Singapore Maps & Facts

Public hospitals in Singapore have considerable autonomy in their management decisions, and notionally compete for patients, but remain in government ownership. In 2016, Singapore students topped both the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Singapore students have excelled in many of the world education benchmarks in maths, science and reading. Some schools have a degree of freedom in their curriculum and are known as autonomous schools, for secondary education level and above.

• Singapore’s public transport network is shaped up with trains (consisting of the MRT and LRT systems), buses and taxis.
• Between 1965 and 1995, growth rates averaged around 6 per cent per annum, transforming the living standards of the population.
• The government has restricted freedom of speech and freedom of the press as well as some civil and political rights.
• The fact that “neither the public nor elites had experience with democracy” helped create Singapore’s political culture, as dominated by status-focused hierarchies committed to economic development.
• The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), led by Lee Kuan Yew, had refused in 1959 to form a government until extreme left-wing leaders of the party who had been detained by the colonial authorities were released.

Rivers in Singapore are generally short and flow into the sea through the straits that surround the island. These bodies of water not only serve as a water supply but also as popular recreational areas. To compensate for this, the country relies on an extensive network of reservoirs. The eastern part of the island also hosts Changi Airport, Singapore’s main aviation hub. Notably, Jurong Island, an artificial island to the southwest of the main island, hosts a thriving petrochemical industry. This main island is diamond-shaped and flat, consisting of low-lying land with a central plateau.

Government and politics

So whether it’s the arts and cultural exchanges, the creation of cutting-edge innovation to enrich the lives of the communities at home or abroad, or the coming together of world-class minds to spark new business opportunities locally and internationally, Singapore is simply, the place where worlds meet. The city-state is 710 square kilometres and inhabited by five million people from four major communities; Chinese (majority), Malay, Indian and Eurasian. The country consists of the main island of Singapore and several smaller islands. Singapore is an island country located off the coast of the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia, between the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

A City in Nature

The government provides numerous assistance programmes to the homeless and needy through the Ministry of Social and Family Development, so acute poverty is rare. In 2016, Singapore was rated the world’s most expensive city for the third consecutive year by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and this remained true in 2018. In August 2016, The Straits Times reported that Indonesia had decided to create tax havens on two islands near Singapore to bring Indonesian capital back into the tax base.

Land

Considered too small to provide effective security for the new country, the development of its military forces became a priority. Close economic ties exist with Brunei, and the two share a pegged currency value, through a Currency Interchangeability Agreement between what is accumulated depreciation the two countries which makes both Brunei dollar and Singapore dollar banknotes and coins legal tender in either country. Singapore’s unique combination of a strong, soft authoritarian government with an emphasis on meritocracy is known as the “Singapore model”, and is regarded as a key factor behind Singapore’s political stability, economic growth, and harmonious social order. In the Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks countries by “perceived levels of public sector corruption”, Singapore has consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, in spite of being illiberal. The government has restricted freedom of speech and freedom of the press as well as some civil and political rights.

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 France. Before induction into a specific branch of the armed forces, recruits undergo at least nine weeks of basic military training. Males who have yet to complete pre-university education, are awarded the Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship, or are pursuing a local medical degree can opt to defer their draft.

The small size of the population has also affected the way the SAF has been designed, with a small active force and a large number of reserves. The Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is responsible for procuring resources for the military. Military courses were conducted according to the IDF’s format, and Singapore adopted a system of conscription and reserve service based on the Israeli model. A great deal of initial support came from Israel, a country unrecognised by Singapore’s neighbouring Muslim-majority nations of Malaysia and Indonesia.

In 1967, to combat this decline in natural space, the government introduced the vision of making Singapore a “garden city”, aiming to improve quality of life. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore’s smaller islands. It was the world’s 4th most competitive economy in 2023, according to the International Institute for Management Development’s World Competitiveness Ranking of 64 countries, with the highest GDP (PPP) per capita. For several years, Singapore has been one of the few countries with a AAA credit rating from the big three, and the only Asian country to achieve this rating.

While this would be considered a landslide victory in many countries since it preserved the party’s supermajority, it was regarded locally as a poor outcome, reflecting public debate over issues such as the high rates of immigration and the rising cost of living. Singapore Airlines was formed in 1972 and Changi Airport was opened in 1981, replacing the international airport at Paya Lebar. Even after the merger, the Singaporean government and the Malaysian central government disagreed on many political and economic issues. However, by late 1947 the economy began to recover, facilitated by a growing international demand for tin and rubber. The name Singapura supplanted Temasek sometime before the 15th century, after the establishment of the Kingdom of Singapura on the island by a fleeing Sumatran Raja (prince) from Palembang.

East India Company

Singapore has been identified as a tax haven for the wealthy due to its low tax rates on personal income and tax exemptions on foreign-based income and capital gains. Despite market freedom, Singapore’s government operations have a significant stake in the economy, contributing 22% of the GDP. Between 1965 and 1995, growth rates averaged around 6 per cent per annum, transforming the living standards of the population.

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Since 2009, the Republic of non-cash interest expense Singapore Navy (RSN) has deployed ships to the Gulf of Aden to aid in countering piracy efforts as part of Task Force 151. The RSAF has one squadron—the 150 Squadron—based in Cazaux Air Base in southern France. The RSAF’s 130 Squadron is based in RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia, and its 126 Squadron is based in the Oakey Army Aviation Centre, Queensland.

Military

The PAP’s longstanding control has resulted in limited political pluralism and a highly centralised governance structure over national institutions. It has the third highest population density of any country, although there are numerous green and recreational spaces as a result of urban planning. Agreements were reached with Malaysia on territorial disputes and on concerns over water supplies and transportation access, although some issues regarding water remained unresolved. In August the country observed the 50th anniversary of its secession from the Federation of Malaysia with a gala celebration throughout Singapore. In March Lee Kuan Yew died at the age of 91, and his passing elicited widespread automatic extension mourning in the country.

• The Singaporean military, arguably the most technologically advanced in Southeast Asia, consists of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Digital and Intelligence Service.
• The nation’s lively urban musical scene has made it a centre for international performances and festivals in the region.
• In 2009, 20% of all students in Singaporean universities were international students—the maximum cap allowed, a majority from ASEAN, China and India.

In November 2025, The Land Transport Authority (LTA) approved WeRide and Grab to test 11 autonomous vehicles on two Punggol shuttle routes after initial tests in October, and aim for public passengers by early 2026. As with most Commonwealth countries, vehicles on the road and people walking on the streets keep to the left (left-hand traffic). Car prices are generally significantly higher in Singapore than in other English-speaking countries. A satellite-based system was due to replace the physical gantries by 2020, but has been delayed until 2026 due to global shortages in the supply of semiconductors. Taxis are a popular form of transport as the fares are relatively affordable when compared to many other developed countries, whilst cars in Singapore are the most expensive to own worldwide. Singapore’s public transport network is shaped up with trains (consisting of the MRT and LRT systems), buses and taxis.

Singapore has the world’s highest smartphone penetration rates, in surveys by Deloitte and the Google Consumer Barometer—at 89% and 85% of the population respectively in 2014. In 2016, there were an estimated 4.7 million internet users in Singapore, representing 82.5% of the population. The phrase Intelligent Island arose in the 1990s in reference to the island nation’s early adaptive relationship with the internet. In the mid-1980s to 1990s, Singaporeans could also use the locally based videotext service Singapore Teleview to communicate with one another. SPH Media Trust, a body with close links to the government, controls most of the newspaper industry in Singapore.

In addition, in October 1971, Britain pulled its military out of Singapore, leaving behind only a small British, Australian and New Zealand force as a token military presence. It is seen as the guarantor of the country’s independence, translating into Singapore culture, involving all citizens in the country’s defence. The Singaporean military, arguably the most technologically advanced in Southeast Asia, consists of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Digital and Intelligence Service. It also hosted the 2015 Ma–Xi meeting, the first meeting between the political leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1950. It has also given support to the US-led coalition to fight terrorism, with bilateral co-operation in counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation initiatives, and joint military exercises.

The government, however, remained determined to protect the integrity of political officeholders, which was exemplified by Prime Minister Lee’s successful libel suit in 2014 against an Internet blogger. Reforms were subsequently explored that were intended to make health care, public housing, and education more affordable for lower-class Singaporeans. Confrontation ended in 1966, but Singapore had seceded from Malaysia in 1965 (at the invitation of the Malaysian government) because of political friction between the state and central governments. Postwar British political plans for Malaya excluded Singapore from a proposed Malayan Union and later from the Federation of Malaya, mainly because it was thought that Singapore’s predominantly Chinese population would be an ethnic obstacle to common citizenship. The Japanese crossed the Johor Strait on February 8, 1942, and the British command surrendered the island and city one week later. Located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore is the largest port city in Southeast Asia and one of the busiest in the world.

Singaporean English is largely based on British English, owing to the country’s status as a former crown colony. It is used in the national anthem Majulah Singapura, in citations of Singaporean orders and decorations and in military commands. Malay was designated as a national language by the Singaporean government after independence from Britain in the 1960s to avoid friction with Singapore’s Malay-speaking neighbours of Malaysia and Indonesia. English is the lingua franca and the main language used in business, government, law and education. However, due to scarcity of land, 78.7% of resident households live in subsidised, high-rise, public housing apartments developed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). In August 2017 the STB and the Economic Development Board (EDB) unveiled a unified brand, Singapore – Passion Made Possible, to market Singapore internationally for tourism and business purposes.

The Ulu Pandan wastewater treatment was specially built to test advanced used-water treatment processes before full deployment and won the Water/Wastewater Project of the Year Award at the 2018 Global Water Awards in Paris, France. Singapore is expanding its recycling system and intends to spend S$10 billion (US$7.4 billion) in water treatment infrastructure upgrades. By that time, water demand is expected to be met by reclaimed water at the tune of 50% and by desalination accounting for 30%, compared to only 20% supplied by internal catchments. The increase is expected to come primarily from non-domestic water use, which accounted for 55% of water demand in 2010 and is expected to account for 70% of demand in 2060.