"Singapore - an island nation" a Singapore Travel Page by AsterixSg

Singapore

Singapore, which lies almost on the equator (1° 22' 00 North of the Equator to be precise), is an island nation with an area of 620 Sq Km.

It has the perfect blend of East and the West – a nation that has shown tremendous growth over the past few decades – thanks mainly to some excellent governance. Singapore is in ideal place for a stopover or you can even use it as a base to visit the countries in South East Asia.

Singapore encourages equally all religions and races – it even has 4 official languages : English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. You will find all places of worship – Chinese temples, Indian Temples, Mosques etc.

Singapore has a very well developed infrastructure to cater to tourists and business travellers alike. There are several hotels – from budget class to 5 star deluxe hotels. There are also several service apartments for short to medium term stay.

Food is no problem in Singapore – in fact I believe that eating is a national passtime in Singapore, next only to Shopping. (As an aside, during one of my recent visits to Athens, when I told a colleague of mine that I would be taking them to Cape Sunion, I was asked – “What’s there ? Shopping ?”). There are shopping malls all around the island and one around almost every MRT station. Each mall has almost one full floor dedicated to a Food Court in addition to regular restaurants. Additionally, there are hawker centres (some are even open 24 hrs !!!) in the public housing estates.

Singapore boasts an excellent – cheap and efficient - public transport system. Do check out my transportation tips on different ways to get around when in Singapore.

Since Singapore is a shopping paradise, I’ve also listed some major shopping malls and places where you can shop till you drop.

The photograph here is of the most famous skyline of Singapore – the Business district called Raffles Place. This is where the financial institutions – banks, insurance companies, investment bankers etc. are based.

As I go along, I will be adding tips on "Must See" places in Singapore and also places 'off the beaten path'. Singapore, though being a small country, has many such interesting places hidden from the eye of a visitor.