Singapore: History and Culture of Singapore

Singapore: History and Culture of Singapore

Singapore Sling: History and Culture of Singapore

The Republic of Singapore, or Singapore, is a nation comprised of a few islands of only 713 square km or about 443 square miles (roughly three and a half times the size of Washington D.C.) nestled between Malaysia and Indonesia in Southeast Asia. Described by the U.S. Department of State (2011) as a stable and highly developed state with strict and rigorous law enforcement and criminal penalties (See Figure A1). The capitol of the state is also named Singapore and is located on the southern shore of the main island. Culturally diverse, Singapore hosts three main ethic groups that merge Asian, European, and Western cultures very unique to the region reflecting Singapore's geographic location and her British colonial history.

About Singapore

General Description and Early History

After millions of years of evolution, the tiny islands of Singapore was (were) discovered by British East India Company Agent Sir Stamford Rambles in early 1819 (actual dates contradict). Originally, Singapore was named Temasek which translates to Sea Town. Sometime in the 19th century, visiting king of Sumatran thought he saw a lion on Temasek's shore, and he "duly christened it Singapura" (Does the whole "duly christened need to be in quotes? Or just the Singapura part?) where Singa means lion and Pura city (Your Essential Singapore Guide, n.d., p. 5). By 1869, Singapore had become a booming economic and strategic port between Ease Asia and Europe expanding trade eightfold by 1913 thanks to the Suez Canal, and the invention of the steam powered ship (Singapore Government Website, 2010). Early Singapore comprised mostly of Malays from the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, as well as the Buigis. The next group to settle in Singapore was the Chinese, followed by Indians and Europeans.

As Singapore prospered, a British Naval Base was constructed in 1921 with airplanes added a few years after. Singapore remained under British control until remove during maybe? during the Second World War add when it was overtaken by Japanese fighters and renamed Syonan, or Light of the South (Singapore Expats Website, 2011, The Straights Settlement, para. 3). Exactly one day after the Japanese bombed the United States at Pearl Harbor; the Japanese began bombing the sleeping city of Singapore. According to Your Essential Singapore Guide (n.d.), Singapore surrendered on February 15, 1942, to the Japanese. During the three and a half years of occupation the former Singaporean citizens began feeling a sense of nationalism and desire for independence that continued to grow after the end of WWII and the return of the British.

During the post war era, Singapore remained a British colony until 1959 when Singapore's first general elections were held. A few years later in 1963, Singapore formed a union with the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak, and North Borneo to form Malaysia, despite the Philippines and Indonesian opposition to this merger. According to the U.S. Department of State Website (2011), Indonesia developed a policy of confrontation towards the newly formed Malaysia. A couple of years later in 1965, Singapore broke away from this union to become a democratic, sovereign, and independent republic (Singapore Government Website, 2010). Additionally in 1965, Singapore entered into the United Nations, an important step for any emerging nation.

Unexpected to the newly elected Singapore president, a decision to withdraw British troops by 1971 was announced in 1967 despite friendly relations between the two nation states. Despite having to form naval, air, and ground forces from the ground up, Singapore enjoyed peaceful, stable, and economic growth into present time today.

Singapore's official flag (figure A2) was unveiled on December 3, 1959 and adopted upon independence on August 6, 1965. It consists of two horizontal sections red over white with a white crescent moon and five stars in the upper left corner of the red section. The color red represents brotherhood and equality while the white represents purity and virtue. The crescent moon symbolizes a young emerging nation while the five starts represent the core ideas of the nation: peace, democracy, progress, justice, and equality (Lim, 1998). Singapore's State of Arms comprises of the same crescent and stars as the flag, plus a lion on the left and tiger on the right of the vertically hanging flag (Figure A3). According to Lim, the Lion represents Singapore and the Tiger Malaysia, the pair symbolize the tight bond between the two nations. On the banner reads Majulah Singapura, which means Let Singapore Flourish (Lim, 1998, p.1).

Less formal than the state's flag and arms is the red lion head symbol used throughout the nation (Figure A4). The name Singapore itself partly means lion, but the lion symbol additionally stands for courage, strength, and excellences. There are five mane partings that represent the same five principles as the stars in the state flag and arms. Its tenacious mien symbolizes resolve to face and overcome any challenge. According to the Singapore Government Website, there are three rules regarding the lion head symbol:

1. An individual, organization or company can use the Lion Head symbol for purposes of identifying with the nation.

2. While Singapore companies may use the Lion Head symbol as a means of identifying themselves with Singapore, it should not be assumed or taken to indicate any kind of official endorsement of the companies' products.

3. The Lion Head symbol should be used in good taste. Its design should not be modified in any way nor have any words or graphics superimposed over it. However, it may be depicted in outline form, be embossed, or portrayed as a watermark (2010, Guidelines on the use of the Lion Head Symbol, para. 1).

As one can imagine, Singaporeans are extremely proud of their nation and heritage and do not take their meanings lightly.

Singapore's climate is purely tropical being that it exists right on the Southeast Asia's equatorial monsoon region; therefore its weather is consistently hot and humid with daily rain fall daily remove. There is a wet season that lasts from November to March each year peaking in December with an average rain fall of 10 in. for the month. Total precipitation for the islands average 95 in. yearly (Hathcock, 2011). Weather