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About Singapore
Geography and climate
Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island itself.
There are two connections to Johor — the man-made Johor-Singapore
Causeway in the north, and the Tuas Second Link in the west. Jurong
Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of
Singapore's many smaller islands. The highest natural point of
Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill (166 metres, 538 ft).
The urban area used to only be concentrated on the south of
Singapore, around the mouth of the Singapore River and what is now
the Downtown Core, while the rest of the land was undeveloped
tropical rainforest or used for agriculture. Since the 1960s, the
government has constructed new residential towns in outlying areas,
resulting in an entirely built-up urban landscape. The Urban
Redevelopment Authority is the government agency responsible for
urban planning.
Singapore has an on-going land reclamation project with earth
obtained from its own hills, the sea-bed, and neighbouring
countries. As a result, Singapore's land area grew from 581.5 square
kilometres (224.5 sq mi) in the 1960s to 699.3 square kilometres
(269.1 sq mi) today, and may grow by another 100 square kilometres
(38.6 sq mi) by 2030.[24] Many of the smaller islands have been
expanded and joined together through land reclamation in order to
form larger, more functional islands, such as in the case of Jurong
Island.
Singapore Botanic Gardens, a 67.3-hectare (166 acre) botanical
garden in Singapore that includes the National Orchid Garden, which
has a collection of more than 3,000 species of orchids.
Singapore Botanic Gardens, a 67.3-hectare (166 acre) botanical
garden in Singapore that includes the National Orchid Garden, which
has a collection of more than 3,000 species of orchids.
Under the Köppen climate classification system, Singapore has a
tropical rainforest climate with no distinct seasons. Its climate is
characterized by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity,
and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 22 °C to 34 °C
(72°–93 °F). On average, the relative humidity is around 90 percent
in the morning and 60 percent in the afternoon. During prolonged
heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100 percent. The lowest
and highest temperatures recorded in its maritime history are 18.4
°C (65.1 °F) and 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) respectively. The highest wind
speed recorded is 150 km/h on 26 May 2007. June and July are the
hottest months, while November and December make up the wetter
monsoon season. From August to October, there is often haze,
sometimes severe enough to prompt public health warnings, due to
bushfires in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore does not observe
daylight saving time or a summer time zone change. The length of the
day is nearly constant year round due to the country's location near
the equator.
About 23 percent of Singapore's land area consists of forest and
nature reserves. Urbanization has eliminated many areas of former
primary rainforest, with the only remaining area of primary
rainforest being Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. A variety of parks are
maintained with human intervention, such as the Singapore Botanic
Gardens.
Without natural freshwater rivers and lakes, the primary domestic
source of water supply in Singapore is rainfall, collected in
reservoirs or catchment areas. Rainfall supplies approximately 50
percent of Singapore's water; the remainder is imported from
Malaysia or obtained from recycled water facilities and desalination
plants. More NEWater and desalination plants are being built or
proposed to reduce reliance on foreign supply.
Demographics of Singapore
Singapore is the second-most densely populated country in the world,
not including Macau and Hong Kong, which are parts of the People's
Republic of China. While the total population living in Singapore as
of June 2006 is about 4.5 million, official demographic breakdowns
and statistical analysis are only released for the 3.6 million who
are Singaporean citizens and permanent residents (termed 'Singapore
Residents').
After two decades of a successful family planning policy, Singapore
is now facing an aging population and declining birth rate. The
government is encouraging Singaporeans to have more children through
the provision of financial incentives for the first to fourth child
of each family.
In 2006, 38,232 babies were born, compared to around 37,600 in 2005.
The number, however, is still not sufficient to maintain the
population. Singapore's large number of immigrants has kept
Singapore's population from declining.
Religion in Singapore
Singapore is also a multi-religious country. Around 51 percent of
Singaporeans practice Buddhism and Taoism. About 15 percent, mostly
Chinese and Indians, practice Christianity. Muslims constitute 16
percent, of whom Malays account just over 13 percent. Smaller
minorities practise Sikhism, Hinduism, and others, according to the
2000 census. About 15 percent of the population have no religious
affiliation.
Languages of Singapore
The national language of Singapore is Malay for historical reasons,
and it is used in the national anthem, "Majulah Singapura". The
official languages are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. English
has been promoted as the country's language of administration since
independence, and it is spoken by the majority of the population,
especially the young. Public signs and official publications are in
English, although there are usually translated versions in the other
official languages.
The English used is primarily British English, with some American
English influences. The local colloquial dialect of English is
Singlish, which has many creole-like characteristics, having
incorporated vocabulary and grammar from various Chinese dialects,
Malay, and Indian languages. Singlish is spoken commonly on the
streets, but the government frowns upon its use in official
contexts. The use of English became widespread in Singapore after it
was implemented as a first language medium in the education system,
and English is the most common language in Singaporean literature.
Culture
Singapore is a mixture of an indigenous Malay population with a
third generation Chinese majority, as well as Indian and Arab
immigrants with some intermarriages.[48] There also exist
significant Eurasian and Peranakan (known also as 'Straits Chinese')
communities. Singapore has also achieved a significant degree of
cultural diffusion.
Cuisine of Singapore
Singaporean cuisine is an example of diversity and cultural
diffusion in Singapore, with a fusion of Chinese, Indian, Malay and
Tamil influences. In Singapore's hawker centres traditionally Malay
hawker stalls selling halal food may serve halal versions of
traditionally Tamil food. Chinese food stalls may introduce
indigenous Malay ingredients or cooking techniques. This continues
to make the cuisine of Singapore a significant cultural attraction.
Local foods are diverse, ranging from Hainanese chicken rice to
satay. Singaporeans also enjoy a wide variety of seafood including
crabs, clams, squid, and oysters. One such dish is stingray
barbecued and served on banana leaf and with sambal or chili.
Transport
The domestic transport infrastructure has
a well-connected island-wide road transport system which includes a
network of expressways. The public road system is served by the
nation's bus service and a number of licensed taxi-operating
companies.
Since 1987, the heavy rail passenger Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) metro
system has been in operation. MRT has been further augmented by the
Light Rapid Transit (LRT) light rail system, which provides service
to housing estates. The EZ-Link system allows contactless smartcards
to serve as stored value tickets for use in the public transport
systems.
More than 2.78 million people use the bus network daily, while more
than 1.3 million people use either the LRT or MRT as part of their
daily routine. Approximately 991,000 people use the taxi services
daily. Private vehicle use in the Central Area is discouraged by
tolls implemented during hours of heavy road traffic, through an
Electronic Road Pricing system. Private vehicle ownership is
discouraged using high vehicle taxes and imposing quotas on vehicle
purchase.
(source
www.wikipedia.com )
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