Also a couple of you - and again, I am not naming names, you know who you are - you seem to be having a great deal of trouble actually understanding where Singapore is. No, I promise we are NOT part of China!!!! Said they could not read the map I posted a few entries back, so I am including some more maps. Hopefully, these will meet with your approval and fill the need! I am taking it you did not do well in geography classes! Here we go – more maps at the end, too!
This is info culled from a tourist guide book.
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island nation located at the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula. It is 85 miles N of the equator, S of Malaysia and N of the Indonesian Islands. At 272 sq. miles, it is one of the few city-states in the world & the smallest country in SE Asia. The Indonesian Islands form a bowl-shape around Singapore thus providing protection from tsumanis and the major force of typhoons.
On 29 January 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on the main island. He signed a treaty on behalf of the British East India Company to develop Singapore as a trading post, which was then used it as a strategic outpost along the spice route. It was made a British crown colony in 1867, becoming one of Britain's most important commercial & military centers.
During World War II, the Japanese Army invaded Singapore. The ill-prepared British were defeated in 6 days, surrendering Singapore on 15 February 1942, in what is known as the British Empire's greatest military defeat. The Japanese established several POW camps across the island. The island remained under Japanese authority until the British retook the island on 12 September 1945, a month after the Japanese surrender.
After 144 years under Britain, Singapore became part of Malaysia in 1963. Two years later it left Malaysia to become an independent republic on August 9, 1965.
Foreign investment and island-wide industrialization led by the government have created an economy based on electronics, manufacturing, and financial trade. In terms of GDP per capita, Singapore is the 18th wealthiest country in the world.
At that time, they had to face problems such as mass unemployment, housing shortages, and crime. The government since has curbed widespread unemployment, raised the standard of living, and implemented a large-scale public housing program. The crime rate is one of the lowest in the world. No guns are allowed except for police & the military. Knives longer than 4 inches found on a person are against the law. They are extremely strict here & punishments harsh.
The Housing Development Board was established to implement a housing program. 80% of the population lives in HDB housing. These apartments are bought from the government & can only be sold back to the government. Fair market value is used. The transactions follow the same real estate rules as the rest of Singapore. Only 1 apartment per family can be owned at a time. The number of persons allowed in each dwelling is strictly controlled. They are located throughout the island and range in price. They are not rented out by the government, only sold. HDB housing sits atop some of Singapore’s most valuable real estate. The housing units are in large complexes. Once a complex is 20 yrs old, the government buys back each apartment at fair market price, then tears the complex completely down & rebuilds another in the same spot. It has been heralded as some of the best housing and one of the best programs in the world.
There is a compulsory national service commitment of 2 years for all males, required immediately after completion of high school. There are extremely few waivers or exemptions given. National service can be done in the military, police or fire departments.
The average age of marriage is 30 years old. The majority of people live with their parents until marriage. More than half continue to live with one’s parents for several years after marriage. Parents usually pay for housing and meals. But children are expected to take care of their parents later in life and can be sued by their parents if they fail to do so. The courts usually rule in favor of the parent.
This is a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons. The average temperature is 85 degrees, humidity ranges from 70 to 100 %. Average annual rainfall is 93 inches. June, July & Aug are the driest months. Nov, Dec & Jan are monsoon season. No daylight saving time or summer time zone. The length of the day is nearly constant year round due to the location near the equator.
Singapore does not sit on a fault line, the closest one being 300 miles away in Indonesia. **Maps of fault lines at the end.** Because of the fault lines, number of volcanoes and geographical position, Indonesia is known as the “Ring of Fire”. But Singapore only experiences some tremors when Indonesia has a major earthquake, which is defined as 6.0 or higher on the Richter scale. Since the mid 1980’s, new structures in Singapore must adhere to earthquake building standards.
In Dec 2004, parts of Asia were struck by a 9.4 earthquake & a devastating tsunami. Singapore was protected by the Indonesian Islands, many of which bore the brunt of the tsunami.
Industry is well-diversified into electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences manufacturing.
Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world, both in terms of actual tonnage processed through, number of ships received and number of ships refueled. It is also an aviation center, both for commercial air travel and air cargo, acting as a hub and stopover point for the 'Kangaroo route' between Australasia and Europe. There is a network of 81 airlines connecting Singapore to 185 cities in 58 countries.
Singapore is the world's 4th largest foreign exchange trading center after London, NY and Tokyo.
It has been consistently rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world.
As of September 2007, the total population is 4.68 million.
It is the 2nd most densely populated independent country in the world after Monaco - excluding Macao and Hong Kong, which are regions of China and not considered independent countries.
Religious affiliations are: 51 % Buddhist , then 17% Muslim, then 14 % no religious affiliation and known as “Free Thinkers” followed by 11% Hindu and 7% Christian.
Official languages are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. English use became widespread after it was implemented as the language used in education and government. British English is primarily used, with some American influence.A majority of the population, however, speaks a form of English known as “Sing-lish”. It is a mixture of English, several Chinese dialects, Malay and Indian. The government has consistently tried to discourage the use of Sing-lish with "Speak Good English" campaigns.
The literacy rate is one of the highest, at 95 percent.
The population is primarily from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines and several Arabic countries. Intermarriages are allowed here. Holidays of most cultures are recognized and celebrated, but government offices are closed only for National Day and Chinese New Year. There are no problems or tensions among the different ethnic and religious groups.
Babies born in Singapore are not automatically granted Singaporean citizenship. One parent must be Singaporean and hold a Singapore passport. Otherwise the child must be registered in one of the parent's country for which they hold a passport. Singapore does not allow dual citizenship. A person can apply to become a "permanent resident" which still does not entitle them to citizenship or a passport. Young men whose parents are permanent residents must do National service.
Every person working in any capacity in Singapore, regardless of citizenship status or country of residence, must pay Singapore taxes.
This is a map showing the seismic activity around us. It's like a doppler color radar - every dot is a "ground movement". This is over a 2-yr period. These movements register from 1.5 to 9.4 on the Richter scale. As with a doppler radar, different colors represent varying degrees of severity. Looks like someone just threw confetti on the map, doesn't it? Note the tiny dot that represents Singapore - not big! Here's a web site that lists "ground movements for all around the world. Wonder if we've ever gone a 24 hr period without a ground movement? http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php
This is a map showing the fault lines in the world. The area in the circle is most of the Middle East and comprises the earthquake area where the most damage and greatest number of deaths occur. You can see where Singapore sits in relation to the fault lines.
Love to you, Shari!
Abby - don't open the boxes - they're surprises!
Sam - did you get it yet? Probably needs a name!
Bob and Cheryl - nice meeting you! Keep in touch!
Heather - still, still
