| About Singapore |
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Singapore Area One main island and 63 islets: Main island is 682 sq. km. The country is 136.8 km north of the equator, between latitudes 103 degrees 38' E and 104 degrees 06' E. Status: A republic with a parliamentary democratic government. Head of Government: Prime Minister (Current Prime Minister: Lee Hsien Loong,) Population: 4 million Ethnic groups: 77% Chinese, 14% Malays, 8% Indians and 1% Eurasians and people of other descent Religion: Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism/ Taoism/other traditional Chinese religion, Hinduism, and others. Religious freedom is practised. Language: Official languages are Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English. English is the language of business and administration, and is widely spoken and understood. Most Singaporeans are bilingual, and speak their mother tongue as well as English. Malay though is the national language is not widely spoken in the streets. Time Zone The standard Singapore time is eight hours ahead of GMT (GMT+8) Currency: Singapore dollars (S$). One dollar = 100 cents National Symbol: The Merlion, a half-fish, half-lion beast, is a symbol of the country. The "Singa" or lion represents the animal that a Sumatran prince saw which resembled a lion, and the fish is a tribute to Singapore's history as "Temasek", the ancient sea town. National flower: The national flower - orchid, Vanda Miss Joaquim, was first discovered in 1893 by Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian. The orchid is a natural hybrid between V. teres and V. hookeriana. Flag of Singpore: The red colour symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man while white signifies purity and virtue. The crescent moon represents a young nation on the rise and the five stars signify the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. Weather: Singapore' has a tropical climate. The island is warm and humid all year round, with only slight variations between the average maximum of 31 degrees Celcius and minimum of 23 degrees Celcius. Most public places have air-conditioning. Rain falls throughout the year, but heavier during the monsoon season from November to January. Showers are usually sudden and heavy but brief. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 13 December 2007 ) |
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