| SINGAPORE | | | | state owing to the large Chinese demographic, |
| Population: 4.4 million (UN, 2005) | | | | 42.5%, while Islam has a strong hold on a little less, |
| Capital: Singapore | | | | 14.9%. Christianity is practiced by 14.6% of the |
| Area: 660 sq km (255 sq miles) | | | | population, Taoism, 8.5%, Hindu, 4%, and a tiny 0.7% |
| Major languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil | | | | are devout to some minor religions, while a solid |
| Major religions: Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity | | | | 14.8% choose to remain strictly unaffiliated. |
| Life expectancy: 77 years (men), 80 years (women) | | | | LANGUAGE |
| (UN) | | | | MANDARIN, is inarguably the official language due to |
| Monetary unit: 1 Singapore dollar = 100 cents | | | | the large Chinese enclave in the country with a |
| The Republic of Singapore sure has gone far from a | | | | demographic of 35%, while ENGLISH is just as well |
| sparsely populated fishing village without a trace, to | | | | an official language. MALAY or Bahasa has 14.1% of |
| an economic powerhouse of Asia- the fourth | | | | speakers, and TAMIL has 3.2% of Indian descent. |
| wealthiest in the world GDP in terms of per capita. | | | | The majority that are the Chinese speak, besides |
| Obviously, Keynesian principles are working and | | | | Mandarin, other dialects that constitute 23.8% of the |
| should be adapted. Singapore is a country of true and | | | | population. |
| natural fusion as a pit stop for East-West trade, with | | | | ATTRACTION |
| contemporary culture of strong Malay, Chinese, Indian | | | | The main attraction of the city state is the city |
| and British Influences. This is as close to | | | | itself-its shopping malls, parks, entertainment centers. |
| East-meets-West one can get- a microcosm of Asia | | | | This year alone 2010, the Integrated Resorts, which |
| some say, but quite arguably. In the absence of | | | | are two colossal casino complexes in Sentosa and |
| traditional cultures, Singapore is basically a stage | | | | Marina Bay in goals of increasing by 100% the 10 |
| where world cultures are performed, and a buffet | | | | million of annual tourists visiting and possibly boom the |
| table where all world eats are splayed out. The | | | | population of the permanent residents. But if nature's |
| novelty of this country is in its tight observance of | | | | your flavour, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, probably |
| cleanliness, order, and regulation. And while it is not | | | | the only primary rainforest reserve left, is a |
| exactly drug-or crime-free, as per Tony Bourdain's | | | | wonderful spectacle. The Singapore Botanic Gardens |
| claims, what he might be getting at is that people | | | | is a 67.3-hectare botanical garden that is home of the |
| strictly adhere to the laws and the constitution. Gum | | | | National Orchid Garden blossoming with over 3,000 |
| is just as equally revolting as drugs, for this is that | | | | orchid species. It is still the ethnic enclaves that give |
| country with the ban-a seriously sensible one. A lazy | | | | the country its flavour. Singapore also boasts of a |
| Friday, skimming through the news, but the news is | | | | collection of fauna, but in a zoo. The Singapore Zoo is |
| lazier in this city state. | | | | the closest the traveller will get to the proboscis |
| Seriously, nothing bad relatively happens here. The | | | | monkey or animals, in general, as well as the Night |
| bulletin talks of more jobs in demand, | | | | Safari and Jurong Bird Park. The zoo is a great place |
| world-renowned musicians to mentor young prodigies. | | | | for kids, but better for people with time to kill. |
| Where else does that happen? Singapore is 100% | | | | Singapore is generally perceived as but a bizarre |
| urbanized, thus absolutely close to none natural | | | | sterile community perhaps like those in futuristic |
| resources, and yet it is squeaky clean. It has an | | | | movies. It is ultramodern that its advancement may |
| economy that relies heavily on immigrant labour. The | | | | take 20 years for New York to pull off. But 23% of |
| near-invisible dark side of Singapore reveals issues of | | | | forest and eco-parks is quite good. And regardless of |
| servitude and slavery, horrible treatment of people, | | | | water pollution and mammoth-scale wastes of a |
| particularly labourers not their own such as maids, and | | | | dense population in a small slab of land, Singapore |
| classic racial discrimination based on skin lightness. But | | | | deals with their environment with bravado. There are |
| racial and culture variety and fusion is basically the | | | | other non-touristy options to enjoy the nature and |
| "pride" they always talk of in the first place. That | | | | nurture of people of Singapore like visiting art expos |
| being said, behind this ultramodern and | | | | at the Asian Civilisations Museum (free admission for |
| chic-city-state-facade, there are scores of exciting | | | | kids 6 and younger) or learning a thing or two on |
| things in Singapore hidden to the traveller's eye that | | | | history at the Bras Basah area east of Orchard Road |
| require personal experience and discovery. | | | | or something physically challenging like trekking, |
| GEOGRAPHY | | | | cycling, and water sports at Sentosa's beaches or |
| Singapore (1 22 N, 103 48 E) is a wee little 704 km2 | | | | somewhere on the East Coast. Tail a local who will |
| territory, one of the smallest by size in the world, is | | | | always be a delighted to give some unsolicited advice |
| 5 times smaller than Rhode Island, but has increased | | | | and time. |
| landmass since being only 581.5 km2 back in1960, and | | | | FOOD |
| will continue to get bigger by demand of | | | | Singapore is a country with a determined food |
| industrialization and population to an estimated 100 | | | | culture- the only culture Singapore boasts to have |
| km2 more in 20 years. The Singapore Strait is the | | | | that is central to their identity. The Singaporeans are |
| small nation's lowest point, and, rid of most of its | | | | a not merely foodies, but food addicts and are food |
| original terrain, the highest elevation is Bukit Timah, | | | | specialists in their own right. Singapore is an ethnic |
| 166 metres-high. As aforementioned, Singapore | | | | triad, and this manifests nowhere else than on the |
| consists mostly of low rolling lands that contain very | | | | table where the traveller is sure to enjoy the best of |
| minimal forest cover nature preserves (23%), most | | | | Malay, Indian, and Chinese specialties. And the |
| of which have been eliminated. As possibly the most | | | | Hawker Centres, like Maxwell Road Food Centre and |
| globalized country in the world, industrial pollution is a | | | | Golden Mile Hawker Centre, are an institution and |
| major concern, limiting its only natural resource, | | | | major aspect of the Singaporean food culture is |
| freshwater and fish. Land reclamation projects also | | | | where it all comes together-the cultural crossroads. |
| decrease their water resources, and just recently, | | | | Even from blocks away, the aroma of fresh, savoury |
| haze from forest fires in Indonesia is causing some | | | | and robust prawn soup base and stir fries would |
| health problems with the normally sterile nation. | | | | have the visitor's salivary glands and stomach acids |
| CLIMATE | | | | on overdrive. This is perhaps one of the scant few |
| Singapore is hot and humid with sweltering and | | | | places in the world where fast food is good for you, |
| steaming temperatures ranging from 22-34°C, the | | | | and where a too much of the good stuff, is good. |
| latter, in the hottest months of the year, May and | | | | We're talking a haven of dish specialists who |
| June, with a tropical rainforest climate with no | | | | perfected their signature dishes for generations, for |
| distinctive season onset or end. The climate, though, | | | | decades. These are the hawker centres, very cheap |
| has generally two distinct monsoon seasons, the | | | | and easy to find, and the perfect introduction to |
| northeastern monsoon from October to March, and | | | | Singapore. Besides these cuisines, traces of Western |
| the southwestern monsoon from June through to | | | | traditions, Middle Eastern, and Thai gave the local |
| September. The wettest months are November and | | | | cuisine more depth. |
| December. | | | | Singapore is the best place on earth for the chicken |
| PEOPLE | | | | rice, the national dish that is very much notorious in |
| Singapore, the second most densely populated in the | | | | these parts. Singapore also packs a mean fish and |
| world after Monaco, is modest set of islands home | | | | chips, prawn noodle soup hae mee, chilli crab, satay, |
| to almost 5 million people of diverse racial and cultural | | | | and roti prata. There are also delicacies like the bone |
| origins, almost 50% of which are foreigners. There | | | | soup swimming in sauce of red dye 5. Ethnic |
| are more or less 3 million Singaporean citizens or | | | | specialties include char kuay teow, curries, tandoori, |
| "residents", making it the 6th country with the | | | | nasi goring, and nasi lemak, while cross-cultural fusion |
| highest percentage of foreigners as well. The Chinese | | | | dishes like laksa and satay bee hon. Malay-Indonesian |
| are the most predominant population, locals and | | | | desserts dominate the sweet scene like the cool ice |
| foreigners alike with 74.2% of the population, Malays, | | | | kacang and red rubies. At the same time, Western |
| 13.4%, Indians 9.2%, and the remainder 3.2% are | | | | treats are also delighted by the Singaporeans like |
| Arabs, Eurasians, and so on. | | | | gelato. Simple reminder: Chinatown for Chinese |
| RELIGION | | | | delights, Kampong Glam for Malay pleasures, and |
| Singapore is kind of like a miniature Hong Kong, | | | | Little Indian, obviously, for the ultimate Indian culinary |
| similarly without the religious identification. | | | | indulgence. |
| Nonetheless, Buddhism is the primary religion of the | | | | |