Full Name
Republic of Singapore
Area
683 sq km
264 sq miles
Population
4,500,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +8 (Standard Time)
Daylight Saving Start
not in use
Daylight Saving End
not in use
Languages
English (official)
English is widespread. Children are taught English at school but also learn their mother tongue to make sure they don't lose contact with their traditions. The only communication problem English-speakers are likely to have in Singapore is with older Singaporeans who did not learn English at school, though trying to understand the unique patois called Singlish - which uses a clipped form of English mixed with Malay and Hokkien words - can be taxing.
Malay (official)
Mostly restricted to the Malay community.
Chinese (official)
Chinese dialects, such as Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese and Hakka, are still widely spoken. The government's long-standing campaign to promote Mandarin has been very successful and increasing numbers of Chinese now speak Mandarin at home.
Tamil (official)
Tamil is the main Indian language, though Malayalam and Hindi are also spoken.
Religion
42% Buddhist, 15% Muslim, 14% Christian, 9% Taoist, 4% Hindu
Currency
Singapore Dollar (S$)
Electricity
230V 50HzHz
Electric Plug Details
British-style plug with two flat blades and one flat grounding blade
Country Dialing Code
65