Singapore

Singapore, offeecially the Republic o Singapore, is a wee island kintra aff the soothren tip o the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north o the equator, in the Sootheast Asien region o the Asien continent. It is separate frae Malaysie bi the Straits o Johor tae its north, an frae Indonesie's Riau Islands bi the Singapore Strait tae its sooth. A ceety-state, Singapore is the warld's fowert leadin financial centre an a cosmopolitan warld ceety, playin a key role in internaitional trade an finance. Singapore haes a lang history o immigration. It haes a diverse population o close tae 5 million fowk made up o Chinese, Malay, Indians, Asians o sindry strynd, an Caucasians. 42% o the population in Singapore are foreigners who wirk an study thare. Furrn wirkers mak up 50% o the service sector. The kintra is the seicont maist densely populatit in the warld efter Monaco. A.T. Kearney named Singapore the maist globalised kintra in the warld in 2006 in its Globalization Index. Afore unthirldom in 1965, Singapore wis a vibrant tradin port wi a GDP per capita o $511, the third heichest in East Asie then. Efter unthirldom, foreign direct investment an a state-led drive for industrialisation based on plans bi umwhile Deputy Prime Meenister Dr. Goh Keng Swee creatit a modren economy. The Economist Intelligence Unit in its "Quality-Of-Life Index" ranks Singapore as haein the best quality o life in Asie and eleivent oweraw in the warld. Singapore possesses the warld's nint lairgest foreign reserves. The kintra an aa maintains airmed forces that are technologically advanced an well-equipped. Efter a contraction o -6.8% in the 4t quarter of 2009, Singapore claimed the title o fastest-growin economy in the warld, wi GDP growth o 17.9% in the first hauf o 2010. Etymology The Inglis name o Singapore is derived frae the Malay name Singapura (Sanskrit सिंहपुर "Lion City"). The day it is sometimes referred tae as the Lion City. Studies indicate that lions probably niver lived thare; the beast seen bi Sang Nila Utama, foonder o Singapore, that gied the city its name, wis maist likely a tiger. References