Singapore

Links to Singapore Embassies and Consulates

 

Fast Facts

Coutntry Full name:	Weights & Measures: Metric
Population: 4,430,000	Country Dialing Code: +65
Languages Spoken: Official - English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil	Time Zones: GMT/UTC +8 (Standard Time)
Electric Plugs: 230V 50Hz	Currency: Name: Singapore Dollar Code: SGD Symbol: S$

Exchange rate:

Weather

Go anytime. Climate is not a major consideration, as Singapore gets fairly steady annual rainfall. Instead, coordinate your visit with one of the various festivals and events: Thaipusam is a spectacular Hindu festival, occurring around February. If shopping and eating are major concerns, April brings the Singapore Food Festival and the Great Singapore Sale is held in June.
Singapore is one giant sauna at any time of the year. November to January are the wettest months, but the other months are not exactly dry either. From March to September there is a distinct lack of refreshing winds. Generally, expect temperatures to average around 31°C (88°F) during the day and linger around 24°C (75°F) at night.

Temperature (average ° C)

Humidity (average %)

Rainfall (average mm)

Sunshine (average hrs per day)

Cash is usually necessary for the payment of small items such as meals in hawker centres, food courts and bars, and for buying items from street vendors. Travellers cheques are popular and are a fail-safe fall-back; it is a good idea to always have some travellers cheques, otherwise plastic is still a viable option for most travellers. All major credit cards are widely accepted and ATMs are common place in the city, with most accepting Visa, MasterCard and cards with Plus or Cirrus.

Currency

Name: Singapore Dollar
Symbol: S$

Changing Your Money
Banks can be found all over Singapore. Exchange rates tend to vary from bank to bank and some even have a service charge on each exchange transaction - this is usually a few dollars, but can be more, so ask first. You'll also find moneychangers in shopping centres all over Singapore that do not charge fees, so you will often get a better overall exchange rate for cash and travellers cheques with them than at the banks. Most shops accept foreign cash and travellers cheques with rates only a bit lower than at moneychangers.

Money Tips
Singapore is much more expensive than other Southeast Asian countries, which may come as a shock if you are travelling on a shoestring budget. You can still stay here without spending too much money, as long as you can forego the temptation to run amok in the shops or indulge in luxuries you may have craved while travelling in less-developed Asian countries. It's possible to stay in Singapore for S$50.00 a day, if you stay in hostels and eat cheaply. If you're staying in mid-range hotels and eating at good restaurants, S$150.00 is a more realistic daily minimum.
All major credit cards are widely accepted, although you're not going to make yourself too popular after a hard bargaining session for a new camera if you then try to pay for it with your Visa card. It's probably still a good idea to take cash and travellers cheques for emergencies.

Sample Price Guide

single-trip Mass Rapid Transit ticket
S$ 0.90-4.00
process 36 roll colour film
S$ 13.00
trishaw transport per half hour
S$ 50.00
museum entrance fee
S$ 3.00-8.00
simple hawker meal
S$ 4.00
Singapore Sling at Raffles
S$ 20.00

Average Room Prices
Low	Mid	High	Deluxe
S$30-60	S$60-200	S$200-500	S$500+
Average Meal Prices
Low	Mid	High	Deluxe
S$3-20	S$20-35	S$35-85	S$85+

Tipping
Tipping is not expected but is growing as a practice in Singapore: most expensive hotels and restaurants impose a 10% service charge, and a gratuity is not expected in excess of this. Don't tip at hawker stalls, though the more expensive coffee shops and restaurants that do not add a service charge may expect a tip. Taxi drivers don't expect a tip and may actually round a fare down if it is a little bit above an even dollar - similarly, they may expect you to round it up. Staff in the international hotels, such as room staff or the doorman who hails your taxi, may expect a tip if they have provided good service.

Getting there and around

Singapore is a city, an island and a country. Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore on the Singapore River, which is still the heart of the city, encompassing the central business district and the popular entertainment and dining precinct along the quays.

Getting There
Most airlines fly into Singapore's heavily trafficked Changi International Airport. The best way to get from the airport into the city (20km/12mi away) is by train, but there is also a wide choice of bus and taxi services.
Singapore is the southern terminus of Malaysia's rail system, and three trains go to Kuala Lumpur each day. If you're going to or coming from Malaysia, you have options aplenty, from comfy buses to ferries and even taxis.

bus

Lots of visitors to Singapore combine their stay with a visit to Malaysia, which is just a kilometre away across the causeway over the Straits of Johor. You can travel between Malaysia and Singapore very easily by bus. Immaculate air-conditioned buses link Singapore to almost all large Malaysian cities; fares are generally inexpensive.

car

A second road link has opened between Singapore and Malaysia to ease congestion - a bridge between Tuas in Western Singapore and Geylang Patah. It's known pragmatically enough as the Second Link. It can only be used if you have your own transport.

taxi

You can travel between Malaysia (just a kilometre away) and Singapore very easily by taxi.

ferry

A passenger ferry operates between north Changi and Tanjung Belungkor, east of Johor Bahru. There are no direct passenger ferries between Singapore and the main ports of Indonesia, but it is possible to travel between the two countries via the Indonesian islands of the Riau Archipelago, immediately south of Singapore. Modern ferries link Singapore with the islands of Batam and Bintan in the archipelago. Speedboats link Batam with Pekanbaru in Sumatra, and several ships a week link Bintan with Jakarta.

train

Singapore is the southern terminus of Malaysia's rail system and there are regular trains to Kuala Lumpur.

plane

A swag of airlines fly into Singapore's ultramodern Changi International Airport - often voted one of the best airports in the world. It's certainly one of the most heavily trafficked, with a glut of facilities ranging from 24-hour meditation centres to boutique shopping - and even a little-known rooftop swimming pool. The best way to get from Changi Airport to the city (20km/12mi away) is by train. There is also a wide choice of bus and taxi services.

Getting Around
Singapore's public transport is plentiful and varied. You have the option of using metered taxis (although rickshaws are really only in Chinatown and the back streets), the MRT subway system or the convenient bus services. On the water, you can get around by ferry or bumboat.

bus

Singapore has a comprehensive bus network with frequent services; it's cheap and simple to use.

car

There are branches of all major rent-a-car companies in Singapore. Daily rates can be prohibitively high, but weekly rates are reasonable.

taxi

There is a good supply of taxis and all are metered. Taxis can be flagged down on the street or found at taxi stands near major hotels and shopping centres. During heavy rain, peak hours or late at night, however, taxis can be almost impossible to get in many parts of the city centre.

ferry

Regular ferry services operate from the World Trade Centre to Sentosa and other islands, including Batam in Indonesia.

underground rail

Singapore has a convenient Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) subway system that won't cost you a fortune or tax your brain too much.

small boat

You can charter bumboats (motorised sampans ) to take various tours on the Singapore River, while luxurious junk tours can be taken around the harbour.

cycle taxi

Rickshaws have all but disappeared from Singapore's main streets but can still be found operating for tourists in Chinatown and some central city streets; agree on a fare beforehand.

Disabled Travellers

If you're confined to a wheelchair, travelling around Singapore will be a chore, though the government recently embarked on a long-term programme to make the island wheelchair-friendly. The sight or hearing impaired should have an easier time. Check out Access Singapore , a useful guidebook for the disabled, produced by the Singapore Council of Social Services. It is available from STB (tourist info) offices or you can contact the National Council of Social Services (tel: 6336 1544.)

History

Pre-20th-Century History
According to ancient Malay legend, a Sumatran prince encountered a lion - considered a good omen - on Temasek, prompting him to found Singapura, or the 'Lion City'. It mattered little that lions had never inhabited Singapore (more likely he saw a tiger); what did matter was the establishment of the region as a minor trading post for the powerful Sumatran Srivijaya empire and subsequently as a vassal state of the Javanese Majapahit empire in the mid-13th century.
Singapore might have remained a quiet backwater if not for Sir Stamford Raffles' intervention in 1819. The British had first established a presence in the Straits of Melaka (now called Malacca) in the 18th century, when the East India Company set out to secure and protect its line of trade from China to the colonies in India. Fearing another resurgence of expansionism by the Dutch - which had been the dominant European trading power in the region for nearly 200 years - Raffles argued for an increased British presence, which he was promptly given. Under his tutelage, Singapore's forlorn reputation as a fetid, disease-ridden colony was soon forgotten. Migrants, attracted by a tariff-free port, poured in by the thousands, and a flourishing colony with a military and naval base was established.

Modern History
Singapore's inexorable growth continued into the 20th century. However, the outbreak of WWII brutally exposed the fallacy of British might: they suffered the ignominy of defeat when Japan invaded the colony in 1941. The British were welcomed back after Japan's surrender in 1945, but their right to rule was no longer assured.
By the 1950s, burgeoning nationalism had led to the formation of a number of political parties as Singapore moved slowly towards self-government. The People's Action Party, with the Cambridge-educated Lee Kuan Yew as leader, was elected in 1959. Lee became prime minister, a position he was to hold for the next 31 years. In 1963, Singapore formed a union with Malaya (now Malaysia) but, by 1965, the nascent federation was in tatters. Singapore became independent soon after and was once again the economic success story of the region. Shrewd and pathologically pragmatic, Lee fashioned a government heavy on strict social order and the suppression of political opposition.
Lee Kuan Yew resigned as prime minister in 1990 and was replaced by Goh Chok Tong, a leader more inclined towards consultation and liberalism. The country's first presidential election was held in August 1993 - prior to that, presidents were elected by members of parliament. In 2004, Lee Kuan Yew's son, Lee Hsien Loong, took over as prime minister, with Goh Chok Tong assuming the new role of Senior Minister and Lee Kuan Yew becoming Minister Mentor.

Recent History
Economically, the Southeast Asian region's late-'90s downturn (a euphemism if ever there was one) hit Singapore as hard as anywhere else - in one three-month period in late 1998, unemployment doubled. The city-state is slowly bouncing back, however, and on the street things are lively as ever, though the exodus of well-trained professionals seeking glittering international opportunities is a growing concern.
Modern-day Singapore is well known for its clean, modern attitude but part of the efficiency involves a continued tough civil order stance, especially with regard to hard-line criminals. Since 1991, the Singapore government has executed over 400 murderers and (more commonly) drug-traffickers, giving the tiny nation the highest execution rate per population in the world.
In the August 2005 election SR Nathan was returned to the post of President although this was hardly an election. Opponents who wanted to run against him were deemed ineligible. Since 1959 Singaporean politics have been dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP)and this continued in the 2006 election.

Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com

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