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Singapore
The
population of Singapore has exploded in the last
century from a mere 230,000 to an incredible 4
million at the start of the new millennium, 2000.
In that population boom, the ratio of men to women
has narrowed from almost 3:1, to almost even.
In
contrast to its small size, Singapore has been
phenomenal in its successes. A leader in
repairing and building ships, Singapore also has a
center that refines and distributes oil which which
is one of the largest in the world.
Its
harbor is the busiest in the world and is a very
popular port for cruise lines. The airport is
also the busiest in the world and is also one of the
world's best airports with a vast array of amenities
available.
Singapore,
one of the cleanest and safest spots in Asia, draws
a crowd of around 6 million visitors each year.
A reason for its cleanliness and safety stems from a
strict enforcement of rules for even the slightest
transgression.
Singapore is an
equatorial country, consisting of one main island
and some 63 offshore islands. Her uniform
temperature and abundant rainfall give rise to the
rich flora and fauna that typify a tropical island.
Singapore is located
between latitudes 1o09'N and 1o29'N
and longitudes 103o36'E and 104o25'E,
approximately 137 kilometers north of the Equator.
The main island of
Singapore is about 42 km from east to west and 23 km
from north to south. The total land area
(including that of the smaller islands) is 697.1
square km. The main island is 617.1 square km.
Among off shore
islands, the larger ones are Pulau Teking (2365.
hectares), Pulau Ubin (1023.9 hectares) and Sentosa
(460 hectares).
Singapore has an
equatorial climate, which is warm and humid all year
round. Rain is felt throughout the year.
Singapore experiences two distinct monsoon seasons -
the wetter Northeast Monsoon season from December to
March and the drier Southwest Monsoon season from
June to September. During the inter-monsoon
months, winds are light and variable with afternoon
to early evening showers, often accompanied by
thunder.
Singapore
Language and Literacy
The
official languages of Singapore are Malay, Chinese
(Mandarin), Tamil and English. Malay is the
national language and English the language of
administration. Mandarin is widely used among
the Chinese in place of the Chinese dialects of
Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka, Hainanese and
Foochow. Besides Tamil, other languages spoken
by the Indians include Malayalam, Punjabi, Telegu,
Hindi and Bengali.
In
2003, the general literacy rate, defined as the
number of literate residents per 100 residents aged
15 years and over, was estimated to be 94.2 percent.
The estimated literacy rate for males was 96.9
percent while the estimated literacy rate for
females was 90.6 percent.
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