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Singapore Tours
 Singapore, an island-state in Southeast Asia, was founded as a British trading colony in 1819 which joined Malaysia in 1963, but withdrew two years later and became independent. Now it is one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
Singapore's strategic location combined with a largely corruption-free government, skilled work force, pro-foreign investment and export-oriented led to a successful free-market economy which attracts international investment funds on a large scale despite its relatively high-cost operating environment. This vibrant country is more of a bustling yet relatively relaxing place where one can spend memorable vacations, and at the same time witness some of the unique Asian flavours that this city-state has to present.
Fact File
Official name : Singapore
Government : Parliamentary.
Nationality : Singaporean
Capital city : Singapore city
Ethnic groups : Chinese (77.3%); Malay (14.1%); Indian (7.3%); others (1.3%)
Location : Singapore, a small island with over 60 surrounding islets, is located in Southeastern Asia.
Continent : Asia
Currency : The Singapore dollar (S$) ; 1 SGD = 25.941 Indian Rupee = 0.5957 USD = 0.4906 Euro (subject to change).
Population : 4 million
Languages : Malay is the national language. Chinese (Mandarin), Malay, Tamil and English are the official languages.
Religion : Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, and Confucian
Area : 683 sq km
Famous for : Shopping
Major cities : Singapore, Singapore Johor Bahru
Clothing : In business settings, lightweight conservative clothing, like dress slacks, a long-sleeved shirt, and a tie will fit in well. Suits are reserved for important meetings and formal events. Businesswomen generally wear knee-length or longer skirts with blouses, and understated make-up.
Major events : Roar of a Chinese dragon at NewYear, Vesak Day in May celebrates Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death,The Dragon Boat Festival(held in May or June), The Chinese Festival of the Hungry Ghosts (September), RamadanHari Raya Puasa, The festival of Thaipusam
Things to Buy : clothes, electronic items
Things to do : sightseeing, shopping, visiting the art galleries, attending exhibitions.
Cuisine : Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Peranakan, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Korean cuisine, and more Nonya cooking is a local variation on Chinese and Malay food, mixing Chinese ingredients with local spices such as lemongrass and coconut cream. The popular spicy, coconut-based soup laksa is a classic Nonya dish.
 Culture
The country of Singapore is an extremely lively city where fun, food and celebration of every occasion is a common feature. Street performances are held during important festivals such as Chinese New Year where the Lion Dance is a spectacular, acrobatic dance usually performed during Chinese festivals and other dance style include Malay and Indian dances. Chinese opera, an ancient form of theatre, is a colourful mix of dialogue, music, song and dance is popular amongst the older people. Singapore can be termed as the food capital of Asia. Chinese, Indian, Malay, Indonesian and Western foods are all available. Singapore is a great place to discover tropical fruits. Some of the more unusual ones on offer include rambutan, mangosteen, durian, jackfruit, pomelo, starfruit, zirzat, buah duku, chiku and jeruk.
When to Go
Climate is not a major consideration, as Singapore gets fairly steady annual rainfall. One can co-ordinate one’s visit with one of the various festivals and events: Thaipusam is a spectacular festival, occurring around February. For people who love to shop and eat, April brings the Singapore Food Festival and the Great Singapore Sale in June.
Climate
Tropical; warm and humid, with only slight variations between 23°-31°Celsius. There are two main seasons: the Northeast Monsoon (from December to March) and the Southwest Monsoon (from May to September), separated by two shorter inter-monsoon periods. There are no distinct wet or dry periods.
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