31/03/2022
Singapore is the 5th most visited city in the world, and 2nd in the Asia-Pacific.
Rahul t&f
Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a 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 the Second World War, 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 led to Singapore being expelled from the federation two years later and it became an independent country.
Singapore is the world's 3rd-largest foreign exchange centre, 6th-largest financial centre,2nd-largest casino gambling market,3rd-largest oil-refining and trading centre, largest oil-rig producer and hub for ship repair services, and largest logistics hub.The economy is diversified, with its top contributors being financial services, manufacturing, and oil-refining. Its main exports are refined petroleum, integrated circuits, and computers.
Tourism is a major industry and contributor to the Singaporean economy, attracting 18.5 million international tourists in 2018, more than three times Singapore's total population.Singapore is the 5th most visited city in the world, and 2nd in the Asia-Pacific.
Buddhism is the most widely practised religion in Singapore: 31% of the resident population declared themselves adherents at the most recent census. The next-most practised religion is Christianity, followed by Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism. 20% of the population did not have a religious affiliation.
Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil.
