TravelBlog 1: Singapore – Information

Having recently been to three different countries in Asia on holiday - Singapore, Hong Kong (China) and Bali (Indonesia) - I’d like to relate my experiences to you, the reader. For each of the three destinations, there will initially be an ‘info’ blog post, with mainly short, point form notes about the area. This will then be followed by a post with insights, where I will try and relay a slightly more in-depth view of the place. Having been most impressed by Singapore, I thought I would logically start there…

• The first thing that hits you when you walk out of the airport is the heat and humidity. We were there during April, and every day was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), with roughly 80% humidity. Being very near the Equator, that does not change much throughout the year.

• Outside of the built-up areas, it is extremely green and lush. It rains almost every day, although this is generally in the form of a brief shower in the afternoon.

• While there is one main island, Singapore actually consists of 66 smaller islands as well.

• While the total land area is only 4700km2, the population is estimated at 4.8m.

• There are 4 main race groups, being Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian.

• The four main languages are Mandarin, English, Malay, and Tamil. English is widely spoken, though.

• Buddhism is by far the dominant religion, with approximately 78% of the population following it. The remainder is split between Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.

• Historically, they have had a 100% employment rate, although that has now dropped to 95% with the global financial crisis.

• There are no homeless people anywhere – if a person falls on hard times, their living will be subsidized until they get back on their feet, or they will be put in a home or shelter, and assisted in finding employment.

• The crime rate is very low. There are harsh fines for many smaller crimes (such as littering, spitting, importing chewing gum, smoking in a no-smoking area, etc.) and the death penalty is applied to those convicted of drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping and hijacking.

• They are currently experiencing a negative birth rate, and are incentivising young people to have children with monetary grants.

• Because of the lack of space, residential density is extremely high, with 98% of the population living in high-rises.

• As property is so expensive, 85% of the population lives in government-subsidised housing.

• The average price for a simple, 5-roomed apartment is roughly US$1.5m. A penthouse would set you back in the region of US$3m.

• Their income tax rates range from 2% to a maximum of 20% (very low relative to our tax rates in SA of 18-40%).

• Sales tax (GST or VAT) is 7%.

• There is a compulsory government social security savings scheme, with a contribution of 20% of your monthly salary. This is matched by a further 14% from your employer.

• As crowded as it is, the government is still keen to attract foreigners to live there if they are skilled at a specific occupation, or have a minimum of US$1m to invest.