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Singapore: The Lion City
The founder of Singapore was Sang Nila Utama. He saw an animal when he was on the island. Therefore he gave the island the Malay name "Singapura", which means "Lion City". However, lions have never lived on the island. The animal he saw was probably a tiger.
Overview
| Flag |  |
| Anthem | Majulah Singapura Watch on youtube (with lyrics) |
| Official language(s) |
|
| Demonym(a name for a resident of a locality, often the same as the name of the people's native language) | Singaporean |
| Government | Parliamentary republic |
| Area | 710.2 km2, 274.2 sq mi |
| Population | ~ 5 million |
| Currency | Singapore dollar (SGD) |
| Internet TLD | .sg |
Geography
Society and culture
Singapore has a very diverse(consisting of many different elements) population. Therefore, Singaporean culture has often been described as a mix of cultures – British, Malay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan.
Population
Singapore is the second most densely populated(many people living in an area) country in the world after Monaco. Approximately 42% of the population in Singapore are foreigners(people from a different country). Most foreigners come from China, Malaysia, Philippines, North America, Middle East, Europe, Australia, Bangladesh and India. Around 74% of Singapore's residents(people living in an area) are Chinese, 13.4% are Malays, 9.2% Indians.
Languages
Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil. English is the most dominant language in Singapore. The spelling and vocabulary used are primarily(mostly) those of British English. Mandarin Chinese is also widely spoken in Singapore. Malay is spoken by 25% of the population, Tamil by only 5%.
Religion
Buddhism is the dominant religion in Singapore. 42.5% of the population of Singapore is Buddhist. Other religions include Islam (14,9%), Christianity (14.6%), Taoism (8.5%) and Hinduism (4%). Around 14% of the population claim to have no religion.
Government and politics
Singapore is a parliamentary(having the supreme executive and legislative power resting with a cabinet of ministers chosen from, and responsible to a parliament) republic. It has a unicameral(having one chamber) government. The Constitution of Singapore establishes representative democracy(a government under the representative rule of the people) as the nation's political system. The People's Action Party (PAP) dominates the political process. The executive(responsible for enforcing laws and judicial decisions, and for the day-to-day running of the state) power rests with the cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister.
Economy
Singapore has a highly developed economy. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining(the process of purification of a substance) imported goods. Singapore has one of the busiest(having a lot going on) ports(a place on the coast at which ships can shelter, or dock to load and unload cargo or passengers) in the world. The state is the world's fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre after London, New York and Tokyo. Singapore's economy has been ranked amongst the world's ten most open, competitive and innovative(characterised by the creation of new ideas or things) economies.
Source: http://www.learning-english-online.net/cultural-studies/english-speaking-countries/singapore/
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