Singapore Sings

Singapore Sings

Introduction

The Republic of Singapore is an independent city-state located on an island in Southeast Asia. It is located, on the southern edge of the Malay Peninsula, approximately 85 miles from the equator. South of Singapore is the Riau Islands of Indonesia and to the north is Peninsular Malaysia. In addition to its main island, Singapore 67 small islands surround it. Since August 19651, when Singapore gained its independence, this island nation has increased its size by 50 square miles through land reclamation.2

Singapore sings
its motto and anthem
proclaiming "Onward, Singapore"3.

Singapore sings
in four languages--
English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil4--
embracing humanity.

Singapore sings,
its "religiously diverse"5 population
intoning their gratitude
to one of the names of God.

Buddhism is the most numerous group in Singapore, with about 33% of the population following one of the three leading traditions of Theravada6, Mahayana7, and Vajrayana8. Christianity and those following no specific religion each claim approximately 18% of the population. Those are followed by Islam, with about 14%, Taoism and folk religion, with 10%, Hinduism, with 5%, and other religion, with about 0.6%.9 One of those other religions is the Baha'i Faith, which has a beautiful Baha'i Centre located at 55 Cantoment Rd.10

Tourist Attractions

Singapore sings
to tourist across the planet
inviting them experience its beauty,
and its one of its 895 attractions.11

Singapore's Top 20 Attractions

1. National Orchid Garden
2. Singapore Mas Rapid Transit
3. Gardens by the Bay
4. Singapore Botanic Gardens
5. Cloud Forest
6. Marina Bay
7. Singapore Zoo
8. Singapore Flyer
9. Marina Bay Sands Skypark
10. Orchard Road
11. Chindatown
12. Battlebox
13. Sight Seeing Tours
14. Walking tours
15. The Intan
16. Supertree Grove
17. Gift & Specialty
18. Singapore's Visitors Centre
19.Waterfront Promenade
20. MacRitchie Natural Trail

Singapore has something for everybody to enjoy. If you are material minded you can visit some of the 895 attracts. If you are spiritual minded you need to look for the religious buildings. If I were to go to Singapore the first place I would want to visit is the Baha'i Centre. Since English is one of the official languages of Singapore, there would be no difficulty in finding someone who can give me directions. I, like many Baha'is who travel the world, would contact the Bahai Centre before visiting this beautiful nation.

Singapore sings
as its government envisions
making it a "garden city"12

Singapore sings
about the beauty of
of the flora and fauna
of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve13
and the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve14.

Singapore sings
about its tropical rainforest climate15.

Singapore sings
about its UNESCO World Heritage Site,
the Singapore Botanic Gardens16
that are tropical gardens,
with an age of 150 years.17.

Conclusion

Singapore, which has a market economy18, is a beautiful city-state or island nation. It looks like a fun place for any tourist to go because you can find both urban areas and natural areas. I suspect the urban parts of Singapore are more numerous than the natural area. However, since both can be found it is an attractive place to visit. If one is planning a trip to Singapore, I would suggest doing research on the local laws and crime. I make this suggestion because I live in a tourist city myself, and know that safety has to be the first thing on a tourist mind.

Word Count: 560

Footnotes
1  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Republic_of_Singapore
2  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore
3  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majulah_Singapura
4  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore
5  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Religion
6  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada
7  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana
8  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana
9  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Religion
10  http://bahai.org.sg/
11  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g294265-Activities-Singapore.html#ATTRAC...
12  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Nature
13  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Timah_Nature_Reserve
14  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungei_Buloh_Wetland_Reserve
15  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_rainforest_climate
16  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Botanic_Gardens
17  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Nature
18  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Economy