The culture of Singapore draws on China, Indonesia, India and the west, and there are numerous societies and clubs that continue these traditions.

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        Located between Malaysia and Indonesia, the total area is only 630 sq. km, which is extremely small by any standards. People have remarked that not only is it really just a large city with extensive suburbs, but that it is governed in the same way as a chief executive might control a major corporation. Indeed many people refer to Singapore as a city-state. Singapore has an undramatic scenery, with lowlands and a gently undulating central plateau. The highest point is Bukit Timah at only 175m. Only 10% of the land can be described as arable, and even then soils are not good. However intensive and modern agricultural techniques have made the most out of this restricted resource, creating highly productive farms of both fruit and vegetables.

        The culture of Singapore draws on China, Indonesia, India and the west, and there are numerous societies and clubs that continue these traditions. The city of Singapore has an active Indian downtown called Little India, a small, vibrant and varied community. It is also fair to say that profit is now at the centre of the modern Singaporean's approach to life, although this is less the case with the ethnic Malaysians. In 2000, the total population of Singapore was 4,017,700 of which 3,263,200 are citizens and permanent residents. This is an increase of 2.8 per cent over the decade. There are three main racial groups, with the Chinese numbering 2,505,400 (77 per cent of resident population), Malays 453,600 (14 per cent) and Indians 257,800 (8 per cent). With 1,630,300 resident males and 1,632,900 resident females, the sex ratio was 998 males per 1,000 females. The median age of the resident population was 34.2 years in 2000, compared with 29.8 ten years ago. Residents below 15 years of age formed 21.5 per cent of the population. The proportion of residents aged 65 years and above was 7.3 per cent. Infant mortality rate was 3.3 per thousand resident live births in 1999, compared with 6.3 in 1989. The life expectancy at birth for resident males and females has increased from 72.9 years and 77.2 years in 1989 to 75.6 years and 79.6 years in 1999 respectively.

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        Most of the original inhabitants were Malays. Other early immigrants came from the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, including the Bugis. The first Malays were mainly involved in agriculture or, before Raffles, were camp followers of the Temenggong (Defence Minister) of the Sultan of Johor. Then came the Chinese; The first Chinese immigrants came from Riau and Melaka (Malacca), many belonging to the distinct Baba community (also known as Straits-born Chinese). In February 1821, the first junk from Amoy, China, arrived and others soon followed. The Hokkiens from Fujian province formed the largest group. Others included the Cantonese from Guangdong; the ...

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