Republic of Singapore
I．Introduction
Republic of Singapore, independent republic in Southeast Asia, comprising 1 main island and about 50 small islands off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The main island, Singapore Island, is parated from Malaysia on the north by the narrow Johore Strait and is linked by road and rail to the Malaysian city of Johor Baharu. On the south, Singapore Island is parated from Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago by the Singapore Strait, an important shipping channel linking the Indian Ocean to the west with the South China Sea on the east.
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The Republic of Singapore is considered a city-state becau most of the territory of the main island is part of the metropolis of Singapore. The main island is denly populated, especially in its south central portion where the central business district and main port are located. About three-fourths of the people of Singapore, known as 记忆能力Singaporeans, are Chine, but there are significant Malay and Indian minorities.
Singapore contained just a few fishing ttlements and a small trading port when the islands became part of the British colonial empire in the 1820s. Britain developed Singapore into a major international trade center, and the local Malay population soon swelled with immigrants from China and India. Since becoming an independent republic in 1965, multiethnic Singapore has maintained political stability and high economic growth. Singapore is Southeast Asia’s most important aport, financial center, and manufacturing hub, and its citizens enjoy one of the world’s highest standards of living.
III．People of Singapore
Population | 4,608,167 (2008 estimate) |
Urban population distribution | 100 percent (2003 estimate) |
Rural population distribution | 0 percent (2003 estimate) |
Largest city, with population | Singapore, 4,608,167 (2008 estimate) |
Official languages | Chine, Malay, Tamil, English | 来笔画
Chief religious affiliations | Folk religions, 43 percent
Muslim, 18 percent
Buddhist, 15 percent |
Life expectancy | 81.9 years (2008 estimate) |
Infant mortality rate | 2 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate) |
Literacy rate | 93.9 percent (2005 estimate) |
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At the time of the 1990 census, Singapore had a population of 2,705,115; by the 2000 census, the population had grown to 4,017,733. The 2008 population estimate was 4,608,167. Immigration is highly restricted, so the natural population increa, which measures births and deaths, is an important indicator of the country’s future population growth. Singapore’s natural population increa is 0.5 percent annually, and this rate is expected to fall as much of the population ages beyond the childbearing years. The government is concerned about the slow growth rate becau increasingly fewer working people must support a growing elderly population, straining available resources for health care and other social rvices. The government provides tax incentives to families that have veral children, but the growth rate is still expected to fall becau most Singaporeans prefer small families. The overall population density is 6,747 persons per sq km (17,475 per sq mi). Large residential areas with high-ri public housing estates are located throughout the main island, including the districts of Jurong in the southwest, and Geylang and Katong along the east coast.
| A. Ethnic Groups, Languages, and Religion |
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Singapore’s population is ethnically diver. Chine constitute about three-fourths of the population. Malays form the next largest group, and Indians the third. The country’s four official languages are Chine, English, Malay, and Tamil. Chine is the primary language spoken in the majority of homes. English is the language of administration and business and it is widely spoken as a cond language.
Singapore’s principal religions are Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. The majority of Chine Singaporeans follow Buddhism, although Daoism (Taoism), and more recently Christianity, are also popular. Malay Singaporeans are predominantly Muslim, while more than half the Indian Singaporeans profess Hinduism.
Although education is not compulsory in Singapore, primary school is free for six years, and attendance is nearly universal. Some 67 percent of children also attend condary school. Since 1987 English has been the language of instruction, but a policy of bilinguali
燃尽图sm requires that children also be taught Chine, Malay, or Tamil. Institutions of higher education include the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. Of Singaporeans aged 15 and older, 94 percent can read and write.
Like many other Asians, Singaporeans value a strong work ethic and clo family relations. But some traditions have been altered by Western influences and Singapore’s rapid industrialization and modernization. For example, unlike families in China and India where veral generations may share the same housing, Singaporeans of Chine and Indian ancestry live in small, nuclear families. Housing favors smaller families, as most units consist of small apartments in high-ri buildings. Western clothing is common, and foods reflect the Chine, Malay, and Indian origins of the people.
内蒙古招生考试信息网D. | Social Issues |
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Since Singapore became an independent state in 1965, government policies have broug
ht orderliness and efficiency to the country. Examples are supplanting slum and squatter areas with high-ri public housing projects, and strict controls on air and water pollution to ensure a healthier environment. While the policies draw few objections, other aspects of Singapore’s social engineering are occasionally considered extreme, such as one campaign that urged well-educated couples to produce children. The government has discontinued this particular campaign, but it remains committed to defining and promoting—either by law or through official campaigns—the appropriate public and private behavior of its citizens. Outsiders sometimes also consider Singapore’s criminal punishments vere. Singapore stress, however, that its strict laws and ntences have made the nation one of the safest places in the world.
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E. Culture
Singapore’s cultural life reflects its past colonial administration and the country’s diver population. Chine, Malay, Indian, and British influences are apparent in Singapore’s art, architecture, and fine arts. British colonial architecture, for example, is reprented by the
Parliament Hou, City Hall, and the Raffles Hotel. Chine, Hindu, and Islamic architecture are reprented in the ornate Shuang Lin Temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple, and the Sultan Mosque, respectively. Singapore’s National Muum complex consists of one muum devoted to the contemporary art of Southeast Asia, one to Asian cultures, and the third to the history of Singapore.
