Singapore is a tropical island country in Asia, consisting of a main island and 60 small islands, located in Southeast Asia. Its temperature changes little, rainfall is sufficient, and animals and plants multiply, which embodies the characteristics of tropical islands. Singapore's geographical position is one of the crossroads of the world. Unique geographical conditions make it develop into a major commercial, transportation, communication and tourism center. Located in the north of the equator136.8km, east longitude 103 36? To east longitude 104 25? , north latitude 1 09? To 1 29? The length between the main islands of Singapore is about 42 kilometers from east to west and 23 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of 682.7 square kilometers, including all islands. The larger islands outside the island are prout Airport (24.4 square kilometers), Pulauubin (10.2 square kilometers) and Sentosa Island (3.5 square kilometers).
general situation
Country name
Singapore Republic of Singapore (English: Republic of Singapore, Malay: Republic of Singapore) code SG.
The origin of the country name
Singapore is a city country, which originally meant "Lion City". According to the records of Malay history books, around 1 150, Prince Panna of Sri Lanka, the death country of Sumatra, arrived at the island by boat and saw a black beast, which was called a lion by the locals, hence the name "Lion City". Singapore is the homonym of the Sanskrit "Lion City". Because local residents are deeply influenced by Indian culture, they like to use Sanskrit as their place names. The lion is brave and vigorous, so it is natural to use it as a place name. In the past, many overseas Chinese called it "Silla", which means "Strait" in Malay, and some people called it "Sin Chau" and "Sing Tao" because of its small area.
Another name
Sin Chew, Sing Tao and Lion City
national flag
It consists of two equal horizontal rectangles, the top of which is red and the bottom is white, and the length-width ratio is 3∶2. There is a white crescent moon and five white five-pointed stars in the upper left corner. Red represents human equality, and white symbolizes purity and virtue; The new moon symbolizes the country, and the five stars represent the idea of building democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality in the country. The combination of the new moon and the five stars is close and orderly, symbolizing the spirit of unity and mutual assistance of the Singaporean people.
national emblem
Consists of coat of arms, lions, tigers and other patterns. The red shield is inlaid with a white crescent moon and a five-pointed star, which has the same meaning as the national flag. On the left of the Red Shield is a lion, which is a symbol of Singapore, and Malay means "Lion City". On the right is a tiger, which symbolizes the historical ties between Singapore and Malaysia. Below the red shield are golden palm branches and leaves, and the blue ribbon at the bottom says "Go ahead, Singapore!" " In Malay.
national anthem
Go ahead, Singapore
national flower
Hu Jihua's national flower is Jin Zhuo Vandylan. Southeast Asia generally calls orchids Hu Jihua. Jin Zhuo Bandailan is cultivated by Ms. Jin Zhuo, with beautiful and dignified flowers and strong vitality, which symbolizes the temperament of Singaporeans and the spirit of hard work and brave struggle.
capital
Singapore (Singapore)
zone
699.4 square kilometers (Statistics Singapore, 2005).
Equation of time; equation?of?time;?time?difference
8 hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time, equal to Beijing Time.
Independence Day
9 August (1965)
language
Malay is the national language, English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil are the official languages and English is the administrative language.
State dignitaries
1965 Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who served as Prime Minister for a long time after Singapore's independence, resigned as Prime Minister in 1990+0 1 and was appointed Senior Minister of the Cabinet; Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was appointed Prime Minister in June199011; The current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was sworn in as the third Prime Minister of Singapore on August 2, 2004. 12 was elected as the new Secretary-General of Singapore People's Action Party in June, re-elected as Prime Minister of Singapore in May 2006 and sworn in on May 30. President Nathan was elected President of Singapore on August 18, 1999, formally sworn in on June 1, and was re-elected in September, 2005.
physical geography
Located in Southeast Asia, it is the southernmost tropical island city of Malaysia Peninsula. Covering an area of 699.4 square kilometers, it is adjacent to Malaysia across the Johor Strait in the north, connected to Johor Bahru in Malaysia across a long embankment, and facing Indonesia across the Singapore Strait in the south. Located at the entrance and exit of Malacca Strait, the shipping artery in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, it consists of more than 50 islands, and Singapore Island accounts for 9 1.6% of the national area. The terrain is low and flat, with an average elevation of15m, the highest elevation of163m and the coastline of193km. It has a tropical maritime climate with high temperature and rainy all the year round, with an average annual temperature of 24~27℃. The annual average precipitation is 2345 mm and the annual average humidity is 84.3%.
Human population
As of June 2007, the total population of Singapore was 4,680,600, an increase of 4.4% over the previous year. Among them, about 3.7 million are citizens and permanent residents, and the rest are about 6.5438+0 million non-residents. Citizens and permanent residents increased by 1.8%, and non-resident population increased by 14.9%. Chinese account for 75.2%, Malays account for 13.6%, Indians account for 8.8%, and other races account for 2.4%, including Pakistanis, Sri Lankan Tamils and Westerners. With more than 4,000 people per square kilometer, it is one of the countries with the largest population density in the world.
English, Chinese (mainly Mandarin and Fujian dialect), Malay and Tamil are the official languages. The national language is English. Most Singaporeans can use English and Chinese. The main religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. Malays and Pakistanis mostly believe in Islam, Indians believe in Hinduism, and China and Sri Lankans believe in Buddhism. Besides, some people believe in Christianity.
brief history
City of lions
In the early days of Singapore, Malays were the main inhabitants, and the earliest literature records originated in China in the 3rd century. /kloc-During the Ming Dynasty in the 4th century, China called Singapore "Temasek". In the 7th century, Singapore was called "Temasek" and was the trade center of srivastava Dynasty, the ancient Sumatra Empire. By the 3rd century, Singapore had a new name-Singapore, which means "City of Lions". It is said that when Sonny Rautama, a Pakistani prince, visited Singapore, he saw a beast with a lion's head and took it as his name. The new name has been used ever since. /kloc-In the 4th century, Singapore became a battleground for the military strategists of neighboring countries, but there was no big winner in the war. However, Singapore's society and people are deeply hurt. Singapore was abandoned by other countries and its houses were completely destroyed. For a time, it became a desolate jungle. It was not until the17th century that Singapore made new progress. Singapore is a relatively young country, and the Republic of China was formally established only 35 years ago. There are not many historical materials left by Singapore. Residents have been living by the sea and engaged in fishing trade. Of course, many people have become pirates. Singapore was called "Haicheng" in ancient times. It is said that during the period from 13 to16th century, there was a dynasty in Southeast Asia called Magabado, which probably ruled Singapore at that time.
Imperial colony
18 1 1 year, 100 Malays took root here under the leadership of their leader Tian Miangang. Eight years later, Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles from England landed on the bank of Singapore. Sir Raffles, who has a unique vision, believes that although pirates are rampant around Singapore, it is an ideal British overseas trade base. Raffles then gradually built Singapore into a free port. Before Sir Raffles landed in Singapore, it was indeed a small fishing village overgrown with weeds and unknown. Raffles arrived here by boat and found that the geographical position here is very special and the development potential is huge, so he chose to set up the British Empire Overseas Trade Center here and take free trade measures to attract businessmen from Asian countries, the Middle East and even America to engage in maritime trade. By 1824, the population of Singapore had rapidly increased from 150 to 10000, which laid a solid foundation for future development and proved that it was indeed an important port for connecting the East and the West.
19411On February 7th, the Pacific War broke out when Japan raided Pearl Harbor, USA. Only a few hours later, Japan spread the war to Southeast Asia, and the 25th Japanese Army stationed in zhina Peninsula began to attack Malaya and Singapore. Singapore is the choke point from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean and the main target of the Japanese attack. In order to protect this strategic location, Churchill sent two battleships, the Prince of Wales and the Enemy, to Singapore. In addition, Britain symbolically distributed ammunition and weapons to local Chinese and Indian communities. Few people used to regard Singapore as their home, but now it's different. 12 On February 7th and 8th, the Japanese army landed in Crater Canyon and Godabalu, and the Japanese air force bombed Singapore intensively. With the cooperation of navy and air force, Japanese ground troops attacked south along the railway. British troops stationed in northern Malaya retreated to Singapore in panic. On February 9th, 65438+, the British battleships Prince of Wales and Enemy Ship set sail from Singapore in order to wipe out the Japanese troops landing in Guan Dan. 10 morning, when approaching Guan Dan, it was attacked by Japanese bombers and torpedoes and sank. At this point, Britain completely lost its air and sea power in the Pacific region. The Japanese who landed in Malaya continued to attack south and occupied Kuala Lumpur on 1942. 1 At the end of the year, the whole Malayan Peninsula fell. /kloc-in February of 0/4, Singapore was surrounded and its fresh water was cut off. In June of 5438+05, Bai, commander-in-chief of the British army, announced his unconditional surrender at 8: 30 pm, and 80,000 defenders were captured by the Japanese army. In this way, this sea passage connecting Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia fell into the hands of the Japanese, and Singapore also began a humiliating occupation period of three years and six months. Japan renamed it "Zhaonan Special City" from "Southern Land Acquired in Showa Period". The surrender of the British army did bring a serious psychological impact to the British Empire. In the early days of Japanese occupation, countless adult China men were arrested and killed by the Japanese army as victims in the name of participating in anti-Japanese activities.
The sun will never set.
1In August, 945, Britain recovered its jurisdiction over Singapore and restored its old name. The British tried the Japanese officers who committed heinous crimes in Singapore, but only a few of them were properly tried and the rest were simply deported. Moreover, Britain made Malaya independent, but Singapore became a British colony and continued to be dominated by it, which aroused the anger of Chinese society. The people demanded a say in the government. 1948 On March 20th, Singapore held its first general election. At the end of 1953, Singapore amended its constitution and enjoyed greater autonomy. 1955, Singapore held an election, and Marshall became the first chief minister of Singapore. The Labor Front he led, together with UMNO and MCA, formed a coalition government. Marshall resigned on June 6 due to the breakdown of negotiations on full autonomy. 1957 In March, the negotiating delegation led by Lin Youfu reached an agreement on the main provisions of Singapore's new constitution in the London negotiations. Finally, it gained autonomy in 1959, and held its first general election in May of the same year. The People's Action Party won 43 of the 565,438+0 seats in the Legislative Assembly. On June 5th, the first government of Singapore Autonomous State was sworn in, and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister of Singapore. 1963, Singapore, Malaya Federation, Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah) established Malaysia Federation at the suggestion of Malaya Prime Minister Tengku abdul rahman, and Malaysia's name was formed by Malaya plus "Si" representing Singapore. Since then, Singapore has completely separated from British rule. 1On August 9, 965, Singapore declared its secession and became an independent sovereign state.
Independence and development
After independence, after 1970, although political freedom was gradually suppressed, Singapore achieved rapid economic development and soon became an important financial and entrepot trade center in Southeast Asia and one of the "four little dragons in Asia". At the same time, the living standards of Singaporeans have been greatly improved, and problems such as housing, education and transportation have been solved. It is worth mentioning that many cheap government apartments have been built in Singapore. In the past 40 years, the Housing Development Board of Singapore has built 700,000 government apartments, and 86% of Singapore's population lives in government apartments. This is probably Singapore-style socialism. The government also encourages people to buy houses instead of renting houses. Lee Kuan Yew also said frankly, "We should not rely on the government culture like Britain." Ironically, when Margaret Thatcher implemented a similar policy in Britain, most British people didn't know it was from Singapore. By the time Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as prime minister in 1990, Singapore had become a model of economic development in the region and even in Asia as a whole. Lee Kuan Yew handed over power to Goh Chok Tong, the new prime minister. Goh Chok Tong also realized that the development of Singapore depends on a stable environment, and he could do whatever it takes to achieve a stable environment. Therefore, in 1993, the "MacPhee Incident" shocked the world. The reason was that American youth Mike Fei drew several cars in Singapore and was sentenced to six lashes by the court. Despite the strong opposition of American public opinion, Singapore is unmoved. Later, due to the mediation of American President Bill Clinton, the flogging was reduced to four times. Later, it was talked about by Asian diplomats, and then this small Southeast Asian country successfully weathered the Asian financial crisis of 1997. However, when the third Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took over from 265438 to the beginning of the 20th century, Singapore once again faced the new problem of how to face the rise of other economies in the region.
Reasons for the Separation of Singapore from Malaysia
1964 during the general election, UMNO and MCA were dissatisfied with the People's Action Party (PAP) led by Lee Kuan Yew's extension of political power to Malaya Peninsula. At the same time, they think that the political slogan of "Malaysia for Malaysians" advocated by the People's Action Party is suspected of provoking racial separation, and regard the actions of the People's Action Party as a kind of confrontation. Finally, Lee Kuan Yew was forced to declare Singapore an independent country on August 9th, 0965.
future
Since the 1960s, Singapore's economy has mainly relied on manufacturing. Now, with the industrial rise of China and India, Singapore seems to have returned to the18th century. Where will Singapore go as a transit point for Sino-Indian trade? Was the past prosperity just a beautiful moment? Everything is waiting for an answer. ...
politics
The Constitution provides for a system of parliamentary harmony. The president is the head of state and is elected by the whole people for a term of six years. The president appointed the leader of the parliamentary majority as prime minister. The president has the right to veto government budgets and public sector appointments; It can examine the government's exercise of the powers conferred by the Internal Security Law and the Religious Harmony Law and investigate corruption cases. The Presidential Advisory Council is entrusted with providing advice and suggestions to the President. When the president exercises certain powers, such as appointing principal civil servants, he must first seek the opinions of the President's Advisory Council. The President and Parliament exercise legislative power. The parliament is called the National Assembly and has a unicameral system. Members of parliament are elected by referendum for a term of five years, and the political party with the majority of seats in the National Assembly forms the government.
Singapore is a member of the Commonwealth and implements the cabinet system of the Prime Minister.
economy
Traditionally, Singapore's economy is dominated by commerce, including entrepot trade, processing and export, shipping and so on. It is the largest seaport, an important commercial city and entrepot trade center in Southeast Asia, as well as an international financial center and an important aviation center. After independence, Singapore's economy has developed remarkably, and it is known as one of the four little dragons in Asia. Tourism is one of the pillar industries of Singapore's economy (three pillar industries: international trade, processing industry and tourism).
After independence, the government adhered to a free economic policy, vigorously attracted foreign investment and developed a diversified economy. Since the early 1980s, we have accelerated the development of capital-intensive and high value-added emerging industries, invested heavily in infrastructure construction, and strived to attract foreign investment with the best business environment. Manufacturing and service industries have become the twin engines of economic growth, and the industrial structure has been continuously optimized. In the 1990s, the information industry was particularly valued, and the "Singapore Integrated Network" has been put into use all over the island. In order to further promote economic growth, we will vigorously promote the "regional economic development strategy", accelerate overseas investment and actively carry out foreign economic activities. The economy is dominated by five sectors: commerce, manufacturing, construction, finance, transportation and communication. Industry mainly includes manufacturing and construction. Manufacturing products mainly include electronic products, chemicals and chemical products, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, petroleum products, oil refining and other departments. It is the third largest oil refining center in the world. Agriculture accounts for less than 1% of the national economy, mainly including poultry breeding and aquaculture. All the food is imported, only 5% of the vegetables are produced by ourselves, and most of them are imported from Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Australia. Service industry is the leading industry of economic growth. Including retail and wholesale trade, hotel tourism, transportation and telecommunications, financial services, business services and so on. Tourism is one of the main sources of foreign exchange income. The main attractions are Sentosa Island, Botanical Garden and Night Zoo.
Currency: Singapore dollar (S$), 1 yuan equals 100 cent. The face value of paper money is 2 yuan, 5 yuan, 10 yuan, 20 yuan, 50 yuan, 100 yuan, 500 yuan, 1000 yuan; Coins are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100.
Transportation: Singapore is the aviation center connecting Europe, America and Oceania in Southeast Asia, with routes reaching 54 countries (regions) and 127 cities. China has direct flights to Singapore from Beijing, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Shenzhen. Singapore Changi Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world and one of the largest airports in Southeast Asia. Singapore has developed transportation and advanced facilities, with trains and buses running between major cities in Malaysia and Thailand. The long-distance passenger station is at Xinqiao Road, and there are several buses to Kuala Lumpur, Guan Dan and Malacca every day.
Subway: The subway is the most convenient means of transportation in Singapore. The subway is 67 kilometers long and has 42 stations, which are divided into two lines: the north-south line from Haibin Bay to Yishun and the east-west line from Brazil to Liwen. Each subway station has a clearly marked road map and instructions. It is best to determine the fare and location before taking the subway. The north-south line is represented by "n", yellow represents northbound and red represents southbound; The east-west line is represented by "W", green means eastbound, and blue means westbound; The urban area is indicated by "C". To check the name of the station, just remember the color and number.
The operation of the subway station is fully automated, with computer-controlled automatic ticket vending machines, passenger entry and exit gates, etc. Put the coin in front of the ticket vending machine and press the button to pay the fare. If there is a balance, the machine will automatically change money and pay the ticket. Subway tickets are time-limited. If you stay in the gate for more than half an hour, the ticket will automatically become invalid and passengers can no longer pass through the computer gate. If you want to come out, you must make up another ticket. The subway runs from 6 am to afternoon 12.