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Singapore, linked by a kilometre-long causeway to the southern tip of Malaysia, provides Western standards alongside traditional Chinese, Malay and Indian enclaves. The downtown areas of Singapore are dense with towering skyscrapers and shopping malls, yet the island retains an abundance of nature reserves and lush, tropical greenery. In 1819, Singapore was purchased from the then ruler, the Sultan of Johor by an Englishman named Sir Stamford Raffles. With its immigrating Chinese entrepreneurs from Malaysia and Indian and Chinese labourers, it grew as a crucial crossroad for trade and shipping.
Now the small island republic of only 633 square kilometres, boasts the world’s busiest port and an airport served by over 50 of the world’s major airlines. Singapore is also the clearing house for the region’s wealth, dealing in tin, rubber, coconut, oil, rice, timber, jute, spices and coffee. Her financial centre is home to the world’s major banks. Despite the modernisation of this city, visitors prepared to peer beneath the state’s surface will discover a profusion of age-old buildings, values and traditions. |
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