Singapore
In 1365, the Javanese eulogy Nagarakretagama recorded a place called Temasek, meaning Sea Town, as a trading port under the influence of the Majapahit Empire. Archaeological evidence suggests that by the end of the 14th century, the ruler Parameswara was forced to flee after attacks from either the Majapahit or Siamese kingdoms. He moved to Malacca and founded the Sultanate there, leaving the island to fade into obscurity for two centuries until 1819. On the 28th of January 1819, Stamford Raffles arrived on the island and recognized its potential as a natural choice for a new port. The British East India Company established a factory in Singapore on the 6th of February 1819 through a treaty signed with Sultan Hussein Shah and Temenggong Abdul Rahman. Raffles offered Tengku Long, living in exile, recognition as Sultan Hussein and provided him with a yearly payment of $5000 along with another $3000 to the Temenggong. In return, the Sultan granted the British the right to establish a trading post on the island. By 1860, the population had swelled to over 80,000 people, more than half being Chinese immigrants who worked on pepper and gambier plantations. In 1867, the Straits Settlements came under direct control of Britain, separating from British India. Later, during the 1890s, the rubber industry became established in Malaya and Singapore, transforming the island into a global center for rubber sorting and export.
During the Pacific War, the Japanese invasion of Malaya culminated in the Battle of Singapore where a British force of 60,000 troops surrendered on the 15th of February 1942. Winston Churchill called this defeat the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history. British and Empire losses included nearly 85,000 personnel captured, while about 5,000 were killed or wounded, with Australians making up the majority. Between 5,000 and 25,000 ethnic Chinese people were killed in the subsequent Sook Ching massacre. The occupation ended when Japan surrendered to the Allies on the 15th of August 1945, leading to a brief state of violence and disorder before British forces returned. On the 12th of September 1945, Lord Louis Mountbatten received the formal surrender of Japanese forces from General Seishirō Itagaki. After the war, Singapore became a separate crown colony on its own right as the Straits Settlements was formally dissolved that year. In July 1947, an Executive and Legislative Council were reconstituted, and elections began in 1948. During the 1950s, Chinese communists waged a guerrilla war against the government, leading to several riots including the 1954 National Service riots and the 1955 Hock Lee bus riots. David Marshall won the general election in 1955 but failed to secure complete self-rule from Britain. Lim Yew Hock replaced him in 1956, and after further negotiations, Britain agreed to grant Singapore full internal self-government for all matters except defense and foreign affairs on the 3rd of June 1959. Days before, on the 30th of May, the People's Action Party (PAP) won a landslide victory under Lee Kuan Yew. On the 16th of September 1963, Singapore joined with Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak to form the new Federation of Malaysia. However, ideological differences led to Singapore's expulsion from the federation two years later. On the 7th of August 1965, a separation agreement was signed, paving way for sudden independence. The Malaysian Parliament voted 126 to 0 to pass a constitutional amendment bill, thereby separating Singapore from Malaysia on the 9th of August 1965.
The PAP has remained in power since 1959, often described as a de facto one-party state because of its uncommon longevity for a nominal liberal democracy. In 1984, the PAP introduced the Non-constituency Members of Parliament scheme which allowed a limited number of the best performing losing opposition candidates to be appointed as MPs. Group representation constituencies were subsequently introduced in the 1988 election as multi-member electoral divisions intended to guarantee minority representation in parliament. Nominated Members of Parliament were introduced in 1990 to allow non-elected and non-partisan representatives from diverse professional fields to serve in parliament. The constitution was amended in 1991 to provide for an elected president with veto powers over the use of past reserves and key public service appointments. The first such election was held in 1993. Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee Kuan Yew in 1990 and became Singapore's second prime minister. During his tenure, the country went through the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2002, 2004 SARS outbreak. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the country's third prime minister. His tenure included the 2008 financial crisis and the resolution of a dispute over land ownership at Tanjong Pagar railway station between Singapore and Malaysia. The PAP experienced its worst electoral performance in 2011, securing only 60% of the vote. On the 15th of May 2024, Lawrence Wong became Singapore's fourth prime minister and the first born after independence. The PAP won 65.5% of the vote and 87 out of 97 seats in Parliament during the 2025 election. The Workers' Party retained their 10 seats, with leader Pritam Singh becoming the first de jure leader of the opposition since independence.
Between 1965 and 1995, growth rates averaged around 6 per cent per annum, transforming the living standards of the population. Roughly 44 per cent of the Singaporean workforce is made up of non-Singaporeans. The city is a popular location for conferences and events. In 2009, Singapore was removed from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development liste grise of tax havens. It ranked fourth on the Tax Justice Network's 2015 Financial Secrecy Index of the world's off-shore financial service providers, banking one-eighth of the world's offshore capital. In August 2016, The Straits Times reported that Indonesia had decided to create tax havens on two islands near Singapore to bring Indonesian capital back into the tax base. In October 2016, the Monetary Authority of Singapore admonished and fined UBS and DBS and withdrew the banking licence from for their alleged role in the Malaysian Sovereign Fund scandal. In 2016, Singapore was rated the world's most expensive city for the third consecutive year by the Economist Intelligence Unit. In the 2025 report, Singapore was ranked 13th in the world in the Human Development Index with a value of 0.946. The Port of Singapore was the world's second-busiest port in 2019 in terms of shipping tonnage handled, at 2.85 billion gross tons. In 2019, there were more than 60 semiconductor companies in Singapore which together constituted 11% of the global market share. The nation's best known global companies include Singapore Airlines, Changi Airport, and the Port of Singapore.
After its independence, Singapore had only two infantry regiments commanded by British officers. Considered too small to provide effective security for the new country, the development of its military forces became a priority. In addition, in October 1971, Britain pulled its military out of Singapore, leaving behind only a small British, Australian and New Zealand force as a token military presence. A great deal of initial support came from Israel, a country unrecognized by Singapore's neighboring Muslim-majority nations of Malaysia and Indonesia. The Israel Defense Forces commanders were tasked by the Singapore Government to create the Singapore Armed Forces from scratch, and Israeli instructors were brought in to train Singaporean soldiers. Military courses were conducted according to the IDF's format, and Singapore adopted a system of conscription and reserve service based on the Israeli model. Singapore still maintains strong security ties with Israel and is one of the biggest buyers of Israeli arms and weapons systems. The government spent 2.7% of the country's GDP on the military in 2024, the highest in the region. Singapore has conscription for all able-bodied males at age 18, except those with a criminal record or who can prove that their loss would bring hardship to their families. Because of the scarcity of open land on the main island, training involving activities such as live firing and amphibious warfare are often carried out on smaller islands, typically barred to civilian access. However, large-scale drills have been performed in other countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand and the United States. Due to airspace and land constraints, the Republic of Singapore Air Force maintains a number of overseas bases in Australia, the United States, and France.
Land reclamation projects have increased Singapore's land area from 581 square kilometers in the 1960s to 734 square kilometers by 2015, an increase of some 22 percent. In 2010 Singapore imported almost 15 million tons of sand for its projects, the demand being such that Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam have all restricted or barred the export of sand to Singapore in recent years. As a result, in 2016 Singapore switched to using polders for reclamation, in which an area is enclosed and then pumped dry. The country has lost 95% of its historical forests, and now over half of the naturally occurring fauna and flora in Singapore is present in nature reserves. In 1967, to combat this decline in natural space, the government introduced the vision of making Singapore a garden city, aiming to improve quality of life. Since then, nearly 10% of Singapore's land has been set aside for parks and nature reserves. Singapore follows the GMT+8 time zone, one hour ahead of the typical zone for its geographical location. It estimates that the nation will need to spend $100 billion over the course of the next century to address rising sea levels caused by climate change. In its 2020 budget, the government set aside an initial $5 billion towards a Coastline and Flood Protection Fund. To circumvent water stress projected by 2040, the Public Utilities Board implemented the four national taps strategy including water imported from neighboring Malaysia, urban rainwater catchments, reclaimed water, and seawater desalination.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did Stamford Raffles arrive on the island of Singapore?
Stamford Raffles arrived on the island of Singapore on the 28th of January 1819. He recognized its potential as a natural choice for a new port and established a factory through a treaty signed with Sultan Hussein Shah and Temenggong Abdul Rahman.
What date marked the independence of Singapore from Malaysia?
Singapore gained sudden independence on the 7th of August 1965 when a separation agreement was signed. The Malaysian Parliament voted 126 to 0 to pass a constitutional amendment bill, thereby separating Singapore from Malaysia on the 9th of August 1965.
Who became the fourth prime minister of Singapore in May 2024?
Lawrence Wong became Singapore's fourth prime minister on the 15th of May 2024. He is the first person born after independence to hold this office and led the People's Action Party to win 65.5% of the vote in the 2025 election.
How much land has reclamation added to Singapore since the 1960s?
Land reclamation projects have increased Singapore's land area from 581 square kilometers in the 1960s to 734 square kilometers by 2015. This represents an increase of some 22 percent over that period.
When did the Japanese surrender occur during the Pacific War in Singapore?
The occupation ended when Japan surrendered to the Allies on the 15th of August 1945. Lord Louis Mountbatten received the formal surrender of Japanese forces from General Seishirō Itagaki on the 12th of September 1945.