Singapore

Etymology and History

Singapore got its name from Singapura. The Malay is the source of name called Singapura. Sumatran prince named the country 14th century.

Before the European settlement, Singapore was just the place of fishing village of Malay located at the Singapore River’s mouth. In the year 1819, a trading post was established by the British East India Company. Later the island became some of most significant military and commercial centers of British government. In World War II, the country was occupied by Japan but 1945 it again came under the British occupation.

Previous Records and Medals

Singapore could not win any medal in summer as well as winter Olympics.

Demography

Though Singapore is known as multi-religious nation, but it is dominated by Taoism and Buddhism that are practiced by around 51% people. Christian people cover the 15 % of the total population of the country whereas 14% of population is covered by Muslim community. Apart from them, Hindu, Sikh also lives in the country in few numbers.

The country is having various religious centers of different religion. There are many Hindu temples are in the nation. The biggest Hindu temple in the nation is Sri Mariamman Temple

According to the government statistics the population of the country is contributed by:

• 75.2 % Chinese
• 13.6 % Malays
• 8.8 % Indian
• 2.4% includes Eurasians as well as other groups

Government and politics

The government of Singapore is based on the parliamentary democracy. According to the constitution of the country the Prime Minister is the head of cabinet. Currently the Prime Minster is Hsien Loong.  The parliament members of the nation consist of elected as well as nominated members. Most of the Parliament members are elected through general election held in the country. Present parliament includes 94 members with 84 elected members.

Culture

Since the Singapore combines various groups and communities such as Malay, Indian, Chinese, Eurasian & Peranakan, therefore its culture is undoubtedly diverse. Singapore’s culture is great with various arts and crafts but among all the performing art is very much prominent in the country. Arts festival, which takes place annually, is the biggest art festival in the country. The National Arts Council organizes the festival to promote the theatre arts, visual arts, dance and the music in order to prevent the traditional culture of the country.

The cuisine of Singapore reveals the great cultural diversity with the wide range of Chinese, Indian and Malay foods.

Education

English is the main medium of education in Singapore. The children are roughly introduced with the English language before going to start their schooling. Mother tongue is also taught as a respective language in the country.

Most of the children start their education from the private kindergartens but officially education starts with primary schools. Ministry of Education set the curricular standards. Public schools and the private schools both are prominent in the country. Once the students clear the primary school, they have to appear in the Primary School Leaving Examination.

The various universities of the country provide the higher as well as technical education to students. The main universities of the nation are:

• National University of Singapore
• Nanyang Technological University
• Singapore Management University
• SIM University

Economy and Infrastructure

The economy of Singapore is well developed and market based. The economy depends mainly on exports. The country exports mostly the manufacture goods. The manufacturing industry is very rich in the nation. The main industries of the country are:

• Electronic industry
• Petroleum industry
• Chemical industry
• Mechanical industry

The country is having the fourth biggest foreign exchange in the world. The per capita of the nation was estimated in 2006 as US$29,474.