Singapore

Sister cities

• Pyongyang
• Gibraltar

History

In 1299, according to the Malay Annals, the Kingdom of Singapura was founded on the island by Sang Nila Utama. Although the historicity of the accounts as given in the Malay Annals is the subject of academic debates, it is nevertheless known from various documents that Singapore in the 14th century, then known as Temasek, was a trading port under the influence of both the Majapahit Empire and the Siamese kingdoms, and was a part of the Indosphere. These Indianised kingdoms were characterised by surprising resilience, political integrity and administrative stability. Historical sources also indicate that around the end of the 14th century, its ruler Parameswara was attacked by either the Majapahit or the Siamese, forcing him to move to Malacca where he founded the Sultanate of Malacca. Archaeological evidence suggests that the main settlement on Fort Canning Hill was abandoned around this time, although a small trading settlement continued in Singapore for some time afterwards. By then, Singapore was nominally part of the Johor Sultanate. The wider maritime region and much trade was under Dutch control for the following period after the 1641 Dutch conquest of Malacca. The British governor Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore on 28 January 1819 and soon recognised the island as a natural choice for the new port. The island was then nominally ruled by Tengku Abdul Rahman, the Sultan of Johor, who was controlled by the Dutch and the Bugis. However, the Sultanate was weakened by factional division: Abdul Rahman, the Temenggong of Johor to Tengku Abdul Rahman, as well as his officials, were loyal to the Sultan's elder brother Tengku Long, who was living in exile in Penyengat Island, Riau Islands. With the Temenggong's help, Raffles managed to smuggle Tengku Long back into…

Geography

Singapore consists of over 60 islands, including the main island, also known as Pulau Ujong. There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia: the Johor–Singapore Causeway in the north and the Tuas Second Link in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa Island are the largest of Singapore's smaller islands. The highest natural point is Bukit Timah Hill at . Under British rule, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Labuan were administered from Singapore. Labuan was under this arrangement from 1907 until it was eventually merged into the Crown Colony of North Borneo in 1948. Shortly before Singapore achieved full internal self-governance in 1959, both Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands were transferred to Australia in 1958. Today, Pedra Branca at the South China Sea is the nation's easternmost point. Land reclamation projects have increased Singapore's land area from roughly in the 1960s to by the 2030s, an increase of over 30% or . Some projects involve merging smaller islands to form larger and more functional landmasses, as was the case with Jurong Island. The type of sand used in reclamation works is found in rivers and beaches rather than deserts and remains in great demand worldwide. As such, neighbouring Southeast Asian countries have either restricted or barred sand exports to Singapore since the 2010s. The country is projected to reclaim roughly another by 2040, which includes major projects such as Tuas Port, the Long Island project located south of East Coast Park for commercial and residential developments, and an aviation park at Changi Bay. Singapore's urbanisation means that it has lost 95% of its historical forests, and now over half of the naturally occurring fauna and flora in Singapore is…

Most-observed species

• Javan Myna

  Acridotheres javanicus Cabanis, 1851 · Aves
  34,280
• Yellow-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus goiavier (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  29,395
• Black-naped Oriole

  Oriolus chinensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  25,855
• Spotted dove

  Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  24,429
• Pink-necked Pigeon

  Treron vernans (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  23,487
• Red Junglefowl

  Gallus gallus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,986
• Asian Glossy Starling

  Aplonis panayensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  20,935
• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  19,506