Background
History
In the 1945, the British took control of Singapore and made it a colony. In 1948, the Singapore Communist party tried to take over and they continued trying unsuccessfully for many more years to come. In 1953 Britain made revisions to Singapore's constitution and by 1955 they held elections with voting offered to many people that couldn't previously vote, such as the Chinese. In 1959 Singapore became self governing, and their government worked with the communists to get rid of the British. In 1963 Malacca, Penang, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore joined to create Malaysia. This didn't last long; in August 9, 1965, Singapore became a completely independent country recognized by the UN. Singapore worked from then on to reconstruct its economy and national defense once Britain pulled out its troops. It emerged as an economic powerhouse especially for its small size. Modern Singapore is very technologically advanced compared to many other countries in Southeast with a strong economy.
Culture
Religion33% of the population is Buddhist, 18% are Christian, 17% identify with no religion, 15% are Islamic, and 11% are Taoists.
|
Language49.9% of Singapore speaks Chinese, 32.3% speak English, 12.2% speak Malay, and 3.3% speak Tamil. However, schools teach English and the government operates in English as well, making Singapore easy to navigate through.
|
Food
Food is very important in Singapore. People often eat many meals during the day. Their cuisine is a melting pot of different influences from Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Cambodian food. Noodles are eaten vary commonly along with coffee or ginger tea. Stir fry and various curries are eaten as well.
Attractions
The Original Singapore Walks |
The Singapore Flyer |
Singapore Zoo |