The Republic of Singapore, officially known as Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state located in Southeast Asia, situated 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, and just off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It consists of a lozenge-shaped main island, also called Singapore Island or Pulau Ujong in Malay, and over 60 smaller islets. The country is separated from Peninsular Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to the north, and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to the south.
Singapore is a highly urbanized country with little remaining primary rainforest, as its territory has expanded through land reclamation. It has a long history, having been part of various local empires since its settlement in the second century AD. Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the East India Company with the permission of the Johor Sultanate. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824, and it became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826.
During World War II, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese. The country declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1963 and briefly united with other former British territories to form Malaysia, before departing two years later. Since then, Singapore has undergone rapid development and has earned recognition as one of the Four Asian Tigers.
