Singapore

The Republic of Singapore (Simplified Chinese: ??????; Pinyin: X?nji?p? G?ngh?gu?, Malay: Republik Singapura; Tamil: ??????????? ????????), is an island city-state in Southeast Asia, situated on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of the Indonesian Riau Islands. Its coordinates are , just 137 km north of the Equator. The name Singapore was derived from Malay word singa (lion), which itself is derived from the Sanskrit word ???? siMha of the same meaning, and the Sanskrit word ??? pura (city) .

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Established as a trading port by the British in the early 19th century, Singapore became a centre of British influence in Southeast Asia. Upon achieving independence from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore rapidly developed into a successful free-market economy with one of the highest GDP per capita gross domestic products in the world, and is a major finance, transport and medical hub in the region. Singapore has a low crime rate and has been consistently rated by Transparency International as one of the least corrupt countries in the world.

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Practices such as the ban of imports of chewing gum and heavy fines for littering, spitting, and not flushing of public toilets have led some to label Singapore a "nanny state". National service in Singapore is mandatory for all male citizens and male children of permanent residents. Even though it has not been engaged in any military conflict, the Singapore Armed Forces maintains a 100,000-strong active force and 350,000-strong reserve force. Singapore has relatively warm relations with Malaysia especially since the recent changes of leadership in both countries. However, disputes still exist over issues such as the sale of water and territorial claims over Pedra Branca.

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Simplified Chinese: REDIRECT Simplified Chinese characters...

Pinyin: Pinyin (??, p?ny?n) literally means "join (together) sounds" (a less literal translation being "phoneticize", "spell" or "transcription") in Chinese and usually refers to H?ny? P?ny?n (????, literal meaning: "Han language pinyin"), which is a system of romanization (phonemic notation and transcripti...

Malay: Malay can refer to:...

Singapore related Images and Photos (experimental)

Singapore	Singapore Singapore Skyline Financial District Illuminated at Dusk Asia	Across to Singapore (DVD)	Road to Singapore DVD (Full Frame)
Day at Singapore	Across to Singapore	Chinatown District at Dusk Singapore Singapore	Road to Singapore 1940
Road to Singapore 1940	Road to Singapore 1940	Road to Singapore 1940	Hand Lighting Candles at Taoist Ceremony Singapore Singapore