Settlement patterns

   The sity of Singapore is situated in the southern portion of the main island. Over time, urbanization has blurred the differences between city and country. Built-up areas now cover a large part of the city-state. The older parts of the city have been substantially refurbished, especially along the Singapore River but elsewhere as well. The once-common Chinese shop-house, consisting of living quarters above a commercial establishment, gradually has been dessapearing from the city. Instead, the government`s Housing and Development Board (HDB) has relocated commerce into separate districts and has created integrated residential communities inhabited by people with a mixture of incomes. About four-fifths of Singapore`s population now resides in high-rise HDB flats located in housing estates and new towns. The new towns - such as Woodlands, Tampines, and Yishun - are scattered across the island and are characterazed by ease access to places of employment and shopping districts. The traditional Malay kampong settlements - consisting of stilt houses built along the shoreline - are dechining in number and are now found only in select rural areas.

Agriculture

   Through Singapore is essentially an industrial nation, it has not neglected agriculture. Due to the scarcity of land, however, it has resorted to intensive farming and livestock rearing.
   
   As an encouragement to the farmers on the island, the government provides them with advisory services, technical assistance and financial backing in their farming. It also carries out research on the various agricultural activities.

   
   As a result of such efforts, Singapore is now self-sufficient in pork, poultry and eggs. Not only that, its farmers have managed to export several million dollars’ worth of these products.
   
   The vegetable farms on the island now produce enough fresh vegetables to meet at least a quarter of the total consumption. The country, thus, need not import all its fresh vegetables.
   
   Orchid-growing, one of the agricultural activities of the country, has proved very lucrative. In fact, Singapore orchids are internationally known. The country earns a considerable amount from the export of these flowers.
   
   There is no doubt that agriculture in Singapore is greatly over shadowed by industrialization. Yet, it can be clearly seen that agriculture does its share to stabilize the economy of the nation.

Population trends

   Heavily urbanized, Singapore has a high population density, but it also has been a regional leader in population control. Its birth and population growth rates are the lowest in Southeast Asia. Singapore`s high average life expactancy and its low infantmortality rate reflect high standarts of hygiene and access to a superb health care system. The low birth rate and greater logevity of the population have raised the median age, a trend also occurring in other developed nations.

Economic development

   Singapore's strategic location on major sea lanes and its industrious population have given the country an economic importance in Southeast Asia disproportionate to its small size. Upon independence in 1965, Singapore was faced with a lack of physical resources and a small domestic market. In response, the Singapore Government adopted a pro-business, pro-foreign investment, export-oriented economic policy framework, combined with state-directed investments in strategic government-owned corporations. Singapore's economic strategy proved a success, producing real growth that averaged 7.9% from 1965 to 2009. The worldwide electronics slump in 2001 and the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 dealt blows to the economy, but growth bounced back each time, driven by world demand for electronics, pharmaceuticals, other manufactured goods, and financial services, particularly in the economies of its major trading partners--the United States, the European Union, Japan, and China, as well as expanding emerging markets such as India. The global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 had a sharp impact on Singapore's open, trade-oriented economy. Singapore saw its worst two quarters of contraction in late 2008 and early 2009, but quickly recovered with strong performance in later quarters. The official growth forecast for 2010 is between 13% and 15%.
    Singapore's largely corruption-free government, skilled work force, and advanced and efficient infrastructure have attracted investments from more than 7,000 multinational corporations from the United States, Japan, and Europe. Also present are 1,500 companies from China and another 1,500 from India. Foreign firms are found in almost all sectors of the economy. Multinational corporations account for more than two-thirds of manufacturing output and direct export sales, although certain services sectors remain dominated by government-linked companies.     

   

    Manufacturing (including construction) and services are the twin engines of the Singapore economy and accounted for 26.3% and 69.1%, respectively, of Singapore's gross domestic product in 2009. The electronics and biomedical manufacturing industries lead Singapore's manufacturing sector, accounting for 30.6% and 20.8%, respectively, of Singapore's manufacturing output in 2009. To inject new life to the tourism sector, the government in April 2005 approved the development of two casinos that resulted in investments of more than U.S. $5 billion. Las Vegas Sands' Marina Bay Sands Resort opened for business in April 2010, while Genting International's Resort World Sentosa opened its doors in February 2010.

                                                     

Shape of the country and its location

   Singapore is strategically located  at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula between Malaysia & Indonesia, at the center of popular shipping lanes between the East, West and Europe. Singapore is among the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of only 699.47 sq. km. 
   Singapore consists of the main island of Singapore and some 63 islands within its territorial waters. The main island of Singapore is about 42 km from east to west and about 14 miles km from north to south.

   Singapore's strategic location on major sea lanes and industrious population have given the country an economic importance in South-east Asia disproportionate to its small size.

Ethnic composition

   The population of Singapore has the sixth-highest percentage of foreigners globally, with just over forty percent. In 2009, the population of Singapore was just under 4.99 million, with a population density of 7,022 people per square kilometre. 3.73 million were Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, with citizens making up 3.2 million citizens. Of its residents, 74.2% are of Chinese descent, 13.4% are of Malay descent , and 9.2% are of Indian descent.

   Prior to 2010, each person could register as a member of only one race, by default that of his or her father. Now people may register using "double-barrelled" classification, in which they may choose one primary race and one secondary race, but no more than two.