Category: Singapore

The Republic of Singapore is an island country in Southeast Asia. It is a city-state, with a total area of ​​718.3 km². There are 5.6 million residents (2016). In the 14th century, Singapore was known as Tumasik and was part of the Majapahit Empire of Java. Around 1400, Paramesvara, Governor of Tumasik, fled an attack by Javanese forces and settled in Malacca. In 1511, the Portuguese conquered Malacca and the sultan fled to the south of the Malay Peninsula, founding, in 1528, the Sultanate of Johor (referred to as Gior by the ancient Portuguese), involving Singapore. In the middle of the 16th century, the Spanish São Francisco Xavier was in the Malay Peninsula, on a Portuguese Catholic mission. In the second half of the 16th century, João de Barros (1496-1750) described Singapore as a busy port (Decades of Asia). In the early 17th century, the Dutch sought control of the strategic Singapore Strait. In 1603, the Dutch captured, in Singapore, the Portuguese ship Santa Catarina do Monte Sinai. In retaliation, the Portuguese burned the city in 1613. The British arrived in 1819 and started to rule Singapore in 1826. The Japanese dominated the Island in World War II, but it was recovered by the British. In 1963, Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia, independent since 1957. In 1965, Singapore achieved its own independence. Today, it is one of the most important financial centers in the world. In 2018, it was considered the most expensive city in the world, for five consecutive years, by The Economist magazine.