Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is
an island country and city-state in maritime Southeast
Asia. It is located about one degree of latitude (137
kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the
southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the
Strait of Malacca to the west, the Singapore Strait to
the south, the South China Sea to the east, and the
Straits of Johor to the north. The country's territory
comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and
islets, and one outlying islet; the combined area of
these has increased by approximately 25% since the
country's independence as a result of extensive land
reclamation projects. It has the second highest
population density of any country in the world, although
there are numerous green and recreational spaces as a
result of urban planning. With a multicultural
population and in recognition of the cultural identities
of the major ethnic groups within the nation, Singapore
has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin,
and Tamil. English is the lingua franca, with its
exclusive use in numerous public services.
Multi-racialism is enshrined in the constitution and
continues to shape national policies in education,
housing, and politics.
Singapore's history dates back at least eight hundred
years, having been a maritime emporium known as Temasek
and subsequently a major constituent part of several
successive thalassocratic empires. Its contemporary era
began in 1819, when Stamford Raffles established
Singapore as an entrepôt 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
World War II, 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, most
notably the perceived encroachment of the egalitarian
"Malaysian Malaysia" political ideology led by Lee Kuan
Yew into the other constituent entities of Malaysia—at
the perceived expense of the bumiputera and the policies
of Ketuanan Melayu—eventually led to Singapore's
expulsion from the federation two years later; Singapore
became an independent sovereign country in 1965.
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