POPULATION 3.2 million
BUDDHIST 42.5 percent
MUSLIM 15 percent
NONRELIGIOUS 15 percent
CHRISTIAN 14.5 percent
TAOIST 8.5 percent
HINDU 4 percent
OTHER 0.5 percent

Country Overview

Introduction

Situated just north of the equator in Southeast Asia, the Republic of Singapore consists of Singapore Island, which measures a mere 26 miles by 14 miles, and about 50 smaller, largely uninhabited islands. Singapore straddles one of the world's most important shipping lanes, the Strait of Malacca, which separates the country from the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the west. To the north of Singapore Island, beyond the narrow Johore Strait, is Malaysia.

Established in 1819 as a British trading center, Singapore began the process of devolving from Britain in the 1950s, and after a brief and unsuccessful union with neighboring Malaysia, the country became fully independent in 1965. The People's Action Party has maintained political power since 1959.

Because most Singaporeans are descended from Chinese, Malay, and Indian laborers who were imported to support...