Singapore

Singapore serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Singapore, positioned in South-Eastern Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Singapore is simultaneously city, capital and entire nation-state — the Gardens by the Bay Supertrees and the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark define a skyline assembled in less than 60 years from reclaimed land, a deliberate global-stage architectural statement by a government that treats urban design as national branding.

With a population of approximately 5.9M, Singapore is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Singapore is reached via the dialling code +65. Singapore's four official languages — English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil — coexist with Singlish, the creole tongue that fuses all four with Hokkien and Cantonese particles, and which the government has periodically tried to suppress while Singaporeans stubbornly maintain it as the truest marker of local belonging.

Singapore spans 710 km², in the South-Eastern Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 1.4°N, 103.8°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.

The official currency is the Singapore dollar ($), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Singapore's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+08:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

The emblematic dish of Singapore is Hainanese Chicken Rice. Hainanese Chicken Rice arrived in Singapore with immigrants from Hainan Province in the early 20th century and was refined by hawker stall operators into a dish of such precision — the rice cooked in chicken fat and pandan, the bird poached to silk — that it became the unofficial national meal and the subject of Michelin recognition at hawker-centre price points.

Football / Swimming holds a special place in the heart of Singapore's national identity. Joseph Schooling's 100m butterfly gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics — defeating his childhood idol Michael Phelps in a world-record-equalling time — was Singapore's first Olympic gold in any sport and produced a reception at Changi Airport that brought tens of thousands into the arrivals hall.

The highest point in Singapore is Bukit Timah, rising to 163 metres above sea level. Despite being the world's most densely developed city-state, Singapore retains Bukit Timah Nature Reserve — a patch of primary rainforest within the city limits holding more tree species than the entire North American continent — a deliberate conservation choice that defines Singapore's self-image as a City in a Garden.