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1. COUNTRY
The main territory
of Singapore is a diamond shaped piece of island
with dozens of smaller islands of which Jurong
Island, Tekong Island, Ubin Island and Sentosa
are among the largest. Since Singapore basically
consists of only one city, there is no further
administrative divisions. Use this travel guide
to Singapore to give you an unforgettable
vacation in Singapore.
Photo: Siloso Beach in Sentosa
2.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Singapore, an island city-state
in Southeast Asia, at latitute of 1017'35''N
and longtitude 103051'20''E is located on the
southern tip of Malaysia, south of the Johore state of
Peninsular Malaysia and north of Indonesia's islands of Riau.
3. AREA
692.7 square kilometers
4. POPULATION
4.61 million
5. CAPITAL
Singapore
6. PEOPLE
Chinese account for almost 77%
of the population with the Malays, the indigenous group at
14% and the Indians as the third largest ethnic group at 8%.
7. LANGUAGE
The official languages are
English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Eventhough
natives Malays consists of only a minority of the
population, Malay is Singapore's national language for
historical reasons, it does, however, remain the language of
the national anthem, 'Majulah Singapura'. The ruling
People's Action Party (PAP) has preferred to promote English
as the country's lingua franca, with Malay being confined
largely to its native speakers, with relatively few of the
majority Chinese and Indian Singaporeans speaking it.
Singapore Discovery Centre
8. RELIGION
Singapore's main religions are
Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
9. GOVERNMENT
Singapore has a
Westminster-style constitution. There is an elected
figurehead president, with true executing power resting with
the prime minister who leads the majority party in the
elected government.
In practice, politics is
dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP) which has ruled
since Independence. Over the years, PAP has instituted
several harsh laws that discourage and impede the creation
and success of effective opposition parties. The mode of
government is perhaps closer to authoritarianism than true
democracy. Singapore is officially known as a 'Socialist
Democracy'.
10. CLIMATE
Tropical, hot and humid.
Temperatures average 230C - 300C with
heavy rainfall from November to January.
11. HISTORY
AND CULTURE
Singapore's history dates at
least as far back as the 14th century. At that time, it was
known as Temasek, a port and fortified city of some
importance. It was part of the Sri Vijaya Empire based in
Sumatra, which was undergoing a protracted period of
decline.
While the written historical
records of the Malays (the 'Sejarah Melayu - the Malay
Annals) tend to exaggerate claims of the city's greatness,
recent archaeological evidence does point to an urban
settlement and trading centre of some importance. Following
the decline of Sri Vijayan power, Temasek was claimed by
rival emerging regional powers such as the Majapahit Empire
in Java and the Ayuthia Kingdom in Thailand. The city's
fortifications allowed it to withstand at least one
attempted Thai invasion. Around this time, at the start of
the 15th century, Temasek was renamed 'Singapura" meaning
'Lion City' in Sanskrit.
The modern city of Singapore was
founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a British trading
settlement. For most parts of the 19th and 20th century,
Singapore was a British colony, part of the Straits
Settlements together with Penang and Malacca (two states in
Malaysia). The British surrendered Singapore to Japan in
1942 during World War II, and it was returned to the British
administration in 1945.
Self-government was granted by
the British in 1959. In 1963, Singapore joined Malaysia but
was separated from Malaysia in 1965 and re-instituted as an
independent republic. It has subsequently become one of the
world's most prosperous countries.
12. MAJOR HOLIDAYS
New Year's Day (January 1),
Chinese New Year (January/February), Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
(December/January), Good Friday (April 14), Labor Day (May
1), Hari Raya Haji (May), National Day (August 9), Deepavali
(October), Christmas Day (December 25)
13. ECONOMIC PROFILE
Singapore enjoys a
highly developed and successful free-market,
characterised by a remarkably open and
corruption-free environment, stable prices and
one of the highest per capita Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) in the world. The economy is
expected to recover in response to improvements
in the US economy. The Singapore government
hopes to establish a new growth path that will
be less vulnerable to the external business
cycle than the current export-led model but is
unlikely to abandon efforts to establish
Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and
high-tech hub.
14. ENTRY
REQUIREMENTS
Tourists who do not have visas
to enter Singapore may be granted a social visit pass for up
to 30 days upon arrival. It is important for tourists to
realize this useful travel information.
Visitors should ensure that they
have a passport with at least a six-month validity remaining
on arrival or return ticket and valid travel visa for your
next destination. If a longer stay in Singapore is required,
visitors may apply to the Immigration and Checkpoints
Authority (ICA) at 10 Kallang Road or call the 24-hour
hotline at (65) 6391 6100.
15. CURRENCY
The currency unit is the
Singapore Dollar (S$, SGD). Coins are in the denomination of
1, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents and 1 dollar.
Notes are in the denominations
of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $1,000 and $10,000.
16. BANKING
HOURS
Monday - Friday: 10.00am to
3.00pm except on public holidays and Saturday: 11.00am to
4.30pm
17. POST
OFFICES
Singapore's mail service is
reliable and efficient. Major hotels provide basic postal
services on their premises.
18. TIME
Eight hours ahead of Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT), 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and
16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.
19.
ELECTRICITY
Singapore power sockets are
220-240 volts AC at 50 cycles per second. Upon request from
guests, most hotels provide transformers for electrical
appliances of a different voltage.
20. WEIGHTS
AND MEASUREMENTS
Singapore follows the metric
system in weight and measures.
21. TELEPHONES
Hotel Phone
Services
Most hotels offer
in-room International Direct Dial (IDD)
telephone services. However, some hotels may
charge a minimum 30-cent successful call
transaction surcharge. As there are different
IDD service providers in Singapore, rates and
access codes are dependent on the service
provider used by the hotel. Generally, local
calls are charged at 10 cents for every 3
minutes.
Mobile Phones
There are two mobile
phone networks - GSM900 and GSM1800 - and three
mobile telephone service providers - SingTel, M1
and Starhub. To make international calls, the
access codes are 001, 013 or 019 fro SingTel,
002 or 021 for M1 and 008 or 018 for Starhub.
Payphone Services
Public payphone
operated by credit cards and/or stored-value
phonecards can be used to make both local and
international calls. Public payphones can be
found in most shopping complexes and MRT
stations. Local calls are charged at 10 cents
per 3 minutes. Stored-value phonecards in
denominations of SGD3, SGD5, SGD10, SGD20 and
SGD50 can be purchased from post offices and
phonecards agents. To make an international
call, dial the access code followed by the
country code, area code and telephone number.
Different telephone companies use different
access codes as mentioned above.
Prepaid
International Calling Cards in denomination of
SGD10, SGD20 AND SGD50 are also available at
Singapore Changi Airport, all post offices,
7-Eleven stores and other retail outlets. To
make an international call, dial 1899 for
SingTel WorldCard, 1818 for M1 International
Calling Card and 1884 for Starhub Home Connect
Card. Both the SingTel WorldCard and Starhub
Home Connect Card also allow you to enjoy the
convenience of making local calls.
Useful Telephone
Numbers
Police Tel: 999
Ambulance Tel: 995
Fire Brigade Tel:
995
Flight Information
Tel: 1800-542 4422 (toll-free in Singapore only)
City Search Tel:
1900-777 7777 (operator-assisted Yellow Pages)
- to dial from
Singapore
Taxi Service
Comfort Cablink Tel:
(65) 6552 1111
CityCab Tel: (65)
6552 2222
TIBS taxi Tel: (65)
6555 8888
Credit Cards
American Express
Tel: (65) 6880 1111
Diners Card Tel:
(65) 6416 0800
JCB Tel: (65) 6734
0096
MasterCard Tel:
1800-110 0113 (toll-free in Singapore only)
VISA Tel: 1800-448
1250 (toll-free in Singapore only)
22. GETTING
THERE
BY AIR
The main gateway to Singapore is through
Singapore Changi Airport. Travel time from Singapore Changi
Airport to the city is approximately 25 to 30 minutes by
car, taxi or MRT and 45 minutes by public bus.
BY ROAD
You can drive to Singapore from
Malysia by using the man-made causeway from the city of Johor Bahru
in the state of Johore in Malaysia to the northern part of Singapore.
Express buses run daily between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
BY TRAIN
Singapore is the southern
terminal of the Malaysian railway system.
BY SEA
Major cruise lines to Singapore
include Ocean/Pearl, Cunard, Royal Cruise, Princess Cruises
and the Royal Viking Line.
23. GETTING AROUND IN SINGAPORE
Visitors can explore every
corner of the island with Singapore's modern transport
system. Taxis are abundant and affordable, the bus network
is reliable and safe, and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail
system is efficient and extensive. Detailed information on
bus routes, MRT stations and fares can be found in the
TransitLink Guide, a copy of which can be purchased at bus
interchanges, MRT stations and major bookstores.
Fares of public transport in
Singapore
Buses SGD0.58 - SGD1.70
MRT SGD0.80 - SGD1.80
Taxis Flag down rate: SGD2.40
for the first km. and then SGD0.10 increment for every
200-225m or part thereof. Other surcharges may apply.
There is the Singapore Trolley
Ticket at SGD9.00 for adults and SGD7.00 for children if you
intend to move mainly around the city and major shopping
areas. Tickets can be purchased from selected hotels.
Besides getting onto the MRT
train, another easy way to travel to and from the Singapore
Changi Airport is to take the MaxiCab, a six seater taxi
shuttle service operating daily from 6.00am to 12 midnight.
The shuttle service stops at the Concorde Hotel Singapore,
Crown Prince Hotel Singapore, Excelsior Peninsula Hotel and
Marina Mandarin Hotel along the way. Fares are SGD7.00 per
trip for adults and SGD5.00 per trip for children aged from
2 to 12 years old. The shuttle offers flexible routing
between Singapore Changi Airport and almost all hotels
within the city. Bookings can be made at the service
counters at the airport's arrival hall.
24.
ACCOMMODATION
Singapore has a wide range of
accommodation boasting of some world class hotels at competitive rates. International standard
hotels, medium and budget hotels, youth hostels and
timeshare apartments are just some of the types of
accommodation available.
25.
TAX
Airport Tax
A SGD21.00 Passenger Service
Charge should be incorporated into your air ticket. If this
has not be done, you are not required to pay the SGD21.00
during check-in. Your airline will absorb the service
charge. If you are in transit for less than 24 hours, you
may leave the airport without having to pay for the service
charge upon departure.
Goods and Services Tax (GST)
A 5% GST is levied on most goods
and services. When shopping at retail outlets displaying the
Tax-Free Shopping logo, ask for your Global Refund Cheque
when paying. The GST refunds can be claimed on goods worth
SGD300.00 or more from one outlet or accumulated receipts
from various outlets with a minimum purchase of SGD100.00
from each outlet.
Present the Global Refund Cheque
together with the goods to Customs for inspection at the
airport upon departure. You can claim your GST refunds in
cash at the Global Refund counters in both Terminal 1 and 2
or opt for a bank cheque via mail or refund to a specific
credit card. A handling fee will be deducted from the GST
amount.
26. DO'S AND
DON'TS
Do not smoke in public areas
such as lifts, theatres, cinemas, air-conditioned
restaurants and shopping malls, government offices and on
public transport.
When addressing someone, do not
use first names unless asked to, it is more appropriate to
use Mr., Mrs. or Miss as titles.
Always ask permission to take
photographs of temples, churches and mosques.
Always obey the laws as it is
strictly enforced and fines will be levied for acts such as
littering and smoking in prohibited areas.
When entering a Singaporean's
house, temples or mosques, visitors will be required to
remove their shoes.
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