 |
| Geography,
Climate, Religion |
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Introduction
Lying almost on the equator, Singapore is a thriving
city-state that has overcome its dearth of natural
resources to become one of the juggernaut economies
of Asia. In the crowded streets of Chinatown,
fortune tellers, calligraphers and temple worshippers
are still a part of everyday life.
In Little India, you can buy the best sari material,
freshly ground spices or a picture of your favourite
Hindu god. In the small shops of Arab St, the
cry of the imam can be heard from the nearby Sultan
Mosque.
Singapore may have traded in its rough-and-ready
opium dens and pearl luggers for towers of concrete
and glass, and its steamy rickshaw image for hi-tech
wizardry, but you can still recapture the colonial
era with a gin sling under the languorous ceiling
fans at Raffles Hotel. It is this carefully stage-managed
combination of Western modernity and treasured
Eastern and colonial past that makes Singapore
such an accessible slice of Asia.
General information
Full country name: Republic of Singapore
Area: 683 sq km (266 sq mi)
Population: 4.1 million (growth rate 1.15%)
People: 76% Chinese, 15% Malay, 6% Indian
Language: English, Malay, Mandarin and
Tamil
Religion: 42% Buddhist, 15% Muslim, 14%
Christian, 9% Taoist, 4% Hindu
Government: Parliamentary democracy
Major industries: Manufacturing, electronics,
chemicals, trade, business and financial services,
shipping, tourism, construction
1 U.K. ? = 5.608822 MYR
1 US $ = 3.799500 MYR
1 Yen = 0.0337463 MYR |
