At last!
My time machine worked!
I’m kidding of course, I’m not several decades in the future or anything like that,
this is just Singapore.
Singapore is a world famous city, but it is more than just that gum-banning city-state
where the movie Crazy Rich Asians took place.
So what are some other fun facts about Singapore?
Well, that‘s why I‘m here!
Singapore, a futuristic city on the crossroads between East Asia and the Western world, which
grew from practically nothing 100 years ago to its own country, and one of the most prosperous
in the world, at that.
So, just how did Singapore become…
Singapore?
Singapore sits at an important crossroads for world trade, as it is situated right on
the edge of the Malacca Strait, giving it huge geopolitical leverage for a country its
size.
— Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a trading port for the British
East India Company, but it had been known for far longer than that.
Singapore‘s name comes from the Malay term Singapura, named by Srivijayan Prince Sang
Nila Utama, and means lion city.
Even though Singapore most likely never had lions, and it was very likely actually a tiger
that he saw.
Nevertheless, while some countries have mythical animals as their national animal, Singapore
actually created their own for this purpose: the Merlion, which is still copyrighted, so
I‘m going to get out of here before I get a strike from this.
Singapore is widely known for its cleanliness, which it takes very seriously.
Eating and drinking is strictly prohibited on the MRT, and even things like not flushing
the toilet, spitting in public, and chewing gum are illegal here.
So be aware of that.
— Singapore also has its own dialect of English, known as Singlish, which the government
also didn‘t use to like.
Singlish combines English with many elements from Singapore‘s three other official languages,
Malay, Tamil, and Mandarin, as well as a few slang terms from some other dialects of English.
— And yes, Singapore does in fact have four official languages, for each of the four main
ethnic groups; the Malays, Indians, Chinese, and what they call “Eurasians”.
So, if you‘re wondering which language to use, just use English, it is the common language
between all the major groups.
While integration is a strong part of what makes Singapore the country it is, the city
is dotted with different ethnic and cultural neighborhoods.
This is Little India, but they also have a Chinatown, and they have Geylang for the Malays.
Of course, Singapore grew most significantly as a British colony, and the British influence
still shows to this day, from the British-accented English, to the English names on the MRT,
to the double-decker buses driving on the left side of the road.
It was then occupied by the Japanese for a few years during WWII, but was then liberated,
but then wanted independence, alongside the rest of Malaysia… and the world (except
Thailand).
So, Singapore… it’s a city in Malaysia, right?
Wrong.
Very, very wrong.
Frankly, I pity the fool who says that on the MRT.
In fact, even more than Hong Kong’s de facto independent operations from China, Singapore
and Malaysia are completely, 100% separate in every way, shape and form.
Singapore has its own government, police, currency, passport, visa policy, and everything.
Singapore is a country, just like Malaysia, Canada, Spain, or any other, just smaller
in physical size.
But why is it independent?
Well, Malaysia wasn’t always a fully united region.
Singapore and Malaysia were once under British control as the colonies of British Malaya,
Sabah, and Sarawak.
However, tensions between Singapore and the rest of Malaysia ended up in Singapore effectively
being kicked out of the federation.
Nevertheless, the newly independent Singapore had, like, sick trading skills, now hosting
one of the biggest ports in the world.
Singapore, of course, also has its own currency, which is completely separate from the Malaysian
Ringgit, but is interestingly in a currency union with Brunei.
So Bruneians can use their Brunei dollars in Singapore and Singaporeans can use their
Singapore dollars in Bandar Seri Begawan all they‘d like.
Of course, on the topic of money, Singapore has a lot of it.
It’s home to one of the busiest ports in the world, and has one of the highest average
incomes and standards of living of any country in the world, though this is also not exactly
the cheapest city in the world.
Though Singaporeans often make a lot of money, and many amenities are provided for them,
many other amenities can be quite expensive, and 20% of a Singaporean’s income goes into
a mandatory savings account.
Kind of like Social Security, back in the US.
Overall, Singapore is a fun little country, and most certainly worth a visit.
It‘s by no means a cheap city, but many would argue that it provides basically the
perfect introduction to the rest of Asia, with all its different ethnic groups and cultural
areas.
This city is also cool for the massive transformation it has seen, from a barely settled island
to basically a city from Star Trek.
Either way, before they were Singapore, now they are Singa-rich.
Okay, bad puns aside, thank you as always for watching.
These are my favorite kinds of videos to make, but I have noticed that they aren‘t the
most popular, so I appreciate you taking the time to watch.
Also, do be sure to subscribe for the last of my travel videos next Sunday, from Australia.