SINGAPORE INTRODUCTION, Introduction

Hi, my name’s Scott, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: Singapore.

Legend has it that Singapore dates to 1299, when a Malay prince landed here after a storm; since he was met with lions, he founded the kingdom of Singapura, meaning “Lion City”. Modern Singapore, however, dates to 1819, when an administrator of the East India Company, Thomas Stamford Raffles, sought to make it a British colony, in view of its important strategic position.

The city expanded rapidly under British rule, and following independence, Singapore became part of Malaysia. It was subsequently expelled from Malaysia for political differences, and has been an independent state since August 9, 1965.

Singapore sits mostly on an island surrounded by an archipelago of 62 smaller islands, on an area of just 641 square kilometers, making it the second most densely populated state in the world after the Principality of Monaco. It also has the largest number of millionaires per head of population. Singapore is a tax haven and a financial powerhouse, and its port is one of the busiest in the world....