21057 Singapore

21057 Singapore is a Architecture set that was released on January 1, 2022 under the Skylines subtheme.
==Description==
The set includes 827 pieces used to recreate two rows of iconic Singapore landmarks. The back row is the most prominent, with the first landmark being the Marina Bay Sands, an integrated resort owned by Las Vegas Sands that was the most expensive casino in the world at opening. To its right is One Raffles Place, an office building at the heart of Singapore's financial district that was once Singapore's tallest skyscraper. To the right of that is the OCBC Centre, current headquarters of OCBC Bank. To the right of that is The Riverwalk, an exclusive private apartment building. In the front row is the Fullerton Hotel, an iconic Neo-Classical structure that served as a post office and even makeshift World War II hospital before being converted to a five-star luxury hotel. To the right of that is Lau Pa Sat, which is one of the oldest Victorian structures in Southeast Asia and serves as a food court and the heart of Singapore's foodie culture. The small buildings to the right of that are the Boat Quay, the former center of the Port of Singapore and modern tourist hub. These are surrounded by the Supertree Grove at the Garden by the Bay, a famous nature park near Marina Bay Sands.
==Background==
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Straits of Malacca to the west, the Riau Islands (Indonesia) to the south, and the South China Sea to the east. The country's territory is composed of one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet, the combined area of which has increased by 25% since the country's independence as a result of extensive land reclamation projects. It has the second greatest population density in the world. With a multicultural population and recognising the need to respect cultural identities, Singapore has four official languages; English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. English is the lingua franca. Multiracialism is enshrined in the constitution and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, and politics.
Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the British Empire. In 1867, the colonies in Southeast Asia were reorganised and Singapore came under the direct control of Britain as part of the Straits Settlements. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942, and returned to British control as a separate crown colony following Japan's surrender in 1945. Singapore gained self-governance in 1959 and in 1963 became part of the new federation of Malaysia, alongside Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak. Ideological differences led to Singapore being expelled from the federation two years later and it became an independent country.
After early years of turbulence and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation rapidly developed to become one of the Four Asian Tigers based on external trade, becoming a highly developed country; it is ranked ninth on the UN Human Development Index and has the second-highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world. Singapore is the only country in Asia with a AAA sovereign rating from all major rating agencies. It is a major financial and shipping hub, consistently ranked the most expensive city to live in since 2013, and has been identified as a tax haven. Singapore is placed highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety, and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 91%. Singaporeans enjoy one of the world's longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds and one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world.
Singapore is a unitary parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. While elections are considered generally free, the government exercises significant control over politics and society, and the People's Action Party has ruled continuously since independence. One of the five founding members of ASEAN, Singapore is also the headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) Secretariat, as well as many international conferences and events. Singapore is also a member of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, East Asia Summit, Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth of Nations.
==LEGO.com Description==
==Gallery==
21057_alt2.jpg|Set overview
21057_alt3.jpg|Top view
21057_alt4.jpg|Zoomed in
21057_alt5.jpg|Back of the box
21057_alt6.jpg|Promotional photo
==Notes==
*This is so far the only Architecture or LEGO set to cover an entire country, as Singapore is a city-state.
*The Marina Bay Sands, a major part of this set, were formerly released independently as 21021 Marina Bay Sands.
==External Links==
Category:2022 sets
Category:Architecture
Category:20000 sets
Category:21000 sets