Singapore
/ˌsɪŋgəˈpɔː(r)/- a country in SE Asia consisting of the island of Singapore (linked by a causeway to the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula) and some fifty-four smaller islands; pop. 4,657, 500 (est. 2009); official languages, Malay, Chinese, Tamil, and English; capital, Singapore City.新加坡（东南亚国家, 由新加坡岛［由一堤道与马来半岛的南端连接］和大约54个小岛组成; 2009年估计人口约4,657, 500; 官方语言有马来语、汉语、泰米尔语和英语; 首都新加坡市）。
Established as a trading post under the East India Company in 1819, Singapore came under British colonial rule in 1867 as part of the Straits Settlements with Penang and Malacca. Singapore rapidly grew to become the most important commercial centre and naval base in SE Asia. After the Second World War it became first a British Crown Colony in 1946 and then a self-governing state within the Commonwealth in 1959. Federated with Malaysia in 1963, it declared full independence two years later.
派生词