Singapore is a southeastern Asian nation comprised of ethnic Chinese and Malay citizens. Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
Singapore is a parliamentary republic governed by the President, Prime Minister and the unicameral Parliament. Its official languages are English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
