Singapore
Area: 710 km2 (0.1% the size of Canada, 0.2% the size of Germany, 27.45% the size of Luxembourg)
Population: 5,183,700 (15% of Canada, 6% of Germany, 10x Luxembourg)
Capital: Singapore
Currency: Singapore Dollar (SGD)
Time traveled: 4 days
Distance travelled: 53 km (overland by bus)
Highlights in chronological order:
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Visiting Ole
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Discovering there’s more to Singapore than the financial district and shopping
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Asian Civilisation Museum
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Variety of food
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Night Safari
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Buddha tooth relics museum
Singapore combines the skyscrapers and subways of a modern, affluent city with a medley of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences and a tropical climate. The tasty food and interesting history and culture, make this Garden City a great destination.
The Culture: Singapore is a very diverse and young country. It has many languages, cultures and religions for a country its size. Due to the many different languages and cultures in the country, there is no single set of culturally acceptable behaviours. Unlike many other countries, languages, religions and cultures among Singaporeans are not delineated according to skin colour or ancestry. Each Singaporean’s behaviours and attitudes would therefore be influenced by, among many other things, his or her home language and his religion. Singaporeans who speak English as their native language tend to lean toward Western Culture. While those who speak Chinese languages as their native language tend to lean toward Chinese culture and Confucianism. Malay-speaking Singaporeans tend to lean toward Malay culture, which itself is closely linked to Islamic culture. Those who speak Indian languages as their native language would probably lean toward Indian culture. Singapore, as a country, in general is conservative socially, but some liberalisation has occurred. There are many laws in Singapore regulating people’s behaviour. Some of the more notorious ones are disproportionate and deterring fines for spitting gum on the street (there is no gum to be bought in the entire country) and jaywalking. At the national level, as well as in the education system, meritocracy is heavily emphasised. Racial and religious harmony is regarded by the government as a crucial part of Singapore’s success and played a part in building a Singaporean identity.
The People: Singapore prides itself on being a multi-racial country, and has a diverse culture despite its small size. The largest group are the Chinese, who form about 75% of the population. Some 5 million people live in Singapore (second most densely populated country in the world after Monaco), of whom 2.91 million were born locally. Most are of Chinese, Malay or Indian descent. There are four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The total fertility rate is estimated to be .78 children per woman in 2012, the lowest in the world and well below the 2.1 needed to replace the population. To overcome this problem, the Singapore government has been encouraging foreigners to immigrate to Singapore for the past few decades. English is the common language of the nation and is the language of business, government and medium of instruction in schools. “Singlish” is the local slang used by mixing English with some local words of the various languages, depending on background or context. Because almost everyone speaks English, it is very easy to travel, ask for directions or any other explanations. Because there are so many foreigners living in Singapore, it is the only country in Asia where you don’t feel like a tourist. People are very friendly and helpful, making for a pleasant stay.
The Food: The food is very diverse and very good in Singapore. Most dishes are similar to those in Malaysia as the population is also similar. There is a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian dishes, so the variety is unbelievable. At every meal there is a myriad to choose from, making choice very difficult. Luckily we had Ole who pointed out some must-try Singaporean dishes such as “Black carrot cake” (actually not a cake at all), shrimps in a granola batter and grilled sting-ray with chilli. Although there are many fancy restaurants, there are so many dishes to try at the open-air food courts. They are all very good and most Singaporeans prefer to go there for lunch or dinner as opposed to cooking at home. Even if it was for the food alone, Singapore is worth a visit.
The Economy: The economy depends heavily on the industry and service sectors. Singapore is a world leader in several areas: It is the world’s fourth-leading financial centre, the world’s third-largest oil refining centre, and the world’s second-biggest casino gambling market. The port of Singapore is one of the five busiest ports in the world, most notable for being the busiest transshipment port in the world. The country has the world’s third highest GDP per capita of US$ 59,936, making Singapore one of the world’s wealthiest countries. It is also home to more US dollar millionaire households (15%) per capita than any other country. Roughly 44 percent of the Singaporean workforce is made up of non-Singaporeans. Despite its small size, Singapore has a diversified economy, a strategy that the government considers vital for growth and stability. Tourism also forms a large part of the economy, and 10.2 million tourists visited the country in 2007. To attract more tourists, in 2005 the government legalised gambling and allowed two casino resorts to be developed. Singapore is promoting itself as a medical tourism hub and as an education hub.
Transportation: Since Singapore is a small island with a high population density, the number of private cars on the road is restricted so as to curb pollution and congestion. Car buyers must pay for duties one-and-a-half times the vehicle’s market value and bid for a Singaporean Certificate of Entitlement (COE), which allows the car to run on the road for a decade. The cost of the Singaporean certificate of entitlement alone would buy a Porsche Boxster in the US. Because car prices are generally significantly higher in Singapore than in other English-speaking countries, only one in 10 residents owns a car. On the other hand, there are 25,000 taxis on the road. Taxis are a popular form of public transport as the fares are relatively cheap. The public transit system is also very very good and efficient. Every building has to fit into the city’s skyline and the parks are designed as green lungs for the small city-state. From a transportation and design point of view, we feel that Singapore is a model city. Every building, street and park is designed with a long-term vision and it’s impressive to see.
