Source: MAPS IN MINUTES™ © RH Publications (1997)

A south-east Asian island state.

Physical

Singapore comprises an island at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, only 2° N of the Equator. The country comprises a large, low-lying island, about 40 km (25 miles) wide by 22 km (14 miles) from north to south, and many much smaller islands.

Economy

The port of Singapore is one of the largest in the world and entrepôt trade has long been important. Manufacturing industry includes electronics, chemicals, oil drilling equipment, and oil refining. Singapore is also a leading financial centre. The principal exports are consumer electronics, IT products, and pharmaceuticals.

History

The island of Singapore was formerly known as Tumasik or Temasek. It was inhabited mainly by fishermen and pirates before becoming part of the Sumatran empire of Srivijaya. It then passed to the Majapahit empire in the 14th century and then to the Ayutthaya empire of Siam. In the 15th century it became part of the Malacca empire, and subsequently came under Portuguese and then Dutch control.

The island was acquired for the English East India Company by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 from the sultan of Johore, and rapidly developed into an important trading port. In 1867 Singapore was removed from British Indian administration to form part of the new colony of the Straits Settlements, its commercial development, dependent on Chinese immigrants, proceeding alongside its growth as a major naval base. In 1942 it fell to Japanese forces under General Yamashita and remained in Japanese hands until the end of World War II. The island became a separate colony in 1946 and enjoyed internal self-government from 1959 under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew. It joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, but Malay fears that its predominantly Chinese population would discriminate in favour of the non-Malays led to its expulsion in 1965. A member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Association of South-East Asian Nations, it has maintained close ties with Malaysia and Brunei. The People’s Action Party has governed since 1965, with Lee Kuan Yew as the world’s longest-serving Prime Minister (1965–90). Lee Kuan Yew resigned in 1990, filling the role of Senior Minister. He was succeeded as Prime Minister by Goh Chok Tung (1990–2004) and then by his eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong (2004– ), who was re-elected in 2006, 2011 and 2015.