Monday 19 March 2007

a little bit about Singapore ......

Singapore consists of one main island and 60 small islands about 137 km north of the Equator (latitude 1° 09’N and longitude 103° 38’E).

It has a total land area of 647.5 square kilometres, of which almost half has been set aside as forest reserves, marsh and other non-built-up areas. Three reservoirs occupy the centre of the island. Almost half of the land (49.67 per cent) is for residential, commercial and industrial use. A mere 1.7 per cent, about 10.8 sq km, is for agriculture.

Three-fourths of the people are of Chinese ethnicity; most of the rest are Malays and Indians.

Languages: English, Chinese (Mandarin), Malay, Tamil (all official).

Religions: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism.

Currency: Singapore dollar.

Nearly two-thirds of the island's hilly landscape lies below 50 ft (15 m) above sea level. It has a hot, humid climate. Although only about 2% of its land is arable, it is highly productive cropland.

The economy is based largely on international trade and finance; there are more than 100 commercial banks, most of which are foreign, and the headquarters of the Asian Dollar Market is located there.

The port is one of the largest in the world, and the country is one of the world's leading petroleum refiners. Manufacturing (notably electronic equipment) is also important.

A trading center as early as the 14th century, Singapore was later part of Johor, a region of the southern Malay Peninsula, under the Malacca Sultanate

The island of Singapore was ceded to the British East India Company in 1819, and the city was founded the same year by Sir Thomas Raffles. The British took complete control in 1824 and added Singapore to the newly formed Straits Settlements in 1826.

During World War II it was held by the Japanese (1942–1945) before being retaken by the British. Singapore became a crown colony in 1946, a self-governing state in 1959, part of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, and a fully independent republic in 1965.

The city of Singapore is the capital. Population: 4,420,000.

If you want to know the average temperature or humidity of Singapore, or the hottest time of year, then continue reading....

.... as I took the information off this website:

http://www.expatsingapore.com/general/land.htm

Climate

Depending on whom you ask, Singapore either has four seasons or no seasons. The four seasons are: hot, hotter, wet and wetter. And no seasons because Singapore has a warm tropical climate with sunshine all year round--making it a good place to develop a perpetual tan.

With the sea to further moderate fluctuations in temperature, Singapore's weather is almost boringly consistent--between 32°C (90°F) for a high and 24°C (75°F) for a low. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Singapore was 20.5°C (69°F).

Humidity is high. It hits you like a wall the second you step out of the airport. The daily average relative humidity is 84.4 per cent. That means it gets past 90 per cent just before dawn and perhaps 60 to 70 per cent in dry afternoons. Allow anything from one week to a month to adjust to the humidity.

Rainfall is abundant (annual rainfall 2,333 mm). It's wise to carry an umbrella to avoid getting drenched. As anyone who has left an umbrella in the office or home knows, the second you do that, the rain is going to pour down in sheets.

The rainy season falls during the Northeast Monsoon from December to January. December is usually the wettest month while February is the sunniest. July and August are the hottest months, with average temperatures hitting their peaks.

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