Asia Overview
China
Hong Kong
Japan
Malaysia
Singapore
South Korea
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Singapore
Why study in Singapore?
- Safe, clean, modern, and green
- Genuinely multi-ethnic
- English is an official language
- Great city for introduction to Southeast Asia
- Regional center for the Arts
- Focus on Architectural Preservation
- World-class airport making travel easy
- Shopping is the national pastime
 
History, Culture and National Heritage
 Written accounts of the early history of Singapore are sketchy and many names were used to refer to the country, but by the end of the 14th century, the Sanskrit name, Singapura (Lion City), became commonly used. Singapura rose in importance during this time as a strategic port for trade.
The modern history of Singapore began in 1819 when Singapore was founded as a British colony by Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles. Singapore quickly grew in importance as a centre for trade in Southeast Asia, rapidly becoming a major port city. By WWII Singapore also served as a British defense and the island was referred to as “the Gibraltar of the East”. Unfortunately, all of its defenses pointed out to sea leaving it vulnerable to a surprise Japanese invasion by land. When the war ended, Singapore reverted to British control, but in 1963 Singapore merged with the Federation of Malay to form Malaysia. Social unrest and disputes led to Singapore’s expulsion from the federation and establishment of independence in 1965.
With no natural resources of its own, Singapore leveraged its strategic location at a trading hub, adhered to an open market economy and focused on manufacturing while investing heavily in education. By the 1990s, the country had become one of the world's most prosperous nations with the highest per capita gross domestic product in Asia outside of Japan. The Port of Singapore is the busiest in the world, surpassing Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Singapore is both a country and a city with 4.5 million people and four official languages: Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English. Malay is the national language and English is the language of business. The standard of living in Singapore is among the highest in Asia, with state-of-the-art facilities for education, shopping, sports and recreation. It has a diverse population of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and other ethnic groups. For all of its successes, the government has often been criticized for its sponsorship of social campaigns and social conformity. However, one can’t help but notice how clean and green the country is and how friendly the locals are to visitors. These observations may be attributed to social campaigns like the Courtesy Campaign, Keep Singapore Clean and Keep Singapore Green.
Climate
Singapore is located just off the southern tip of Peninsula Malaysia separated by the Straits of Johor. The weather is tropical with high humidity and temperatures generally ranging from 70°F (21°C) to 90°F (32°C). Singapore has two monsoon seasons: the northeast monsoon (Nov-Jan) when most of the rain falls and the southwest monsoon (May-Sep). Annual rainfall is 44” (1119mm). 
Quick Facts
Population: 4.5 million
Area: 255 square miles (660 sq km)
Capital: Singapore
Currency: The unit of currency is Singapore Dollar (SGD). USD $1 is roughly equivalent to $1.5 SGD.
Distance to Singapore:
New York to Singapore: 9,525 miles (15,320 km)
Los Angeles to Singapore: 8,774 miles (14,120 km)
Language: Malay is the national language and English is the language of business and administration.
Economic profile:
Main industries include: electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade
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