Singapore

In early 1900 the British East India Company colonized the area of Singapore, taking advantage of its strategic location. Singapore remained under British rule until 1963 (with the exception of the Japanese occupation during WWII) at which time it formed part of Malaysia. Just 2 years later it left the federation and became fully independent. Since then the economy of the country has boomed. It is now one of the world’s busiest ports (along with Rotterdam and Hong Kong), and is the world’s fourth largest foreign exchange trading center. Key industries include electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences.

Singapore is a tourist and business friendly destination. The city state has attracted thousands of foreigners to work at hundreds of multinational corporations – as a result the city is highly cosmopolitan – a gourmet & shopping junkie mecca. With the forecasted 4-6% growth annually over the next decade, Singapore’s influence will play an important role in the region as well as in the global economy.