History UsefulNotes / Singapore

* ''Series/SerangoonRoad'', a 2013 co-production between [[Creator/TheABC the Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] and HBO Asia. It's set in 1960s Singapore and focuses on an Australian expat and the Chinese woman who runs a detective agency he does casual work for.

* Not only does ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' feature a Singaporean character, the Singapore Merlion statue actually features in key episodes involving her.

Clearly, the writers of ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' hadn't either... the place is depicted as a large town at the close of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy, when it was in fact a swampy island (which had ''formerly'' been a major trading hub until the Majapahit Empire had enough of ''that'' and invaded, with the fleeing rajah founding the Sultanate of Melaka, which ''itself'' fell to the Dutch, who finished the job the Majapahit started in about 1612, terminating any large-scale trade for two centuries) until being bought up at the start of the era of empires by Sir Stamford Raffles, who was just about the opposite of Lord Cutler Beckett and quite a guy[[note]]His deputy and co-founder of the British colony there, Major-General William Farquhar, would probably disagree given that Raffles sacked him as the Resident four years into his term, condemning him to a life of obscurity[[/note]]. To be fair, though, they got other things right: Chinese formed a big part of the population of Singapore when it did exist and the Straits of Malacca by which its sits are even today a (comparative) pirate hotspot. Also, prior to becoming a Crown Colony in the latter part of the 19th Century, it ''did'' have a reputation of being a WretchedHive with rampant crime, corruption and opium; a derisive nickname given to it at the time was "Sin Galore." Its WretchedHive reputation was revived for a short while after its full independence in 1965 (see below); the lawlessness was largely tamed by the 1980s.

Clearly, the writers of ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' hadn't either... the place is depicted as a large town at the close of the era of pirates, when it was in fact a swampy island (which had ''formerly'' been a major trading hub until the Majapahit Empire had enough of ''that'' and invaded, with the fleeing rajah founding the Sultanate of Melaka, which ''itself'' fell to the Dutch, who finished the job the Majapahit started in about 1612, terminating any large-scale trade for two centuries) until being bought up at the start of the era of empires by Sir Stamford Raffles, who was just about the opposite of Lord Cutler Beckett and quite a guy[[note]]His deputy and co-founder of the British colony there, Major-General William Farquhar, would probably disagree given that Raffles sacked him as the Resident four years into his term, condemning him to a life of obscurity[[/note]]. To be fair, though, they got other things right: Chinese formed a big part of the population of Singapore when it did exist and the Straits of Malacca by which its sits are even today a (comparative) pirate hotspot. Also, prior to becoming a Crown Colony in the latter part of the 19th Century, it ''did'' have a reputation of being a WretchedHive with rampant crime, corruption and opium; a derisive nickname given to it at the time was "Sin Galore." Its WretchedHive reputation was revived for a short while after its full independence in 1965 (see below); the lawlessness was largely tamed by the 1980s.

** President: Halimah Yacob

** Parliament Speaker: Tan Chuan-Jin

* '''Area:''' 728.3 km
(281.2 sq mi) (176th)

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart'': Befitting its WorldTour theme, ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' has a course based off of Singapore, the aptly-named Singapore Speedway. It was later added as a DLC course in ''VideoGame/MarioKart8 Deluxe''.

* ''VideoGame/D4DJGroovyMix'': The first event story, "[=NonS=].T.O.P. the Best!!", features the four women of the DJ unit [=Merm4id=] going on a vacation to Singapore and explore popular local landmarks.

Sounds amazing, right? Wouldn't mind going there to study or work, or for a holiday? Well, there are some things you'll need to watch out for. It ''is'' a great place to live in, but it does have a dark side.

In addition to the humidity, hot sun, and mosquitoes, Singapore has garnered a fairly infamous reputation for being incredibly strict and conservative when it comes to its laws - with very frequent use of the death penalty (400 hangings between 1991 and 2004 - note that the place had a population of ''4 million'' at the time), including for drug trafficking. (The crime rate in Singapore is pathetically low though, so depending on your point of view the death penalty may or may not be a necessary evil or even a good thing to keep citizens in line. The use of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore caning]] is also common as a punishment, as an American tourist by the name of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay Michael Fay]] found out the hard way in 1994 after being arrested for theft and vandalism. It has several notably restrictive laws: discouraging homosexuality and banning same-sex marriages[[note]]Gay sex was finally decriminalised in 2022, but additional restrictions were placed on intentions to legalize same-sex marriage[[/note]], issuing fines for intentional littering, outlawing the possession of porn, and banning [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the sale of chewing gum]],[[note]]although not possession, so bringing in a stick or two for yourself or friends is acceptable unless you go around sticking wads of gum on public property[[/note]] amongst others. Fortunately, the penalties for all but the first are simply fining and/or community service; the goal is to keep the city clean and safe, not to lock people up. Creator/WilliamGibson once memorably described the place as "[[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.04/gibson.html Disneyland with the death penalty]]"[[note]]He was dissatisfied later that he managed to convey the city's "creepy anal retentive" authoritarianism better than its "unrelenting dullness"[[/note]], and the locals make jokes about this - you can get T-shirts saying "Singapore is a [[IncrediblyLamePun fine city]]", enumerating most of the fines one is likely to incur for various misdemeanours. The government finally passed laws allowing controlled gambling a couple of years back, and two large casino resorts have been completed ([[InsistentTerminology though the term "Integrated Resort" is preferred]]). With the new tourism spike, the government is loosening some of their stricter laws.

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart'': Befitting its WorldTour theme, ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' has a course based off of Singapore, the aptly-named Singapore Speedway.

* '''Lowest point:''' Singapore Strait (22 m/72 ft) (-)

In addition to the humidity, hot sun, and mosquitoes, Singapore has garnered a fairly infamous reputation for being incredibly strict and conservative when it comes to its laws - with very frequent use of the death penalty (400 hangings between 1991 and 2004 - note that the place had a population of ''4 million'' at the time), including for drug trafficking. (The crime rate in Singapore is pathetically low though, so depending on your point of view the death penalty may or may not be a necessary evil or even a good thing to keep citizens in line. The use of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore caning]] is also common as a punishment, as an American tourist by the name of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay Michael Fay]] found out the hard way in 1994 after being arrested for theft and vandalism. It has several notably restrictive laws: discouraging homosexuality and banning same-sex marriages, issuing fines for intentional littering, outlawing the possession of porn, and banning [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the sale of chewing gum]],[[note]]although not possession, so bringing in a stick or two for yourself or friends is acceptable unless you go around sticking wads of gum on public property[[/note]] amongst others. Fortunately, the penalties for all but the first are simply fining and/or community service; the goal is to keep the city clean and safe, not to lock people up. Creator/WilliamGibson once memorably described the place as "[[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.04/gibson.html Disneyland with the death penalty]]"[[note]]He was dissatisfied later that he managed to convey the city's "creepy anal retentive" authoritarianism better than its "unrelenting dullness"[[/note]], and the locals make jokes about this - you can get T-shirts saying "Singapore is a [[IncrediblyLamePun fine city]]", enumerating most of the fines one is likely to incur for various misdemeanours. The government finally passed laws allowing controlled gambling a couple of years back, and two large casino resorts have been completed ([[InsistentTerminology though the term "Integrated Resort" is preferred]]). With the new tourism spike, the government is loosening some of their stricter laws.

The '''Republic of Singapore''' ('''Malay:''' ''Republik Singapura''; '''Chinese:''' ''新加坡共和国, Xīnjiāpō gònghéguó''; '''Tamil:''' ''சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு, Ciṅkappūr kuṭiyaracu''), is an island city-state in Southeast Asia, about 700 square kilometers in total land area, splitting from Malaysia in 1965, a state it still has some disputes with. Ties between the citizens of both countries remain extremely close, since almost everyone has friends, family, and/or business on the other side of the causeway.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' has [[http://www.scpwiki.com/scp-2965 SCP-2965]], which was found in '''[[ConvenientlyInterruptedDocument [REDACTED] ]]'''Station of the Circle Line MRT.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': "Mr. Ji Fan" a.k.a [[http://www.scpwiki.com/scp-2857 SCP-2857]] appears to be a regular Chinese-looking local, who has a fondness for cooking Hainanese chicken rice... that happens to be anomalously addictive to anyone else who eats it. Amongst his claims to have been forcibly teleported from an alternate future timeline (somewhere past his supposed birth year: 2029), he also mentions having a ''doctorate'' in '''chicken rice preparation''' from a non-existent culinary school and somewhat involved in a future conflict involving a feud between [[SeriousBusiness "chicken ricers" and chili-crabbers"]].

In short, Singapore is an up-and-coming island nation, which is excellent to live and work in (unless you happen to not be straight), or even just come for a holiday. While sometimes restrictive, it doesn't trespass on most great freedoms. It can handle itself in a war or in emergencies (though it's pathetic on the scale of the military superpowers), and possesses a remarkable combination of cleanliness, safety, and comfort. Just don't break the law, make sure to read all warning signs, and manage your budget well. And, if you intend to live there, be prepared to be diligent, working hard and doing your duty.

* ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedNitro'' features one of the five global cities for a place for street racing.

* Neraine from the [[WebGames flash game]] ''VideoGame/GeNeSis''.