singapore Food Festival in July organized annually to celebrate Singapore\'s cuisine.
Singapore is fast positioning itself as a medical tourism hub—about 200,000 foreigners sought medical care in the country each year and Singapore medical services are aiming to serve one million foreign patients annually by 2012 and generate USD 3 billion in revenue.Dogra, Sapna. Medical tourism boom takes Singapore by storm. India: Express Healthcare Management. Retrieved on 2007-12-29. The government expects that the initiative could create an estimate 13,000 new jobs within the health industries.
Under the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), Wireless@SG is a government initiative to build Singapore\'s infocomm infrastructure. Working through IDA\'s Call-for-Collaboration, SingTel, iCell and QMax deploy a municipal wireless network throughout Singapore. Since late 2006, users have enjoyed free wireless access through Wi-Fi under the "basic-tier" package offered by all three operators for 3 years.
Singapore has 14 bilateral and multilateral trade agreements: Singapore Free Trade Agreements. International Enterprise Singapore. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
The currency of Singapore is the Singapore dollar, represented by the symbol S$ or the abbreviation SGD. The central bank of Singapore is the Monetary Authority of Singapore, responsible for issuing currency. Singapore established the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore, on 7 April 1967Low Siang Kok, Director (Quality), Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore [2002-06-22]. "Chapter 6: Singapore Electronic Legal Tender (SELT) – A Proposed Concept", The Future of Money / Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (PDF), France: OECD Publications, p.147. ISBN 92-64-19672-2. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. “The Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore (BCCS) was established on 7 April 1967 by the enactment of the Currency Act (Chapter 69). It has the sole right to issue currency notes and coins as legal tender in Singapore.” and issued its first coins and notes.The Currency History of Singapore. Monetary Authority of Singapore (2007-04-09). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. “On 12 June 1967, the currency union which had been operating for 29 years came to an end, and the three participating countries, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei each issued its own currency. The currencies of the 3 countries were interchangeable at par value under the Interchangeability Agreement until 8 May 1973 when the Malaysian government decided to terminate it. Brunei and Singapore however continue with the Agreement until the present day.” The Singapore dollar was exchangeable at par with the Malaysian ringgit until 1973. Interchangeability with the Brunei dollar is still maintained.Joint Press Release by the Ministry of Finance, Brunei Darussalam and the Monetary Authority of Singapore Commemorating the 40th Anniversary the Currency Interchangeability Agreement. Monetary Authority of Singapore (2007-06-27). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. “SINGAPORE, 27 June 2007... Brunei Darussalam and Singapore today celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Currency Interchangeability Agreement. To mark the auspicious occasion, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and His Excellency Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore jointly launched the new $20 polymer notes issued by the two countries in a ceremony held at Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.” On 27 June 2007, to commemorate 40 years of currency agreement with Brunei, a commemorative S$20 note was launched; the back is identical to the Bruneian $20 note launched concurrently.Annex 1. Commemorating the 40th Anniversary the Currency Interchangeability Agreement. Monetary Authority of Singapore (2007-06-27). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. “As this is a joint issue by Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, the $20 notes will have common predominant orange colour and common back design.” A circulation version of the $20 note can be exchanged at banks in Singapore.$20 Polymer Note to Commemorate 40 Years of the Currency Interchangeability Agreement. Monetary Authority of Singapore (2007-06-27). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. “Three million Singapore $20 polymer notes will be introduced into circulation gradually over a period through the banks. This one-time only issue also comes with a limited edition bearing a special over-print. The circulation notes will be available at banks commencing 16 July 2007.”
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), currently headed by Minister Teo Chee Hean, oversees the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Navy, and the Republic of Singapore Air Force, collectively known as the Singapore Armed Forces, along with volunteer private companies involved in supporting roles. The Chief of Defence Forces is Lieutenant-General Desmond Kuek Bak Chye.
The armed forces serve primarily as a deterrent against potential aggressors and also provide humanitarian assistance to other countries. Singapore has mutual defence pacts with several countries, most notably the Five Power Defence Arrangements. There is an extensive overseas network of training grounds in the United States, Australia, Republic of China (Taiwan), New Zealand, France, Thailand, Brunei, India and South Africa. Since 1980, the concept and strategy of "Total Defence" has been adopted in all aspects of security; an approach aimed at strengthening Singapore against all kinds of threats.
The recent rise in unconventional warfare and terrorism has cast increasing emphasis on non-military aspects of defence. The Gurkha Contingent, part of the Singapore Police Force, is also a counter-terrorist force. In 1991, the hijacking of Singapore Airlines Flight 117 ended in the storming of the aircraft by Singapore Special Operations Force and the subsequent deaths of all four hijackers without injury to either passengers or SOF personnel. A concern is Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant Islamic group whose plan to attack the Australian High Commission was ultimately foiled in 2001.
Singapore\'s defence resources have been used in international humanitarian aid missions, including United Nations peacekeeping assignments involved in 11 different countries.Peacekeepers :: In the Service of Peace. Retrieved on 2006-05-01. In September 2005, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) sent three CH-47 Chinook helicopters to Louisiana to assist in relief operations for Hurricane Katrina. In the aftermath of the 2004 Asian Tsunami (or Boxing Day Tsunami), the SAF deployed 3 tank landing ships, 12 Super Puma and 8 Chinook helicopters to aid in relief operations to the countries that were affected by the tsunami.
The Singapore Armed Forces, the military forces of Singapore, takes charge of the overall defence of the country. It comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the land force, the Republic of Singapore Air Force, and the Republic of Singapore Navy, the navy.
The Singapore Army is one of the three services of the Singapore Armed Forces. It is headed by the Chief of Army (COA), currently Major General Neo Kian Hong. The Army focuses on leveraging technology and weapon systems as "force-multipliers". It is currently undergoing the transformation into, what it calls a 3rd Generation fighting force.MINDEF - The 3rd Generation SAF. Mini
