Singapore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the city-state. For other uses, see Singapore (disambiguat ion). Page semi-protected Coordinates: 1.3°N 103.8°E Republic of Singapore Republik Singapura (Malay) ?????? (Chinese) ??????????? ???????? (Tamil) Flag Coat of arms Motto: "Majulah Singapura" (Malay) "Onward, Singapore" Anthem: Majulah Singapura Onward, Singapore Singapore skyline viewed from Chinatown at sunset. Singapore skyline viewed from Chinatown at sunset. Location of Singapore (red) Location of Singapore (red) Capital Singapore (Downtown Core, Central)a 1°17'N 103°50'E Official languages English Malay Chinese Tamil Official scripts Roman (Latin) script Simplified Chinese Tamil Demonym Singaporean Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic President Tony Tan Keng Yam Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon Legislature Parliament Formation Founding 6 February 1819[1] Self-government 3 June 1959[2] Independence from the United Kingdom 31 August 1963[3] Merger with Malaysia 16 September 1963[3] Separation from Malaysia 9 August 1965[3] Area Total 710 km2 (189th) 274 sq mi Water (%) 1.444 Population 2012 census 5,312,400[4] Density 7,315[5]/km2 (3rd)

18,943/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2012 estimate Total $327.557 billion[6] Per capita $61,046[6] GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate Total $270.020 billion[6] Per capita $50,323[6] Gini (2009) positive decrease 47.8[7] high · 29th HDI (2013) Increase 0.895[8] very high · 19th Currency Singapore dollar (SGD) Time zone SST (UTC+8) Date format dd/mm/yyyy Drives on the left Calling code +65 ISO 3166 code SG Internet TLD .sg, .???????????, .??? a. Singapore is a city-state. This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, yo u may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. This article contains Tamil text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead o f Tamil text. Singapore Listeni/'s???p?r/, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeas t Asian island city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilom etres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indones ia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. The country is highly ur banised with very little primary rainforest remaining, although more land is bei ng created for development through land reclamation. Part of various local empires since being inhabited in the second century AD, Si ngapore hosted a trading post of the East India Company in 1819 with permission from the Johor Sultanate. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 18 24 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. Occupied by the Japanese in World War II, Singapore declared independence, uniting with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963, although it was separ ated from Malaysia two years later. Since then, it has had a massive increase in wealth, and is one of the Four Asian Tigers. Singapore is the world's fourth-leading financial centre, and its port is one of the five busiest ports in the world. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing, which constituted 26% of Singapore's GDP in 2005. In terms of purchasing power parity, Singapore has the third-highest per capita income in the world. Singapore is a unitary multiparty parliamentary republic with a Westminster syst em of unicameral parliamentary government. The People's Action Party has won eve ry election since self-government in 1959. Slightly over five million people liv e in Singapore, of which 2.91 million were born locally. The population is highl y diverse; the majority are Chinese with almost 75% of the total population, whi le Malays and Indians forming significant minorities. Reflecting this diversity, the country has four official languages: English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil. On e of the five founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (A SEAN), the country is also the host of the APEC Secretariat, and a member of the East Asia Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth. Contents

1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Independence 2.1.1 1963: Independence from the United Kingdom 2.1.2 1965 1989: Independence from Malaysia and Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister 2.2 1990 2003: Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister 2.3 2004 Present: Lee Hsien Loong as Prime Minister 3 Government and politics 4 Geography 5 Economy 5.1 Pre-independence economy 5.2 Modern-day economy 5.3 Sectors 5.4 Employment and poverty 6 Foreign relations 7 Military 8 Demographics 8.1 Religion 8.2 Languages 9 Infrastructure 9.1 Science and technology 9.2 Education 9.3 Health 10 Culture 10.1 Languages, religions, and cultures 10.2 Attitudes and beliefs 10.3 Cuisine 10.4 Arts 10.5 Sport and recreation 10.6 Media 11 Transport 12 See also 13 References 14 External links Etymology Main article: Names of Singapore The English name of Singapore is derived from the Malay word Singapura (Sanskrit : ???????, Sinhala: ???????, literally Lion City), hence the customary reference to the nation as the Lion City. Lions probably never lived there; the beast see n by Sang Nila Utama, who founded and named ancient Singapore, was most likely a tiger.[9] History Main article: History of Singapore A parade of Japanese soldiers in a street of Singapore Victorious Japanese troops marching through Singapore City after British capitul ation at the Battle of Singapore The earliest known settlement on Singapore was in the second century AD. It was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire, named Temasek ('sea town'). Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, it was part of the Johor Sultanate. In 1613, Portuguese raiders burnt down the settlement and the island sank into obscurity for the next two centuries.[10] In 1819, Thomas Stamford Raffles arrived and signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor on behalf of the British East India Company to develop the southe rn part of Singapore as a British trading post. In 1824, the entire island becam e a British possession under a further treaty with the Sultan and the Temenggong

.[11] In 1826, it became part of the Straits Settlements, under the jurisdiction of British India. Singapore became the capital of the Straits Settlements in 18 36.[12] Before Raffles arrived, there were around 1,000 people living in Singapo re, mostly indigenous Malay community, and 20-30 Chinese.[13] By 1860, the popul ation exceeded 80,000, with over half of the population being Chinese. Many immi grants came to work at rubber plantations; and, after the 1870s, the island beca me a global centre for rubber exports.[11] During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya culminating in th e Battle of Singapore. The British were defeated, and surrendered on 15 February 1942. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called this "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history".[14] The Sook Ching massacre of eth nic Chinese after the fall of Singapore claimed between 5,000 and 25,000 lives.[ 15] The Japanese-occupied Singapore until the British repossessed it in Septembe r 1945 after the Japanese surrender.[16] Singapore's first general election in 1955 was won by the pro-independence David Marshall, leader of the Labour Front. Demanding complete self-rule he led a del egation to London but was turned down by the British. He resigned when he return ed and was replaced by Lim Yew Hock, whose policies convinced Britain to grant S ingapore full internal self-government for all matters except defence and foreig n affairs.[17] During the May 1959 elections, the People's Action Party won a landslide victory . Singapore had become an internally self-governing state within the Commonwealt h, with Lee Kuan Yew as the first Prime Minister.[18] Governor Sir William Allmo nd Codrington Goode served as the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara ("Head of State") , and was succeeded by Yusof bin Ishak who in 1965 became the first President of Singapore.[19] During the 1950s Communists, mostly supported by the Chinese-spe aking group, with strong ties to the trade unions and Chinese schools, carried o ut an armed struggle against the state, resulting in the Malayan Emergency and l ater, the Communist Insurgency War. The 1954 National Service Riots, Chinese mid dle schools riots and Hock Lee bus riots in Singapore were all linked to the Com munists.[20] Independence 1963: Independence from the United Kingdom On 31 August 1963, Singapore declared independence from Britain and joined with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form the new Federation of Malaysia as the result o f the 1962 Merger Referendum. Singaporean leaders joined Malaysia for various re asons. Firstly, as a small country, they did not believe that the British would find it viable for Singapore to become independent by itself. Secondly, they als o did not believe that Singapore could survive on its own, due to scarcity of la nd, water, markets and natural resources. Lastly, the Singapore government wante d the help of the Malaysian government to flush out the Communists. However, the two years that Singapore spent as part of Malaysia were filled with strife and bitter disagreements. The Malaysians insisted on a pro-Bumiputera (Malay for ind igenous) society, where indigenous Malays and tribes were given special Bumipute ra rights, which still exist to this day to assist the majority Malay community who were left behind in terms of economic share of the country compared to the m inority Chinese and to maintain harmony within a multiethnic society. The Malays ians were also suspicious about Singapore's majority of ethnic Chinese and worri ed that Singapore's economic clout would shift the centre of power from Kuala Lu mpur to Singapore. There were also linguistic and religious issues. The Singapor eans, on the other hand, wanted an equal and meritocratic society, a Malaysian M alaysia where all citizens were given equal rights. As part of Malaysia, Singapore's economic and social development came to a halt as the Malaysian parliament blocked many bills. Race riots broke out in Singapor e in 1964. After much heated ideological conflicts between the two governments,

in 1965, the Malaysian parliament voted 126 to 0 to expel Singapore from Malaysi a.[3][21][22] Race riots broke out once more in 1969. 1965 1989: Independence from Malaysia and Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister Singapore gained independence as the Republic of Singapore (remaining within the Commonwealth) on 9 August 1965[3] with Yusof bin Ishak as president and Lee Kua n Yew as Prime Minister. Everyone who was present in Singapore on the date of in dependence was offered Singapore citizenship. In 1967, it helped found the Assoc iation of Southeast Asian Nations[23] and in 1970 it joined the Non-Aligned Move ment. 1990 2003: Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister. During his tenure, the c ountry faced the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak and terrori st threats posed by Jemaah Islamiyah. 2004 Present: Lee Hsien Loong as Prime Minister In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the country's t hird prime minister.[24] Government and politics Main articles: Government of Singapore, Politics of Singapore, and Human rights in Singapore Singapore's Parliament House. Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral pa rliamentary government representing constituencies. Its constitution establishes representative democracy as its political system.[25] Freedom House ranks Singa pore as "partly free" in its Freedom in the World report,[26] and The Economist ranks Singapore as a "hybrid regime", the third rank out of four, in its "Democr acy Index".[27] Singapore is consistently rated one of the least corrupt countri es in the world by Transparency International.[28] Executive power rests with the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister, and the Presi dent.[19] The president is elected through popular vote, and has some veto power s for a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appoi ntment of judges, but otherwise occupies a ceremonial post.[29] The Parliament serves as the legislative branch of government.[19] Members of Pa rliament (MPs) consist of elected, non-constituency and nominated members. Elect ed MPs are voted into parliament on a "first-past-the-post" (plurality) basis an d represent either single-member or group-representation constituencies.[30] The People's Action Party has won control of Parliament with large majorities in ev ery election since self-governance was secured in 1959.[26] However, in the most recent parliamentary elections in 2011, the opposition, led by the Workers' Par ty, made significant gains and increased its representation in the House to 6 el ected MPs.[31] The legal system of Singapore is based on English common law, albeit with substa ntial local differences. Trial by jury was entirely abolished in 1970 leaving ju dicial assessment performed wholly by judgeship.[32] Singapore has penalties tha t include judicial corporal punishment in the form of caning for rape, rioting, vandalism, and some immigration offences.[33][34] There is a mandatory death pen alty for murder, and for certain drug-trafficking and firearms offences.[35] Amn esty International has said that some legal provisions conflict with the right t o be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that Singapore has "possibly the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population".[36] The govern ment has disputed Amnesty's claims.[37] In a 2008 survey, international business executives believed Singapore, along with Hong Kong, had the best judicial syst em in Asia.[38]

In 2011, in the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index Singapore was ranked i n the top countries surveyed in "Order and Security", "Absence of Corruption", a nd "Effective Criminal Justice". However, it scored very low for both "Freedom o f Speech" and "Freedom of Assembly".[39] All public gatherings of five or more p eople require police permits, and protests may only be legally held at Speakers' Corner.[40] Geography Main article: Geography of Singapore Map showing Singapore's island and the territories belonging Singapore and its n eighbours Outline of Singapore and the surrounding islands & waterways Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island, widely known as Sin gapore Island but also as Pulau Ujong.[41] There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia: the Johor Singapore Causeway in the north, and the Tuas Second L ink in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the lar gest of Singapore's smaller islands. The highest natural point is Bukit Timah Hi ll at 166 m (545 ft).[42] There are ongoing land reclamation projects, which have increased Singapore's la nd area from 581.5 km2 (224.5 sq mi) in the 1960s to 704 km2 (272 sq mi) today; it may grow by another 100 km2 (40 sq mi) by 2030.[43] Some projects involve mer ging smaller islands through land reclamation to form larger, more functional is lands, as with Jurong Island.[44] 5% of Singapore's land is set aside as nature reserves.[45] Urbanisation has eliminated most primary rainforest on the main is land, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve being the only significant remaining forest.[44 ] There are only about 250 acres of farmland remaining in Singapore.[46] Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen: Af?) with no distinctive seas ons, uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Tem peratures usually range from 22 to 35 °C (72 to 95 °F). Relative humidity averages a round 79% in the morning and 73% in the afternoon.[47] April and May are the hot test months, with the wetter monsoon season from November to January.[48] From J uly to October, there is often haze caused by bush fires in neighbouring Indones ia.[49] Although Singapore does not observe daylight saving time, it follows tim e zone GMT+8, one hour ahead of its geographical location.[50] [hide]Climate data for Month Jan Feb Oct Nov Dec Record high °C (°F) (93.7) 35.2 (95.4) 36.0 (96.8) 35.8 (96.4) 35.4 (95.7) 35.0 (95) 34.0 (93.2) 34.2 (93.6) 34.3 (93.7) 34.6 (94.3) 34.2 (93.6) 33.8 (92.8) 36.0 (96.8) Average high °C (°F) (86.2) 31.2 (88.2) 31.6 (88.9) 31.7 (89.1) 31.6 Singapore Mar Apr Year 34.3

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

30.1

(88.9) 31.3 (88.3) 30.9 (87.6) 30.9 (87.6) 30.9 (87.6) 31.1 (88) 30.6 (87.1) 30.0 (86) 31.0 (87.8) Average low °C (°F) 23.3 (73.9) 23.6 (74.5) 23.9 (75) 24.4 (75.9) 24.8 (76.6) 24.8 (76.6) 24.6 (76.3) 24.5 (76.1) 24.2 (75.6) 24.1 (75.4) 23.7 (74.7) 23.5 (74.3) 24.1 (75.4) Record low °C (°F) 19.4 (66.9) 19.7 (67.5) 20.2 (68.4) 20.7 (69.3) 21.2 (70.2) 20.8 (69.4) 19.7 (67.5) 20.2 (68.4) 20.7 (69.3) 20.6 (69.1) 21.1 (70) 20.6 (69.1) 19.4 (66.9) Rainfall mm (inches) 243.2 (9.575) 159.9 (6.295) 185.7 (7.311) 178.9 (7.043) 171.3 (6.744) 162.1 (6.382) 158.7 (6.248) 175.4 (6.906) 169.2 (6.661) 193.8 (7.63) 256.9 (10.114) 287.4 (11.315) 2,342.5 (92.224) Avg. rainy days 15 14 14 16 19 % humidity 84.7 82.8 83.4 84.1 86.4 86.9 Mean monthly sunshine hours 189.1 179.8 156.0 155.0 Percent possible sunshine 51 48 43 42 Source #1: National Environment

11 19 83.8 84.2 173.6 129.0 47 36 Agency

14 178 84.8

15 84.4

15 83.0

13 82.8

13 83.0

183.6 192.2 174.0 179.8 177.0 133.3 2,022.4 54 52 48 48 49 36 46.2 (Temp 1929-1941 and 1948-2011, Rainfall 1

869-2011, Humidity 1929-1941 and 1948-2011, Rain days 1891-2011) [51] Source #2: Hong Kong Observatory (sun only, 1982 2008) [52] Economy Main article: Economy of Singapore Pre-independence economy Before independence in 1965, Singapore was the capital of the British Straits Se ttlements, a Crown Colony. It was also the main British naval base in East Asia. [53] Because of its status as the main British naval base in the region, as well as hosting the largest dry dock in the world at that time in the form of the Si ngapore Naval Base, it was described in the press as the 'Gibraltar of the East' .[54] The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 caused global trade to boom, and Sin gapore became a major world trade node, and the Port of Singapore became one of the largest and busiest ports in the world.[55] Before independence in 1965, Sin gapore had a GDP per capita of $511, then the third-highest in East Asia.[56] Af ter independence, foreign direct investment and a state-led drive for industrial isation based on plans by Goh Keng Swee and Albert Winsemius created a modern ec onomy.[57] Modern-day economy The port of Singapore with a large number of shipping containers with the skylin e of the city visible in the background The Port of Singapore, one of the world's five busiest,[58] with the skyline of Singapore in the background. Today, Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy, based historically on extended entrepôt trade. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapo re is one of the original Four Asian Tigers. The Singaporean economy is known as one of the freest,[59] most innovative,[60] most competitive,[61] and most busi ness-friendly.[62] The 2011 Index of Economic Freedom ranks Singapore as the sec ond freest economy in the world, behind Hong Kong. According to the Corruption P erceptions Index, Singapore is consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt c ountries in the world, along with New Zealand and the Scandinavian countries. Singapore is the 14th largest exporter and the 15th largest importer in the worl d. The country has the highest trade-to-GDP ratio in the world at 407.9 percent, signifying the importance of trade to its economy. The country is currently the only Asian country to have AAA credit ratings from all three major credit ratin g agencies; Standard & Poor's, Moody's, and Fitch.[63][64] Singapore attracts a large amount of foreign direct investment as a result of its location, corruptio n-free environment, skilled workforce, low tax rates and advanced infrastructure . There are more than 7,000 multinational corporations from the United States, J apan, and Europe in Singapore. There are also 1,500 companies from China and 1,5 00 from India. Foreign firms are found in almost all sectors of the economy.[7] Singapore is also the second largest foreign investor in India.[65] Roughly 44 p ercent of the Singaporean workforce is made up of non-Singaporeans.[66] Over ten free trade agreements have been signed with other countries and regions.[67] Singapore also possesses the world's eleventh largest foreign reserves.[68] The currency of Singapore is the Singapore dollar, issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.[69] It is interchangeable with the Brunei dollar.[70] Sectors Large high-rise buildings at night time Singapore skyline. The Singaporean economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing,[71] which constituted 27.2% of GDP in 2010[7] and i ncludes significant electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engin eering and biomedical sciences sectors. In 2006 Singapore produced about 10% of the world's foundry wafer output.[72] Despite its small size, Singapore has a di versified economy, a strategy that the government considers vital for growth and

stability.[73] Tourism also forms a large part of the economy, and 10.2 million tourists visite d the country in 2007.[74] To attract more tourists, in 2005 the government lega lised gambling and allowed two casino resorts (called Integrated Resorts) to be developed.[75] Singapore is promoting itself as a medical tourism hub: about 200 ,000 foreigners seek medical care there each year, and Singapore medical service s aim to serve one million foreign patients annually by 2012 and generate USD 3 billion in revenue.[76] Singapore is an education hub, and many foreign students study in Singapore. Singapore hosted over 80,000 international students in 2006 .[77] There are also more than 5000 Malaysian students who cross the Johor Singapo re Causeway every morning with hopes of receiving a better education in Singapor e.[78] In 2009, 20% of all students in Singaporean universities were internation al students. The students were mainly from ASEAN, China and India.[79] Singapore is a world leader in several economic areas: The country is the world' s fourth leading financial centre,[80] the world's second-biggest casino gamblin g market,[81] one of the world's top three oil refining centres, the world's lar gest oil-rig producer, and a major ship-repairer.[82][83][84] The port is one of the five busiest ports in the world.[81] The World Bank has named Singapore as the easiest place in the world to do business[81] and ranks Singapore the world' s top logistics hub.[85] It is also the world's fourth largest foreign-exchange trading centre after London, New York and Tokyo.[86] As a result of global recession and a slump in the technology sector, Singapore' s GDP contracted by 2.2% in 2001. The Economic Review Committee was set up in De cember 2001 and recommended several policy changes to revitalise the economy. Si ngapore has since recovered, due largely to improvements in the world economy; t he economy grew by 8.3% in 2004, 6.4% in 2005,[87] and 7.9% in 2006.[88] After a contraction of 0.8% in 2009, the economy recovered in 2010, with GDP growth of 14.5%.[7] Most work in Singapore is in the service sector, which employed 2,151, 400 people out of 3,102,500 jobs in December 2010. The percentage of unemployed economically active people above age 15 is about 2%.[89] Employment and poverty Singapore has the world's highest percentage of millionaires, with one out of ev ery six households having at least one million US dollars in disposable wealth. This excludes property, businesses, and luxury goods, which if included would fu rther increase the number of millionaires, especially as property in Singapore i s among the world's most expensive.[90] Despite its relative economic success, S ingapore does not have a minimum wage, believing that it would lower its competi tiveness. It also has one of the highest income inequality levels among develope d countries, coming in just behind Hong Kong and in front of the United States.[ 91][92] Acute poverty is rare in Singapore; the government has rejected the idea of a ge nerous welfare system, stating that each generation must earn and save enough fo r its entire life cycle. There are, however, numerous means-tested 'assistance s chemes' provided by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in S ingapore for the needy, including some that pay out SGD 400 to SGD 1000 per mont h to each needy household, free medical care at government hospitals, money for children's school fees, rental of studio apartments for SGD 80 a month, training grants for courses, etc.[93][94][95] Also, Singapore is rated top in terms of n et international investment position per capita.[96][97] In April 2013, the country was recognised as an increasingly popular tax haven f or the wealthy due to the low tax rate on personal income, a full tax exemption on income that is generated outside of Singapore and legislation that means that capital gains are also tax exempt. Australian millionaire retailer Brett Blundy , with an estimated personal wealth worth AU$835 million dollars, and multi-bill

ionaire Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin are two examples of wealthy individu als who have settled in Singapore (Blundy in 2013 and Saverin in 2012).[98] Foreign relations Main article: Foreign relations of Singapore Ambassador to the USA Chan Heng Chee, Lee Kuan Yew, and US Secretary of Defense William Cohen in a room Then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Ambassador to the U.S. Chan Heng Chee meet with Secretary of Defense William Cohen during Lee's visit in 2000 Singapore's foreign policy is directed to maintaining a secure environment in So utheast Asia as well as the surrounding territories. An underlying principle is political and economic stability in the region.[67] It has diplomatic relations with 175 other sovereign states.[99] As one of the five founding members of the ASEAN,[100] the country is a strong supporter of the ASEAN Free Trade Area and t he ASEAN Investment Area, because Singapore's economic growth is closely linked with the economic progress of the region as a whole. Former Prime Minister Goh C hok Tong proposed the formation of an ASEAN Economic Community, a step beyond th e current AFTA bringing it closer to a common market. This idea was agreed to in 2007 for implementation by 2015. Other regional organisations are also importan t to Singapore, and it is the host of the APEC Secretariat. Singapore also maint ains membership in other regional organisations, such as Asia-Europe Meeting, th e Forum for East Asia-Latin American Cooperation, and the East Asia Summit.[67] It is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement[101] and the Commonwealth.[102] In general, bilateral relations with other ASEAN members are strong; however, di sagreements have arisen,[67] and relations with neighbouring Malaysia and Indone sia have historically sometimes been very strained and difficult.[103] Malaysia and Singapore have clashed over the delivery of fresh water to Singapore,[104] a ccess of the Singapore Armed Forces to Malaysian airspace,[103] the sovereignty of Pedra Branca, and the relocation of Tanjong Pagar railway station, among othe rs.[citation needed] Border issues exist with both Malaysia and Indonesia, and b oth have banned the sale of marine sand to Singapore over disputes about Singapo re's land reclamation.[105] Some previous disputes have been resolved by the Int ernational Court of Justice. Piracy in the Malacca Strait has been a cause of co ncern for all three countries.[104] Close economic ties exist with Brunei, and t he two share a pegged currency value.[106] The first diplomatic contact with China was made in the 1970s, with full diploma tic relations being established in the 1990s. Since then the two countries have enjoyed a strong relationship, being major players in strengthening the ASEAN Chin a relationship.[107] Singapore and the United States share a long-standing and s trong relationship, in particular in defence, the economy, health and education. The United States was Singapore's third largest trading partner in 2010, behind the European Union and China.[108] The two countries have a free-trade agreemen t, and Singapore views its relationship with the United States as an important c ounterbalance to China's influence.[109] A Strategic Framework Agreement between the two signed in 2005 formalises security and defence cooperation.[110] Singap ore has pushed regional counter-terrorism initiatives, with a strong resolve to deal with terrorists inside its borders. To this end it has given support to the US-led coalition to fight terrorism, with bilateral cooperation in counter-terr orism and counter-proliferation initiatives, and joint military exercises.[67] Military Main article: Singapore Armed Forces CARAT SINGAPORE 2010, Republic of Singapore Navy's RSS Steadfast and RSS Vigilan ce sailing line-abreast. The Singaporean military is arguably the most technologically advanced in Southe ast Asia.[111] It comprises the Army, Navy, and Air Force.[7] It is seen as the guarantor of the country's independence.[112] The nation's philosophy of defence is one of diplomacy and deterrence.[113] This principle translates into the cul

ture, involving all citizens in the country's defence.[114] The government spend s 4.9% of the country's GDP on the military[7] and one out of every four dollars of government spending is spent on defence.[115] On independence, Singapore had two infantry regiments commanded by British offic ers. This force was considered too small to provide effective security to the ne w country, so the development of the military became a priority.[116] Britain pu lled its military out of Singapore in October 1971, leaving behind only a small British, Australian and New Zealand force as a token military presence. The last British soldier left Singapore in March 1976. New Zealand troops were the last to leave, in 1989.[117] A great deal of initial support came from Israel,[116] a country that is not rec ognised by neighbouring Islamic Malaysia, Indonesia or Brunei.[118][119][120] Th e main fear after independence was an invasion by Malaysia. Israel Defense Force s commanders were tasked with creating the Singapore Armed Forces from scratch, and Israeli instructors were brought in to train Singaporean soldiers. Military courses were conducted according to the Israel Defense Forces' format, and Singa pore adopted a system of conscription and reserve service based on the Israeli m odel.[116] Singapore still maintains strong security ties with Israel and is one of the biggest buyers of Israeli arms and weapons systems.[121] The MATADOR is one example of recent Singapore-Israeli collaboration.[122] The SAF is being developed to respond to a wide range of issues, in both convent ional and unconventional warfare. The Defence Science and Technology Agency is r esponsible for procuring resources for the military.[113] The geographic restric tions of Singapore mean that the SAF must plan to fully repulse an attack, as th ey can not fall back and re-group. The small size of the population has also aff ected the way the SAF has been designed, with a small active force but a large n umber of reserves.[114] Republic of Singapore Air Force's F-15SG Strike Eagle (Peace Carvin V) training detachment at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Singapore has conscription for all able-bodied males at age 18, except those wit h a criminal record or who can prove that their loss would bring hardship to the ir families. Males who have yet to complete pre-university education or are awar ded the Public Service Commission scholarship can opt to defer their draft. Thou gh not required to perform military service, the number of women in the SAF has been increasing: since 1989 they have been allowed to fill military vocations fo rmerly reserved for men. Before induction into a specific branch of the armed fo rces, recruits undergo at least 9 weeks of basic military training.[123] Because of the scarcity of open land on the main island, training involving acti vities such as live firing and amphibious landings is often carried out on small er islands, typically barred to civilian access. This also avoids risk to the ma in island and the city. However, large-scale drills are considered too dangerous to be performed in the area, and since 1975 have been performed in Taiwan.[123] Training is also held in about a dozen other countries. In general, military ex ercises are held with foreign forces once or twice per week.[114] Due to airspace and land constraints, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) maintains a number of overseas bases in Australia, the United States, and Franc e. The RSAF's 130 Squadron is based in RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia,[124] and its 126 Squadron is based in the Oakey Army Aviation Centre, Queensland.[12 5] The RSAF has one squadron the 150 Squadron based in Cazaux Air Base in southe rn France.[126][127] The RSAF also has a few overseas detachments in the United States, in San Diego, California, Marana, Arizona, Grand Prairie, Texas and Luke Air Force Base, among others.[128][129] The SAF has sent forces to assist in operations outside the country in areas suc

h as Iraq[130] and Afghanistan,[131] in both military and civilian roles. In the region, it has helped stabilise East Timor and has provided aid to Aceh in Indo nesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The SAF also helpe d in relief efforts during Hurricane Katrina.[132] Singapore is part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, a military alliance with Australia, Malaysia, New Z ealand, and the United Kingdom.[114] Demographics Main article: Demographics of Singapore High-rise HDB flats and condominiums overlooking Bishan Park As of 2011, the population of Singapore is 5.18 million people, of whom 3.25 mil lion (63%) are citizens while the rest (37%) are permanent residents or foreign workers. Twenty-three percent of Singaporean citizens were born outside Singapor e (i.e. foreign born citizens). There are half a million permanent residents in Singapore in 2011. The resident population does not take into account the 11 mil lion transient visitors who visit Singapore annually.[4][133][134] Due to scarcity of land, four out of five Singaporeans live in subsidised, highrise, public housing apartments known as HDB (for Housing and Development Board) flats.[135] Singaporeans generally take off their shoes before entering their h omes.[136] Live-in domestic helpers are quite common in Singapore and there are nearly 200,000 domestic helpers there.[137] The median age of Singaporeans is 37 years old and the average household size is 3.5 persons. Due to scarcity of land, four out of five Singaporeans live in sub sidised, high-rise, public housing apartments known as Housing and Development B oard (HDB) flats, after the board responsible for public housing in the country. [135] In 2010, three quarters of Singaporean residents live in properties that a re equal to or larger than a four-room HDB flat or in private housing. Home owne rship rate is at 87.2%.[138][139] Mobile phone penetration rate is extremely hig h at 1,400 mobile phone subscribers per 1000 people. Around 1 in 10 residents ow ns a car.[134] The total fertility rate is estimated to be .78 children per woman in 2012, the lowest in the world and well below the 2.1 needed to replace the population.[7] To overcome this problem, the Singapore government has been encouraging foreigne rs to immigrate to Singapore for the past few decades. The large number of immig rants has kept Singapore's population from declining.[140] Singapore traditional ly has one of the lowest unemployment rates among developed countries. The Singa porean unemployment rate has not exceeded 4% in the past decade, hitting a high of 3% during the 2009 global financial crisis and falling to 1.9% in 2011.[141][ 142] As of 2009, about 40% of Singapore's residents were foreigners, one of the highe st percentage in the world.[143] The government is considering capping these wor kers, although it has been recognised that they are crucial to the country's eco nomy,[144] as foreign workers make up 80% of the construction industry and up to 50% of the service industry.[145][146] In 2009, the government census reports that 74.2% of residents were of Chinese, 13.4% of Malay, and 9.2% of Indian descent,[147] while Eurasians and other group s form 3.2%. Prior to 2010, each person could register as a member of only one r ace, by default that of his or her father, therefore, mixed-race persons were so lely grouped under their father's race in government censuses. From 2010 onward, people may register using a "double-barrelled" classification, in which they ma y choose one primary race and one secondary race, but no more than two.[148] Religion Main article: Religion in Singapore Religion in Singapore[149] Religion Percent

Buddhism ? 33% Christianity ? 18% No religion ? 17% Islam ? 15% Taoism ? 11% Hinduism ? 5.1% Others ? 0.9% Buddhism is the most widely practised religion in Singapore, with 33% of the res ident population declaring themselves adherents at the most recent census. The n ext-most practised religion is Christianity, followed by Islam, Taoism, and Hind uism. 17% of the population did not have a religious affiliation. The proportion of Christians, Taoists, and non-religious people increased between 2000 and 201 0 by about 3% each, whilst the proportion of Buddhists decreased. Other faiths r emained largely stable in their share of the population.[149] There are monasteries and Dharma centres from all three major traditions of Budd hism in Singapore: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Most Buddhists in Singapo re are Chinese and are of the Mahayana tradition.[150] Chinese Mahayana is the m ost predominant form of Buddhism in Singapore, with missionaries coming into the country from Taiwan and China for several decades. However, Thailand's Theravad a Buddhism has seen growing popularity among the people (not only the Chinese) i n the past decade. Soka Gakkai International, a Japanese Buddhist organisation, is practised by many people in Singapore, but mostly by those of Chinese descent . Tibetan Buddhism has also made slow inroads into the country in recent years.[ 151] Languages Main article: Languages of Singapore Native languages ("mother tongues") of Singaporeans[152] Language Percent Chinese ? 49.9% English ? 32.3% Malay ? 12.2% Tamil ? 3.3% Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese (or Stan dard Chinese to be more precise), and Tamil.[153] English is the common language of the nation and is the language of business, government, and the medium of in

struction in schools.[154][155] Public bodies in Singapore conduct their busines ses in English, and official documents written in a non-English official languag e such as Chinese, Malay or Tamil typically have to be translated into English t o be accepted for submission. The Singapore Constitution and all laws are writte n in English,[156] and translators are required if one wishes to address the Sin gaporean Courts in a language other than English.[157][158] However, English is the native tongue for only one-third of all Singaporeans, with roughly a third o f all Singaporean Chinese, a quarter of all Singaporean Malays and half of all S ingaporean Indians speaking it as their native tongue. Twenty percent of Singapo reans, or one out of every five, cannot read or write in English.[149][159] Many, but not all, Singaporeans are bilingual in English and another official la nguage, with vastly varying degrees of fluency. The official languages ranked in terms of literacy amongst Singaporeans are English (80% literacy), Mandarin Chi nese (65% literacy), Malay (17% literacy), and Tamil (4% literacy).[149][160] Si ngaporean English is based on British English,[161] and forms of English spoken range from Standard English to a pidgin known as "Singlish". Singlish is heavily discouraged by the government.[162] Chinese is the language that is spoken as the native tongue by the greatest numb er of Singaporeans, half of them.[152] Singaporean Mandarin is the most common v ersion of Chinese in the country,[163] with 1.2 million using it as their home l anguage. Nearly half a million speak other Chinese languages (which the governme nt describes as "dialects"), mainly Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese, as their ho me language, although the use of these is declining in favour of Mandarin and En glish.[164] Malay was chosen as the "national language" by the Singaporean government after independence from Britain in the 1960s to avoid friction with Singapore's neighb ours Malaysia and Indonesia which are Malay-speaking.[165] It has a symbolic rat her than functional purpose.[153][166][167] It is used in the national anthem "M ajulah Singapura",[168] in citations of Singaporean orders and decorations, and in military commands. Today, in general, Malay is spoken within the Singaporean Malay community, with only 16.8% of all Singaporeans literate in Malay[169] and only 12% using it as their native language.[152] Around 100,000, or 3%, of Singaporeans speak Tamil as their native language.[152 ] Even though only Tamil has official status, there have been no attempts to dis courage the use or spread of other Indian languages.[170] Infrastructure Science and technology The Internet in Singapore is provided by ISPs that offer residential service pla ns of speeds up to 1 Gbit/s. In Singapore, the rise of Gigabit Networks increase d exports and created 80,000 jobs in 2006.[171] Telecommunications in Singapore include 4G mobile phone services for over 6 mill ion subscribers. Education Main article: Education in Singapore The Lee Kong Chian School of Business of the Singapore Management University, on e of five public universities in Singapore Education for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels is mostly supported by the state. All institutions, private and public, must be registered with the Minist ry of Education.[172] English is the language of instruction in all public schoo ls,[173] and all subjects are taught and examined in English except for the "Mot her Tongue" language paper.[174] While the term "Mother Tongue" in general refer s to the first language internationally, in Singapore's education system, it is used to refer to the second language, as English is the first language.[175][176

] Students who have been abroad for a while or who struggle with their "Mother T ongue" language are allowed to take a simpler syllabus or drop the subject.[177] [178] Education takes place in three stages: primary, secondary, and pre-university ed ucation. Only the primary level is compulsory. Students begin with six years of primary school, which is made up of a four-year foundation course and a two-year orientation stage. The curriculum is focused on the development of English, the mother tongue, and maths.[179] There are four standard subjects taught to all s tudents: English, the mother tongue, mathematics, and science.[180] Secondary sc hool lasts from four to five years and is divided between Special, Express, Norm al (Academic), and Normal (Technical) streams in each school, depending on a stu dent's ability level.[181] The basic coursework breakdown is the same as in the primary level, although classes are much more specialised.[182] Pre-university e ducation takes place over two to three years at senior schools mostly called Jun ior Colleges.[183] Some schools have a degree of freedom in their curriculum and are known as auton omous schools. These exist from the secondary education level.[181] Educational attainment of non-student Singaporeans above 15 years old in 2005[18 4] Highest qualification Percentage No education ? 18% Primary school ? 45% Secondary school ? 15% Post-secondary diploma ? 8% Degree ? 14% National examinations are standardised across all schools, with a test taken aft er each stage. After the first six years of education, students take the Primary School Leaving Examination,[179] which determines their placement at secondary school. At the end of the secondary stage, GCE "O"-Level exams are taken; at the end of the following pre-university stage, the GCE "A"-Level exams are taken. O f all non-student Singaporeans aged 15 and above, 18% have no education qualific ations at all while 45% have the Primary School Leaving Examination as their hig hest qualification. 15% have the GCE 'O' Level as their highest qualification an d 14% have a degree.[184] Singaporean students consistently rank in the top five in the world in the two m ajor international assessments of mathematics and science knowledge. Singaporean students were ranked first in the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of E ducational Achievement and have been ranked top three every year since 1995.[185 ][186] Singaporean students were also ranked top five in the world in terms of m athematics, science, and reading in the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment conducted by the OECD.[187] The country's two main public universiti es the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University are among the top 50 in the world.[188] Health Main article: Healthcare in Singapore

Singapore has a generally efficient healthcare system, even with a health expend iture relatively low for developed countries.[189] The World Health Organization ranks Singapore's healthcare system as 6th overall in the world in its World He alth Report.[190] In general, Singapore has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world for the past two decades.[134] Life expectancy in Singapore is 80 for males and 85 for females, placing the country 4th in the world for life expectan cy. Almost the whole population has access to improved water and sanitation faci lities. There are fewer than 10 annual deaths from HIV per 100,000 people. There is a high level of immunisation. Adult obesity is below 10%.[191] The government's healthcare system is based upon the "3M" framework. This has th ree components: Medifund, which provides a safety net for those not able to othe rwise afford healthcare, Medisave, a compulsory health savings scheme covering a bout 85% of the population, and Medishield, a government-funded health insurance scheme.[189] Public hospitals in Singapore have autonomy in their management de cisions, and compete for patients. A subsidy scheme exists for those on low inco me.[192] In 2008, 31.9% of healthcare was funded by the government. It accounts for approximately 3.5% of Singapore's GDP.[193] Culture Main article: Culture of Singapore The country has strict laws against drug use and has one of the lowest rates of drug use in the world.[194] Foreigners also make up 42% of the population[143][164] and have a strong influe nce on Singaporean culture. A.T. Kearney named Singapore the most globalised cou ntry in the world in 2006 in its Globalization Index.[195] The Economist Intelli gence Unit in its "Quality-of-Life Index" ranks Singapore as having the best qua lity of life in Asia and eleventh overall in the world.[196] Languages, religions, and cultures Singapore is a very diverse and young country. It has many languages, religions, and cultures for a country its size.[197] Due to the many languages and culture s in the country, there is no single set of culturally acceptable behaviours. When Singapore became independent from the United Kingdom in 1963, most of the n ewly minted Singaporean citizens were uneducated labourers from Malaysia, China and India. Many of them were transient labourers who were seeking to make some m oney in Singapore and they had no intention of staying for good. A sizeable mino rity of middle-class, local-born people, known as the Peranakans, also existed. With the exception of the Peranakans (descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants) who pledged their loyalties to Singapore, most of the labour ers' loyalties lay with their respective homelands of Malaysia, China and India. [198][199] After independence, the process of crafting a Singaporean identity an d culture began. Former Prime Ministers of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong have stated t hat Singapore does not fit the traditional description of a nation, calling it a society-in-transition, pointing out the fact that Singaporeans do not all speak the same language, share the same religion, or have the same customs.[197][200] Even though English is the first language of the nation, according to the gover nment's 2010 census 20% of Singaporeans, or one in five, are illiterate in Engli sh. This is a marked improvement from 1990 where 40% of Singaporeans were illite rate in English.[201][202] Unlike many other countries, languages, religions and cultures among Singaporean s are not delineated according to skin colour or ancestry. Among Chinese Singapo reans, one in five is Christian, another one in five is atheist, and the rest ar e mostly Buddhists or Taoists. One-third speak English as their home language, w

hile half speak Mandarin Chinese as their home language. The rest speak other mu tually unintelligible Chinese languages at home.[201] Singaporean Indians are mu ch more religious. Only 1% of them are atheists. Six in ten are Hindus, two in t en Muslims, and the rest mostly Christians. Four in ten speak English as their h ome language, three in ten Tamil, one in ten Malay, and the rest other Indian la nguages as their home language.[201] Each Singaporean's behaviours and attitudes would therefore be influenced by, am ong many other things, his or her home language and his religion. Singaporeans w ho speak English as their native language tend to lean toward Western culture. W hile those who speak Chinese languages as their native language tend to lean tow ard Chinese culture and Confucianism. Malay-speaking Singaporeans tend to lean t oward Malay culture, which itself is closely linked to Islamic culture. Those wh o speak Indian languages as their native language would probably lean toward Ind ian culture. Attitudes and beliefs Singapore, as a country, in general is conservative socially, but some liberalis ation has occurred.[203] At the national level, meritocracy, where one is judged based on one's ability, is heavily emphasised.[204] Racial and religious harmony is regarded by the government as a crucial part of Singapore's success and played a part in building a Singaporean identity.[205] S ingapore has a reputation as a nanny state.[206][207] The national flower of Sin gapore is the Vanda Miss Joaquim. Many national symbols such as the National Coa t of Arms and the Lion Head symbol make use of the lion, as Singapore is known a s the 'Lion City'. Public holidays in Singapore cover major Chinese, Western, Ma lay and Indian festivals.[208] Singaporean employees work an average of around 45 hours weekly, relatively long compared to many other nations. Three in four Singaporean employees surveyed st ated that they take pride in doing their work well, and that doing so helps thei r self-confidence.[209] Cuisine Main article: Singaporean cuisine Dining, along with shopping, is said to be the country's national pastime.[210] The focus on food has led countries like Australia to attract Singaporean touris ts with food-based itineraries.[211] The diversity of food is touted as a reason to visit the country,[212] and the variety of food representing different ethni cities is seen by the government as a symbol of its multiculturalism.[213] The " national fruit" of Singapore is the durian.[214] In popular culture, food items belong to a particular ethnicity, with Chinese, M alay, and Indian food clearly defined. However, the diversity of cuisine has bee n increased further by the "hybridization" of different styles (e.g., the Perana kan style, a mix of Chinese and Malay cuisine).[212] Arts Domed black building with bumps reminiscent of those on a Durian The durian-shaped Esplanade, performing arts centre, stands out in front of the Marina Square area. Since the 1990s, the government has been promoting Singapore as a centre for art s and culture, in particular the performing arts, and to transform the country i nto a cosmopolitan "gateway between the East and West".[215] One highlight was t he construction of Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, a performing arts centre opene d in October 2002.[216] The national orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, pl ays at the Esplanade. The annual Singapore Arts Festival is organised by the Nat ional Arts Council. The stand-up comedy scene has been growing, with a weekly op en mic.[217] Singapore hosted the 2009 Genee International Ballet Competition, a

classical ballet competition promoted by London's Royal Academy of Dance.[218] Sport and recreation Main article: Sport in Singapore Closing ceremony for the National Stadium National Stadium of Singapore Popular sports include football, basketball, cricket, swimming, sailing, table t ennis and badminton. Most Singaporeans live in public residential areas near ame nities such as public swimming pools, outdoor basketball courts and indoor sport complexes. Water sports are popular, including sailing, kayaking and water skii ng. Scuba diving is another popular recreational sport. The Southern island of P ulau Hantu, particularly, is known for its rich coral reefs.[219] Singapore's football (soccer) league, the S-League, formed in 1994,[220] current ly comprises 12 clubs including foreign teams.[221] The Singapore Slingers, form erly in the Australian National Basketball League, is one of the inaugural teams in the ASEAN Basketball League, founded in October 2009.[222] Singapore began hosting a round of the Formula One World Championship, the Singa pore Grand Prix, in 2008. The race takes place on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural F1 night race[223] and the first street circuit in Asia.[2 24] The Singapore Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar through at least 201 7, after race organizers signed a contract extension with Formula One Management on the eve of the 2012 event.[225] Singapore also hosted the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.[226] Media Main article: Media of Singapore Companies linked to the government control much of the domestic media in Singapo re.[227] MediaCorp operates most free-to-air television channels and free-to-air radio stations in Singapore. There are a total of seven free-to-air TV channels offered by Mediacorp.[228] The channels are Channel 5 (English channel), Channe l News Asia (English channel), Okto (English channel), Channel 8 (Chinese channe l), Channel U (Chinese channel), Suria (Malay channel) and Vasantham (Indian cha nnel).[229] Starhub Cable Vision (SCV) also offers cable television with channel s from all around the world[230] and Singtel's MioTV provides an IPTV service.[2 31] Singapore Press Holdings, a body with close links to the government, control s most of the newspaper industry.[232] Singapore's media industry has sometimes been criticised for being too regulated and lacking in freedom by human rights groups such as Freedom House.[227] In 20 10, Reporters Without Borders, a France-based international non-governmental org anisation, ranked Singapore 136 out of 178 in its Press Freedom Index, just belo w Mexico.[233] The Media Development Authority regulates Singaporean media, claiming to balance the demand for choice and protection against offensive and harmful material.[23 4] Private ownership of TV satellite dishes is banned.[232] Television is censor ed, and shows like Sex and the City and Queer as Folk (UK TV series) are banned. There are 3.4 million users of the internet in Singapore,[232] one of the highe st internet penetration rates in the world. The Singapore government does not en gage in widespread censoring of the internet,[235] but it maintains a list of on e hundred websites (mostly pornographic) that it blocks as a 'symbolic statement of the Singaporean community's stand on harmful and undesirable content on the Internet'.[236] As the block covers only home internet access, users may still v isit the blocked websites from their office computers.[237] Transport Main article: Transport in Singapore The Port with a large number of shipping containers and the ocean visible in the

background The Port of Singapore with Sentosa island in the background Since Singapore is a small island with a high population density, the number of private cars on the road is restricted so as to curb pollution and congestion. C ar buyers must pay for duties one-and-a-half times the vehicle's market value an d bid for a Singaporean Certificate of Entitlement (COE), which allows the car t o run on the road for a decade. The cost of the Singaporean certificate of entit lement alone would buy a Porsche Boxster in the United States. Car prices are ge nerally significantly higher in Singapore than in other English-speaking countri es and thus only one in 10 residents owns a car.[134][238] As with most Commonwe alth countries, vehicles on the road and people walking on the streets keep to t he left.[239] Electronic Road Pricing gantry at North Bridge Road Most Singaporean residents travel by foot, bicycles, bus, taxis and train (MRT o r Light Rail Transit). Two companies run the public bus and train transport syst em SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation. There are almost a dozen taxi companies, wh o together put out 25,000 taxis on the road. Taxis are a popular form of public transport as the fares are relatively cheap compared to many other developed cou ntries.[240][241] Singapore has a road system covering 3,356 kilometres (2,085 mi), which includes 161 kilometres (100 mi) of expressways.[7][242][243] The Singapore Area Licensi ng Scheme, implemented in 1975, became the world's first congestion pricing sche me, and included other complementary measures such as stringent car ownership qu otas and improvements in mass transit.[244][245] Upgraded in 1998 and renamed El ectronic Road Pricing, the system introduced electronic toll collection, electro nic detection, and video surveillance technology.[246] Singapore is a major international transport hub in Asia, positioned on many sea and air trade routes. The Port of Singapore, managed by port operators PSA Inte rnational and Jurong Port, was the world's second-busiest port in 2005 in terms of shipping tonnage handled, at 1.15 billion gross tons, and in terms of contain erised traffic, at 23.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). It is also the world's second-busiest, behind Shanghai, in terms of cargo tonnage with 423 million tons handled. In addition, the port is the world's busiest for transship ment traffic and the world's biggest ship refuelling centre.[247] Singapore is an aviation hub for Southeast Asia and a stopover on the Kangaroo R oute between Sydney and London.[248] There are eight airports in the country,[7] and Singapore Changi Airport hosts a network of 80 airlines connecting Singapor e to 200 cities in 68 countries. It has been rated one of the best international airports by international travel magazines, including being rated as the world' s best airport for the first time in 2006 by Skytrax.[249] The national airline is Singapore Airlines.[250]