Singapore

Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia. Founded as a British colony in the 19th century by Sir Stamford Raffles, Singapore flourished through the development of international trade and local infrastructure. By the 1930s, with its free port, Singapore enjoyed a glamorous reputation and drew a rich range of people to its shores. Its multicultural population of 550,000 inhabitants created thriving trade and social quarters of Malays, Chinese, British, Indians, and Dutch communities. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Singapore was deemed an indomitable fortress by the British administration, and such confidence in the safety of the island meant that even just a few weeks before invasion, much of the exuberant life in Singapore continued unabated. However, Singapore fell to the ...