Singapore is an island country and city-state located in Southeast Asia, just north of the equator. It consists of one main island, 63 smaller islands, and one outlying islet. Geographically, it sits off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordered by the Strait of Malacca, the Singapore Strait (near Indonesia's Riau Islands), the South China Sea, and the Straits of Johor (bordering Malaysia).
Singapore was not greatly affected by the First World War (1914–18), as the conflict did not spread to Southeast Asia.
In 1915, the Singapore Mutiny occurred, involving Muslim sepoys from British India who rebelled against their officers and British civilians before being suppressed.
In 1921, the British announced the defensive Singapore strategy that included the construction of the Singapore Naval Base.
In 1931, the construction of the Singapore Naval Base proceeded at a faster pace following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
By 1938, the Singapore Naval Base was not fully completed, however, it was the largest dry dock in the world, the third-largest floating dock, and had enough fuel tanks to support the entire British navy for six months.
In 1938, Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalized sexual relations between men, was introduced during British colonial rule.
In 1939, after World War II broke out in Europe, the British Home Fleet was fully occupied with defending Britain, leaving Singapore vulnerable to Japanese invasion.
On 15 February 1942, the British force of 60,000 troops surrendered to the Japanese in the Battle of Singapore, leading Winston Churchill to call it "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history".
In August 1945, after the Japanese surrender to the Allies, Singapore experienced violence and disorder; looting and revenge-killing were widespread.
On 12 September 1945, British, Australian, and Indian troops led by Lord Louis Mountbatten returned to Singapore to receive the formal surrender of Japanese forces in the region from General Seishirō Itagaki.
In 1945, British forces had planned to liberate Singapore; however, the war ended before these operations could be carried out.
On 23 February 1946, Tomoyuki Yamashita was hanged in the Philippines after being convicted by a US military commission for war crimes.
On 1 April 1946, the British Military Administration ended, and Singapore became a separate Crown Colony.
In 1946, British forces had planned to liberate Singapore; however, the war ended before these operations could be carried out.
In July 1947, separate Executive and Legislative Councils were established, and the election of six members of the Legislative Council was scheduled for the following year.
In 2015, Singapore hosted the Ma–Xi meeting, the first meeting between the political leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1950.
In 1954, the National Service riots occurred in Singapore.
In 1955, David Marshall, pro-independence leader of the Labour Front, won Singapore's first general election.
In 1956, after further negotiations, Britain agreed to grant Singapore full internal self-government for all matters except defence and foreign affairs.
On 30 May 1959, the People's Action Party (PAP) won a landslide victory in the election.
On 3 June 1959, Britain granted Singapore full internal self-government for all matters except defence and foreign affairs.
In 1959, Singapore achieved self-governance.
Since 1959, the People's Action Party (PAP) has maintained continuous political dominance in Singapore, resulting in limited political pluralism and a highly centralised governance structure.
Since self-governance was granted in 1959, the People's Action Party (PAP) has won large parliamentary majorities in every election.
In 1960, Tan Howe Liang became Singapore's first Olympic medalist, winning a silver medal at the Rome Games in weightlifting.
On 27 May 1961, Malaya's prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, proposed a new Federation called Malaysia, which would unite the current and former British possessions in the region.
Singapore has declared that it will be water self-sufficient by the time its 1961 long-term water supply agreement with Malaysia expires.
On 16 September 1963, Singapore joined with Malaya, the North Borneo, and Sarawak to form the new Federation of Malaysia under the terms of the Malaysia Agreement.
In 1963, Singapore became independent from the United Kingdom, and the government began a process of crafting a unique Singaporean identity and culture.
In 1963, Singapore joined the new federation of Malaysia, alongside Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak.
In 1964, communal strife in Singapore led to race riots.
On 10 March 1965, a bomb planted by Indonesian saboteurs on a mezzanine floor of MacDonald House exploded, killing three people and injuring 33 others.
On 9 August 1965, Singapore became independent as the Republic of Singapore, with Lee Kuan Yew and Yusof bin Ishak as the first prime minister and president respectively.
On 9 August 1965, the Malaysian Parliament voted to expel Singapore from Malaysia, resulting in Singapore becoming a newly independent country.
From 1965 growth rates averaged around 6 per cent per annum, transforming the living standards of the population.
In 1965, Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became an independent sovereign country.
In 1967, Singapore co-founded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In 1967, to combat the decline in natural space, the government introduced the vision of making Singapore a "garden city", aiming to improve quality of life.
Since 1967, the Singapore dollar (SGD or S$) has been interchangeable with the Brunei dollar at par value.
In the 1968 general election, the PAP's vote share was 86.7%.
In 1969, race riots broke out once more in Singapore.
In 1970, trial by jury was abolished in Singapore.
In October 1971, Britain pulled its military out of Singapore.
In 1975, Singapore implemented the Singapore Area Licensing Scheme, becoming the world's first congestion pricing scheme.
In 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was established, marking a significant moment for Western classical music in Singapore's cultural landscape.
In 1981, Singapore Changi Airport was opened and Singapore Airlines was formed.
In 1984, non-constituency members of parliament were introduced in Singapore to allow up to three losing candidates from opposition parties to be appointed as MPs.
In 1988, group representation constituencies (GRCs) were introduced in Singapore to create multi-seat electoral divisions, intended to ensure minority representation in parliament.
Since 1989, women in the Singapore Armed Forces have been allowed to fill military vocations formerly reserved for men.
In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee Kuan Yew and became Singapore's second prime minister.
In 1990, nominated members of parliament were introduced in Singapore to allow non-elected non-partisan MPs.
In 1991, the constitution was amended in Singapore to provide for an elected president who has veto power in the use of past reserves and appointments to certain public offices.
Between 1965 and 1995, growth rates averaged around 6 per cent per annum, transforming the living standards of the population.
In 1996, Singapore's football league, the Singapore Premier League, was launched as the S.League, comprising eight clubs.
During Goh Chok Tong's tenure, Singapore went through the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
In August 1998, Singapore was referred to as the "Little Red Dot" after an article in the Asian Wall Street Journal quoted Indonesian President B. J. Habibie using the term on a map.
In 1998, the Singapore Area Licensing Scheme was upgraded and renamed Electronic Road Pricing (ERP), introducing electronic toll collection, electronic detection, and video surveillance technology.
Up until 1999, Singapore experienced economic growth with the unemployment rate falling to 3% and real GDP growth averaging at about 8%.
In 2000, Singaporean literature was showcased in multilingual anthologies such as Rhythms: A Singaporean Millennial Anthology Of Poetry, in which the poems were all translated three times each.
In the 2001 general election, the PAP's vote share was 75.3%.
Starting in 2001, the Singaporean government introduced a series of programmes to increase fertility, including paid maternity leave, childcare subsidies, tax relief and rebates, one-time cash gifts, and grants for companies that implement flexible work arrangements.
During Goh Chok Tong's tenure, Singapore experienced the 2003 SARS outbreak.
In 2004, Amnesty International claimed that some legal provisions of the Singapore system for the death penalty conflict with 'the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty'.
In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became Singapore's third prime minister.
In 2004, Singapore provided aid to Aceh in Indonesia following the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
In 2006, Changi Airport was rated as the world's best airport for the first time by Skytrax.
In 2006, Singapore was an education hub with more than 80,000 international students.
In 2008, 32% of healthcare in Singapore was funded by the government.
In 2008, Singapore began hosting a round of the Formula One World Championship with the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, marking the inaugural F1 night race and the first F1 street race in Asia.
In 2008, Singapore's women's table tennis team won silver at the Beijing Olympics.
Lee Hsien Loong's tenure included the 2008 financial crisis.
In October 2009, the ASEAN Basketball League was founded, with the Singapore Slingers as one of the inaugural teams.
In 2009, 20% of all students in Singaporean universities were international students—the maximum cap allowed.
In 2009, Singapore was removed from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) "liste grise" of tax havens.
Since 2009, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has deployed ships to the Gulf of Aden to aid in countering piracy efforts.
According to official forecasts, water demand in Singapore is expected to double from 1.4 to 2.8 billion litres per day between 2010 and 2060.
In 2010, Singapore's main exports, including refined petroleum, integrated circuits, and computers, constituted 27% of the country's GDP.
Prior to 2010, individuals could only register as a member of one race. From 2010 onward, people may register using a multi-racial classification, allowing them to choose one primary and one secondary race.
Since 2010, Singapore has been invited to participate in G20 processes in most years, despite not being a formal member.
Since 2010, Singapore's total fertility rate (TFR) has largely plateaued at 1.1 children per woman, which is among the lowest in the world.
Singapore hosted the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, where 3,600 athletes from 204 nations competed in 26 sports.
The text refers to the religious demographics of Singapore in 2010 and notes how the proportion of Christians, Muslims, and the nonreligious slightly increased between 2010 and 2020.
As of December 2011, 8,800 foreigners were diagnosed with HIV.
In 2011, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), and United Overseas Bank (UOB) were ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek as the world's 1st, 5th, and 6th strongest banks, respectively, after the 2008 financial crisis.
In 2011, the PAP suffered its worst-ever electoral results, winning just 60% of votes.
As of January 2013, 5,400 Singaporeans were diagnosed with HIV. In 2013, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Singapore as having the best quality of life in Asia and sixth overall in the world.
As of December 2013, there were approximately 224,500 foreign domestic workers in Singapore.
According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies, there were indications of increasing societal acceptance of LGBT rights between 2013 and 2019.
From 2013 Changi Airport had also been rated as the world's best airport to 2020.
Since 2013, China has been Singapore's largest trading partner, surpassing Malaysia.
A 2014 analysis by the Pew Research Center found Singapore to be the world's most religiously diverse nation, with no single religion claiming a majority.
In 2014, Singapore had the world's highest smartphone penetration rates, with surveys by Deloitte and the Google Consumer Barometer reporting 89% and 85% of the population respectively owning smartphones.
On 23 March 2015, Lee Kuan Yew died, and a one-week period of public mourning was observed nationwide.
As of spring 2015, internet service providers in Singapore offered residential service plans with speeds up to 2 Gbit/s.
By 2015, land reclamation projects had increased Singapore's land area to 710 km.
In 2015, Lonely Planet listed Singapore as their top world destination to visit, and The New York Times listed it as the 6th-best.
In 2015, Singapore Airlines was ranked as Asia's most-admired company and the world's 19th most-admired company by Fortune. Changi Airport had more than 480 World's Best Airport awards as of 2015.
In 2015, Singapore hosted the Ma–Xi meeting, the first meeting between the political leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since the end of the Chinese Civil War.
In 2015, Singapore ranked fourth on the Tax Justice Network's Financial Secrecy Index of the world's off-shore financial service providers.
In 2015, Singapore's primary and secondary students ranked first in OECD's global school performance rankings across 76 countries.
In 2015, it was revealed that secret negotiations by PAP leaders led to Malaysia's decision to expel Singapore on 7 August 1965.
In August 2016, The Straits Times reported that Indonesia had decided to create tax havens on two islands near Singapore to bring Indonesian capital back into the tax base.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Joseph Schooling won Singapore's first Olympic gold medal in the 100-metre butterfly with a new Olympic record time of 50.39 seconds.
In 2016 Singapore switched to using polders for reclamation, in which an area is enclosed and then pumped dry, for land reclamation.
In 2016, Singapore students topped both the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Singapore placed 6th in the EF English Proficiency Index.
In 2016, Singapore was rated the world's most expensive city for the third consecutive year by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
In 2016, it was estimated that there were 4.7 million internet users in Singapore, representing 82.5% of the population.
In 2016, the Esplanade, Singapore's largest performing arts centre, hosted 5,900 free art and culture events.
In 2016, the tourism sector generated approximately 8.6% of Singapore's employment.
In August 2017, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) unveiled a unified brand, "Singapore – Passion Made Possible", to market Singapore internationally for tourism and business.
In 2017, Singapore's men's water polo team won the SEA Games gold medal for the 27th time, marking the country's longest winning streak in sports.
In 2017, Singapore's presidential election was reserved for the Malay community, leading to Halimah Yacob winning in an uncontested election and becoming Singapore's first female president.
Operation Ulu Pandan wastewater treatment started in 2017 and was jointly developed by PUB and the Black & Veatch + AECOM Joint Venture.
In June 2018, Singapore hosted a historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
In 2018, Singapore was rated the world's most expensive city by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
In 2018, there were 114 hawker centres spread across Singapore. These centres are maintained by the National Environment Agency, which also grades each food stall for hygiene.
The Ulu Pandan wastewater treatment won the Water/Wastewater Project of the Year Award at the 2018 Global Water Awards in Paris, France.
According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies in 2019, Singaporean society has become more liberal on LGBT rights.
In 2019, Singaporeans had the longest life expectancy of any country at 84.8 years. Singapore is also ranked 1st on the Global Food Security Index.
In 2019, more than 60 semiconductor companies in Singapore together constituted 11% of the global market share, contributing around 7% of Singapore's GDP.
In 2019, the Port of Singapore was the world's second-busiest port in terms of shipping tonnage handled and containerised traffic.
In 2019, the government amended the Women's Charter to legislate more serious punishments for traffickers, including imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of S$100,000, in response to pimps trafficking women from neighboring countries.
A satellite-based system was due to replace the physical gantries by 2020, but has been delayed until 2026 due to global shortages in the supply of semiconductors.
According to the 2020 census, Buddhism was the most widely practiced religion with 31% of residents declaring themselves adherents. Christianity followed with 18.9%, then Islam at 15.6%, Taoism and Chinese Traditional Beliefs at 8.8%, and Hinduism at 5.0%.
According to the 2020 census, English was the language most spoken at home, used by 48.3% of the population, followed by Mandarin at 29.9%.
Changi Airport had also been rated as the world's best airport from 2013 to 2020 before being superseded by Hamad International Airport in Doha.
In its 2020 budget, the government set aside an initial $5 billion towards a Coastline and Flood Protection Fund.
The 2020 census reported that approximately 74.3% of residents were of Chinese descent, 13.5% of Malay descent, 9.0% of Indian descent, and 3.2% of other descent. These proportions were virtually identical to the 2010 census.
The 2020 election held in July saw the PAP drop to 61% of the vote, while the Workers' Party took 10 of the 93 seats.
In 2021, Singapore's Loh Kean Yew achieved a "World Champion" status by winning a badminton gold at the 2021 BWF World Championships men's singles.
In 2021, six Singaporeans protested for improved trans protections in the educational system outside the Ministry of Education headquarters at Buona Vista.
In 2021, the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index ranked Singapore as 17th overall among the world's 193 countries.
In 2022, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Singapore would repeal 377A, effectively decriminalizing homosexual behavior.
In 2022, the median age of Singaporean residents was among the highest in the world at 42.8, and live births hit a record low.
Singapore was ranked 7th in the Global Innovation Index in 2022, highlighting its consistent performance in innovation.
The law criminalizing sexual relations between men, Section 377A, was officially repealed on 3 January 2023.
As of mid-2023, the estimated population of Singapore was 5,917,600, with 3,610,700 citizens, 522,300 permanent residents, and 1,644,500 foreign workers, international students, or dependants. The overall population increased by 5% from the previous year.
In 2023, Changi Airport had three of the ten busiest international air routes in the world: Kuala Lumpur–Singapore, Jakarta–Singapore, and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi–Singapore.
In 2023, Singapore Airlines held the title of the World's Best Airline by Skytrax. It won this title 12 times.
In 2023, Singapore attracted 13.6 million international tourists, which is more than double the total population of Singapore.
In 2023, Singapore was ranked 129 on the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, an improvement from 139 the previous year.
In 2023, Singapore was ranked 129th out of 180 nations by Reporters Without Borders on the global Press Freedom Index.
In 2023, Singapore was the world's 4th most competitive economy, according to the International Institute for Management Development's World Competitiveness Ranking of 64 countries.
On 15 May 2024, Lawrence Wong became Singapore's fourth Prime Minister; he is the first prime minister born after independence.
According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, Singapore is the 5th most peaceful country in the world.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Max Maeder won Singapore's first Olympic medal in sailing, achieving bronze at the Men's Formula Kite on National Day. At 17, he was also Singapore's youngest Olympic medalist.
In 2024, Changi Airport was superseded once more.
In 2024, Singapore's government spent 2.7% of the country's GDP on the military.
Singapore was ranked 4th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024, demonstrating its strong performance in innovation.
The explosion at MacDonald House on March 10 1965, caused US$250,000 in damages equivalent to US$2,494,456 in 2024.
In the 2025 report, Singapore was ranked 13th in the world in the Human Development Index (HDI).
Lawrence Wong's first electoral test in the 2025 election saw the PAP winning 65.5% of the vote and 87 out of 97 seats in Parliament.
A satellite-based system that will replace the physical gantries by 2026 due to global shortages in the supply of semiconductors.
Singapore is projected to face significant water-stress by 2040.
According to official forecasts, water demand in Singapore is expected to double from 1.4 to 2.8 billion litres per day between 2010 and 2060.
Singapore has declared that it will be water self-sufficient by the time its 1961 long-term water supply agreement with Malaysia expires in 2061.
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