‘Singapura’, as the island has historically been known, has an intriguing history that dates back five centuries or more and is founded on a melting pot of multi-ethnic people from Chinese, Malay, Indian and European origin. With a legacy of seafaring merchants, British colonial rule and Malay influences, Singapore has emerged as a modern nation, as refined and well blended as a delicious Laksa curry. Yet the island hasn’t always been the sophisticated city that is now known as Asia’s financial centre and shopping mecca. After unceremoniously being dumped from the Malayan Federation in 1965, Singapore put its colonial past behind it and rolled up its sleeves to produce an enviable model society. From the moment you step out of the modern and efficient Changi International Airport, impressions of a crowded and overdeveloped city disappear in swathe of green nature reserves and parks. Soon you discover that its beach areas, cultural centres and numerous entertainment precincts, such as the riverfront quaysides, suggest that the city likes to enjoy itself. Throughout the year, numerous traditional and contemporary festivals combine with an exhausting selection of activities and family-friendly attractions that draw visitors with their slick and professional organisation. Nationals of the US, the Commonwealth and most European and Asian countries are welcome without prior visa arrangement and enjoy a safe and hassle free environment, supported by an efficient transport network. In fact, it’s such a squeaky clean place that the locals jokingly call their country ‘a fine place to visit’, alluding to the numerous petty civic order fines this one-party democracy has become famous for dishing out. | 
