Country name: Republic of Singapore.

Nicknames: Sin Chew and Sing Tao

Capital: Singapore

National Day: August 9th.

Land: Singapore is located at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, in the center of the Straits of Malacca, the shipping artery between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, in Southeast Asia. It is called "the crossroads of Asia" and its geographical location is very important. The country covers an area of 626.4 square kilometers, with urban areas accounting for the vast majority, so it is called "city country".

Climate: Singapore is located within the north latitude 1 degree line, only137km away from the equator, and has a tropical maritime climate. This climate is characterized by the hottest and wettest. The annual temperature is about 24℃ to 32℃, the temperature difference between day and night is not big, and the precipitation is about 2400 mm.1There is more rain from October to March, and less rain from April to September.

Brief history of the country: It is said that in ancient times, Prince Etama, a descendant of Alexander the Great, was sailing at sea, and his ship was blown to what is now Singapore Island by a storm. On the island, the prince saw a monster with a crimson body, black hair on his head and a pinch of white hair on his chest.

The entourage told the prince that it was a lion, and the prince called the unknown island "Singapore", which means lion. This name has been used to this day. Singapore was called "Single Horse" in ancient times, and18-19th century was a part of Johor Kingdom in Malaysia.

/kloc-became a British colony in the 0/9th century and became an important British trading port and military fortress in Asia. From 1942 to 1945, it was ruled by Japan and became a direct colony of Japan. 1June, 956, an autonomous state was established and internal autonomy was implemented. 1963 merged into Malaysia in September. 1On August 9th, 965, under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, the Republic of Singapore was formally established from Malaysia.

Singapore is a city-state, which originally meant lion city. According to Malay historical records, around 1 150, the Sri Lankan prince who died in Sumatra arrived at the island by boat and saw a black beast, which was called a lion by the locals, hence the name "Lion City".

Singapore is the homonym of the Sanskrit "Lion City". Because local residents are deeply influenced by Indian culture, they like to use Sanskrit as their place names. The lion is brave and vigorous, so it is natural to use it as a place name. In the past, many overseas Chinese called it "Silla", which means "Strait" in Malay, and some people called it "Sin Chau" and "Sing Tao" because of its small area.

political economics

Singapore is a member of the Commonwealth, and the President is the head of state. The president and parliament jointly exercise legislative power and implement the cabinet system of the prime minister. Traditionally, Singapore's economy is dominated by commerce, including entrepot trade, processing and export, shipping and so on. It is the largest seaport, an important commercial city and entrepot trade center in Southeast Asia, as well as an international financial center and an important aviation center. After independence, Singapore's economy has developed remarkably, and it is known as one of the four little dragons in Asia. Tourism is one of the pillar industries of Singapore economy.

Country and family

Singapore has a population of 365,438+10,000, of which Chinese account for 76%, Malays account for about 15%, and others are Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankan Tamils and Westerners. With more than 4,000 people per square kilometer, it is one of the countries with the largest population density in the world.

English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil are the official languages, Malay is the national language, government agencies use English, and English is the administrative language. Most Singaporeans can use English and Chinese. Malays and Pakistanis mostly believe in Islam, Indians believe in Hinduism, and China and Sri Lankans believe in Buddhism. Besides, some people believe in Christianity.

traffic

Singapore is an aviation center connecting Europe, America and Oceania in Southeast Asia, with routes reaching 54 countries (regions) and 127 cities. China has direct flights to Singapore from Beijing, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Shenzhen. Singapore Changi Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world and one of the largest airports in Southeast Asia. Singapore has developed transportation and advanced facilities, with trains and buses running between major cities in Malaysia and Thailand. The long-distance passenger station is at Xinqiao Road, and there are several buses to Kuala Lumpur, Guan Dan and Malacca every day.

subway

Subway is the most convenient means of transportation in Singapore. The subway is 67 kilometers long and has 42 stations, which are divided into two lines: the north-south line from Haibin Bay to Yishun and the east-west line from Brazil to Liwen. Each subway station has a clearly marked road map and instructions. It is best to determine the fare and location before taking the subway. The north-south line is represented by "n", yellow means northbound, and red means southbound; The east-west line is represented by "W", green represents the east line and blue represents the west line; The urban area is indicated by "C". To check the name of the station, just remember the color and number.

The operation of the subway station is fully automated, with computer-controlled automatic ticket vending machines, passenger entry and exit gates, etc. Put the coin in front of the ticket vending machine and press the button to pay the fare. If there is a balance, the machine will automatically change money and pay the ticket. Subway tickets are time-limited. If you stay in the gate for more than half an hour, the ticket will automatically become invalid and passengers can no longer pass through the computer gate. If you want to come out, you must make up another ticket. The subway runs from 6 am to afternoon 12.

Festival activities

There are four calendars printed on the Singaporean calendar: solar calendar, China lunar calendar, Indian calendar and Malay origin, and there are many festivals according to various calendars. While preserving the traditional cultures of all ethnic groups, the Singapore government encourages people to unify the evolution of national cultural customs in Singapore.

The main festivals are New Year, India Harvest Festival, Singapore Raft Race, India Dabson Festival, Islamic Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, Good Friday, Harz Festival, Vesak Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Singapore Food Festival, National Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Monkey King's Birthday, Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, India Lantern Festival, India Nine Nights Festival, Nine Kings Celebration, India Fire Stealing Festival and so on.

prescribe a diet

Singapore catering brings together local flavors and delicacies from all over the world, including Chinese food, Malaysian food, Thai food, Indonesian food, Indian food, western food and fast food. Due to historical reasons, Singapore has integrated the cooking characteristics of Malays and Chinese in its eating style and habits, among which the most representative dish is "Nyonya Cuisine". Nyonya refers to China women who once lived in Singapore, Malacca and Penang. As far as taste is concerned, Niangjia cuisine is one of the most special and exquisite traditional cuisines.

Tourists are required to pay 10% service charge, 3% government tax and 1% sightseeing tax when spending in restaurants and hotels. Restaurants or snack bars in the suburbs do not charge service fees and tips, and market stalls do not have to pay extra tips. For the sake of public health, all air-conditioned restaurants will stop smoking.

go shopping

Singapore is rich in goods, and there are many kinds of goods from all over the world, ranging from classical and exquisite oriental handicrafts, fashionable European high-end fashion and leather products to advanced high-tech electronic equipment. Singapore market features mainly Malay batik cloth, jewelry, antiques, ceramics, jade, calligraphy and painting. The price level in Singapore is relatively high.

money

The currency is Singapore dollar (S$), and 1 yuan is equal to 100 cent. The face value of paper money is 1 yuan, 2 yuan, 5 yuan, 10 yuan, 20 yuan, 50 yuan, 100 yuan, 500 yuan, 1000 yuan; Coins are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100.

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8 hours earlier than GMT, the same as Beijing time.

Singaporeans' hard-working, persistent and goal-oriented working attitude has won many top honors for Singapore, such as the world's first airline (Singapore Airlines), the world's busiest port and transshipment port, the world's first night safari park, the world's highest artificial waterfall, the highest hotel-Singapore Hotel in Stanford, Switzerland, and the world's largest fountain-Suntec Fortune Fountain.

Singapore is not only the third largest oil refining center in the world, but also an important material distribution center. The main trading products are tin, rubber, coconut, oil, rice, wood, jute, spices and coffee. Singapore is also a financial center, with many major banks in the world, including Bank of America, ABN Amro, Deutsche Bank and Bank of Tokyo. They all use advanced communication equipment to contact commodity, stock and foreign exchange trading centers in Singapore and around the world.

Singapore is a small, beautiful, clean and green garden city, with trees on both sides of the road and small gardens and lawns everywhere. There are all kinds of flowers in Singapore, among which the national flower orchid is the most famous. These carefully cared orchids are brightly colored and fragrant. There are bougainvillea all over the streets, and even the ugly telephone poles are wrapped and decorated. Bright red or lilac flowers are attached to the freely spreading branches, swaying gently in the breeze, and can bloom everywhere even without artificial care.

Singapore is a famous free trade port with world-class goods. At the same time, as the center of Southeast Asia, there are numerous commodities with local characteristics. Rich commodities and good shopping environment attract tourists from all over the world. There are both high-end shopping centers and antique shops here. There are not only world famous brands here, but also a dazzling array of small commodities, which makes people dizzying.

Magic Merlion

At the mouth of Singapore, under the Anderson Bridge, stands an ivory stone statue of "lion's head and fish's tail", which is the symbol and symbol of Singapore. Merlion was born in 1972 by Singaporean artist Lin Langxin. It has stood quietly at the mouth of Singapore for 30 years, guarding the ships coming and going at sea. ...

Singapore, the capital of the Republic of Singapore, is located at the southernmost tip of Singapore Island, with an area of about 98km2, south of the equator 136.8km, accounting for 1/6 of the total island area. Singapore is the national political, economic and cultural center, known as the "garden city", one of the largest ports in the world and an important international financial center. Singapore has a mild terrain, with the highest elevation of166m.

The urban area of Singapore is located on the north and south banks of the estuary of Singapore, with a total length of 5 kilometers and a width of 1.5 kilometers from east to west. The south bank is a bustling business district, surrounded by high-rise buildings and green trees. The north shore is an administrative area criss-crossing flowers, trees and buildings, with an elegant and quiet environment. Malay street is also in this area.

Singapore's urban roads are wide, leafy street trees and various flowers are planted on both sides of sidewalks, lawns and flower beds are mixed with small parks, and the city is clean and tidy. On the bridge, climbing plants are planted on the fence, and colorful flowerpots are placed on the balcony of the house. Singapore has more than 2,000 kinds of higher plants, and is known as the "world garden city" and the "health model" of Southeast Asia.

Country name: Republic of Singapore.

Origin of country name: Singapore is a city country, which originally meant lion city. According to Malay historical records, around 1 150, the Sri Lankan prince who died in Sumatra arrived at the island by boat and saw a black beast, which was called a lion by the locals, hence the name "Lion City". Singapore is the homonym of the Sanskrit "Lion City". Because local residents are deeply influenced by Indian culture, they like to use Sanskrit as their place names. The lion is brave and vigorous, so it is natural to use it as a place name. In the past, many overseas Chinese called it "Silla", which means "Strait" in Malay, and some people called it "Sin Chau" and "Sing Tao" because of its small area.

Independence Day: August 9th (1965)

National flag: It consists of two equal horizontal rectangles, with red on the top and white on the bottom, and the length-width ratio is 3: 2. There is a white crescent moon and five white five-pointed stars in the upper left corner. Red represents human equality, and white symbolizes purity and virtue; The new moon symbolizes the country, and the five stars represent the idea of building democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality in the country. The combination of the new moon and the five stars is close and orderly, symbolizing the spirit of unity and mutual assistance of the Singaporean people.

National emblem: It is composed of shield emblem, lion, tiger and other patterns. The red shield is inlaid with a white crescent moon and a five-pointed star, which has the same meaning as the national flag. On the left of the Red Shield is a lion, which is a symbol of Singapore, and Malay means "Lion City". On the right is a tiger, which symbolizes the historical ties between Singapore and Malaysia. Below the red shield are golden palm branches and leaves, and the blue ribbon at the bottom says "Go ahead, Singapore!" " In Malay.

National anthem: "Go ahead, Singapore"

National Flower: Hu Jihua's national flower is Jin Zhuo Vandylan. Southeast Asia generally calls orchids Hu Jihua. Jin Zhuo Bandailan is cultivated by Ms. Jin Zhuo, with beautiful and dignified flowers and strong vitality, which symbolizes the temperament of Singaporeans and the spirit of hard work and brave struggle.

State dignitaries: President s.r. nathan, 1 September 19991took office for a term of six years; Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was appointed Prime Minister in June199011; 1965 Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who served as Prime Minister for a long time after Singapore's independence, resigned as Prime Minister in 1990+0 1 and was appointed Senior Minister of the Cabinet.

Important festivals: Lunar New Year: Lunar 65438+ every year 10 or February; Mid-Autumn Festival: August of the lunar calendar15; Eid al-Fitr: 10 When the new moon of Ramadan appears; Tamil New Year: April and May; Grand Paulsen Festival: 1 and February of Tamil calendar; Fire sacrifice: 10, 1 1. Vesak Day: the full moon in May; Christmas: 65438+February 25th; Easter: the Sunday after the full moon on March 26th, February1year.

Physical geography: Located in Southeast Asia, it is the southernmost tropical island city of Malay Peninsula. Covering an area of 647.5 square kilometers, it is adjacent to Malaysia across the Johor Strait in the north, connected to Johor Bahru in Malaysia across a long embankment, and facing Indonesia across the Singapore Strait in the south. Located at the entrance and exit of Malacca Strait, the shipping artery in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, it consists of more than 50 islands, and Singapore Island accounts for 9 1.6% of the national area. It has a tropical maritime climate with high temperature and rainy all the year round, with an average annual temperature of 24-27℃.

Population: 3217500 (1June 999), of which 77.2% are Chinese; Malays account for14.1%; Indians account for 7.4%, and the rest are Pakistanis and Sri Lankans. Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil are the official languages. The national language is Malay. English is the administrative language. There is no state religion. Most people in China and Sri Lanka believe in Buddhism, Malays and Pakistanis believe in Islam, and Indians believe in Hinduism. There are also Christians.

A brief history: Temasek in ancient times. Founded in the 8th century, it belongs to the late Sri Lankan dynasty in Indonesia. From18th century to19th century, it was a part of the kingdom of Johor in Malaya. 18 19, an Englishman, Stanford Raffles, arrived in Singapore and signed a contract with Johor, Sudan, to set up a trading post. 1824 became a British colony, a British entrepot in the Far East and a major military base in Southeast Asia. 1942 was occupied by the Japanese army. 1945 After Japan surrendered, Britain resumed colonial rule and was designated as a direct colony the following year. 1946 Britain designated it as a British colony. 1June, 959, Singapore implemented internal autonomy and became an autonomous country. Britain retains the power of national defense, foreign affairs, amending the Constitution and issuing "emergency decrees". 1963 September 16 merged into Malaysia. 1On August 9th, 965, it left Malaysia and established the Republic of Singapore. In September of the same year, it became a member of the United Nations and joined the Commonwealth in June+10, 5438.

Politics: The Constitution provides for a parliamentary republic. The president is the head of state and is elected by the whole people for a term of six years. The president appointed the leader of the parliamentary majority as prime minister. The president has the right to veto government budgets and public sector appointments; It can examine the government's exercise of the powers conferred by the Internal Security Law and the Religious Harmony Law and investigate corruption cases. The Presidential Advisory Council is entrusted with providing advice and suggestions to the President. When the president exercises certain powers, such as appointing principal civil servants, he must first seek the opinions of the President's Advisory Council. The President and Parliament jointly exercise legislative power. The parliament is called the National Assembly and has a unicameral system. Members are elected by referendum for a term of five years.

Economy: Singapore's traditional economy is dominated by commerce, including entrepot trade, processing and export, and shipping. After independence, the government adhered to a free economic policy, vigorously attracted foreign investment and developed a diversified economy. Since the early 1980s, we have accelerated the development of capital-intensive and high value-added emerging industries, invested heavily in infrastructure construction, and strived to attract foreign investment with the best business environment. Manufacturing and service industries have become the twin engines of economic growth, and the industrial structure has been continuously optimized. In the 1990s, the information industry was particularly valued, and the "Singapore Integrated Network" has been put into use all over the island. In order to further promote economic growth, we will vigorously promote the "regional economic development strategy", accelerate overseas investment and actively carry out foreign economic activities. The economy is dominated by five sectors: commerce, manufacturing, construction, finance, transportation and communication. Its industries are mainly oil refining, petrochemical and shipbuilding repair, and it is the third largest oil refining center in the world. Agriculture accounts for less than 1% of the national economy, mainly including poultry breeding and aquaculture. All the grain is imported, and only 5% of the vegetables are produced by ourselves. Most of them are imported from Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Australia. Tourism is one of the main sources of foreign exchange income. Currency name: Singapore dollar (SGD for short)

Press and publication: English newspapers include Straits Times, Business Times and New Newspaper; Chinese newspapers include Lianhe Zaobao, Lianhe Evening News and Xinmin Daily. Malay newspapers have daily news; In addition, there is a Tamil newspaper, Tamil Daily. The radio station started broadcasting on 1936, and 1959 to 1 started broadcasting in Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil. Radio Singapore owns and operates 12 domestic radio stations and 3 international radio stations. Singapore TV organizations own and operate two channels, one broadcasts Chinese programs 24 hours a day, and the other broadcasts English programs 24 hours a day. 12 TV private company operates two channels, one of which mainly serves Malays and Indians, and the other mainly broadcasts sports and cultural programs. The cable TV network was opened on 1995, and users can receive TV programs from more than 30 channels and 10 countries. 1995 launched satellite TV.

Diplomacy: based on ASEAN, maintaining ASEAN unity and cooperation and promoting ASEAN to play a greater role in regional affairs are placed in an important position in diplomatic work; Facing Asia, pay attention to developing cooperative relations with Asian countries, especially China, Japanese, Korean, Indian and other countries; Pursue the policy of "great power balance" and actively carry out economic diplomacy.

Relations with China: 1980 On June 4, 1980, the government of China and the government of Singapore signed an agreement on setting up business representative offices in Beijing, and the business representative offices of the two countries were officially opened in September of the following year. 1990101On October 3rd, China and New Zealand established diplomatic relations.