Singapore Tye Barshney -pointed stars arranged in a circle; red denotes brotherhood and equality; white signifies purity and virtue; the waxing crescent moon symbolizes a young nation on the ascendancy; the five stars represent the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality

History Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links.

Geography It’s located in Southeast Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia. The islands consist of 63 islands. The area of the country is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC.

Government The Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic system Chief of State: – President Tony TAN Keng Yam (since 1 September 2011) Head of Government: – Prime Minister- LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); – Speaker of Parliament- Halimah Yacob – Chief Justice- Sundaresh Menon

People and Society Population- 5,312,400 Religion – Buddhism 33%, Christianity 18% – No Religion 17%, Islam 15% – Taoism 11%, Hinduism 5.1% Languages – Chinese 49.9%, English 32.3% – Malay 12.2%, Tamil 3.3%

Economy GDP- $61,046 per capita The world’s highest percentage of millionaires: one out of every six households having at least one million US dollars. Acute poverty is rare. The government has rejected the idea of a generous welfare system, stating that each generation must earn & save for its life cycle. Exports – Machinery, Pharmaceuticals, & refined petroleum products – Countries: Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China, US, Japan Imports – Machinery, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs, consumer goods – Countries: Saudi Arabia, South Korea

Torture & Punishment A judicial corporal punishment in the form of caning for: rape, rioting, vandalism and some immigration offences. Prisons and Detention Centers 12,134 prisoners. 1,140 out of those were women, women were held in separate facilities. No juvenile prisoners; Prisoners have access to potable water.

Societal Abuses Women – Sexual Harassment – no specific laws prohibit stalking or sexual harassment. Under the law rape can be only committed by a man, spousal rape is generally not a crime. Freedom of Speech Citizens need a permit to speak at indoor public gatherings that are outside the hearing. The government restricts the ability to speak demonstrate freely in public. Prospective speakers must be citizens and show their ID cards.

United Nations Singapore became an independent State on 9 August 1965 and a Member of the United Nations on 21 September 1965.

Works Cited factbook/geos/sn.html factbook/geos/sn.html chapters/singapore chapters/singapore x.htm#wrapper x.htm#wrapper