Self governance was achieved in Singapore in 1959. The People's Action party (PAP) won a figure of 43 seats and s later gained interact of the government. The People's Action Party won all of the room in the 1972, 1976 and 1980 elections. Under the policies of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's economic base was strengthened and a greater degree of social and cultural conformability was achieved. Singapore has remained in the Commonwealth of Nations, and it joined the United Nations in 1965; it was one of the founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967. In 1993, Ong Teng Cheong, former chairman of the PAP, became Singapore's first directly elected president.
Land
Singapore is prefabricated up of a main island 63 surrounding islets. Singapore is the busiest port in the world, and a major supplier of electric and technological components and a forerunner in shipping building. Singapore is rich with culture and assembles the best of both the East and Western world.
People
As a city-state, Singapore is one of the world's class most densely populated countries with almost 12,000 people per sq mi ( nearly 4,600 people per sq km). A Large massive urban renewal program, begun in the 1960s, has replaced virtually all of Singapore's slums with modern structure units. As a result of family planning and a strict immigration policy, the yearly rate of population increase has declined to just over 1%, down from 4.5% in the 1950s. The population is over 75% Chinese; Malays and Indians constitute large minorities. Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Christianity are the religions of Singapore. Singapore has four official languages—Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, and English—and one of the world's highest literacy rates (a product of a fine uniform education system conducted in all the official languages).
Economy
Singapore is one of the world's greatest leading commercial centers, with a large, modern port. Commerce has historically been the main source of income. For many years the largest importer in SE Asia, Singapore is a free port and an entrepôt that exports more than half of what it imports, notably rubber, petroleum, textiles, timber, and tin. It also exports locally manufactured goods such as computer and telecommunication equipment, petroleum products, oil drilling equipment, plastics, rubber products, and processed food and beverages. The country imports most of its food substance requirements. The country's main trading partners are Japan, the United States, Malaysia, and Indonesia. With more than 300 over factory and deepwater wharves, the Jurong Industrial Estate is our Southeast Asia's largest industrial complex. It and the Changi International Airport are built largely on infill of marsh and shallow waters of the straits. The country number of large petroleum storing and refining facilities, and Keppel Harbor is one of the world's largest container-handling facilities.
Population - 3,238,600 (2003)
Territory - 682,700 sq km
