Singapore 🇸🇬
Singapore is a country in Asia with a population of 5,975,689. Its capital is Singapore. The official currency is SGD, and the main languages are English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil.
Quick facts
- Capital: Singapore
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 5,975,689
- Area: 728 km²
- Density: 8,208 people per km²
- Currency: SGD
- Languages: English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil
- ISO code: SG
Where Singapore sits
Singapore 🇸🇬 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Singapore. It covers 728 square kilometres — 178th in the world — and is home to about 5,975,689 people, 112th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Singapore compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Singapore sits closest to Congo and Denmark. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Tonga and Dominica.
At 8,208 people per square kilometre it is about 138 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
English is an official language in 58 countries here, among them Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas and Barbados, and 53 others. The SGD is used by Singapore and no one else.
To see Singapore next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Singapore
Singapore is a city-state, so the capital question has the same answer as the country: Singapore. For the flag, it starts like Indonesia's red over white, then adds a crescent and five stars in the corner.
The flag of Singapore: red and white
🇸🇬 The flag is two horizontal stripes, red over white, with a white crescent moon and a ring of five white stars in the top left. Red stands for brotherhood and equality, and white for purity and virtue. The waxing crescent stands for a young nation on the rise, and the five stars for democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
Region and neighbours
Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia, about one degree of latitude north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. As an island country it has no land neighbours.
Three facts about Singapore
- Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.
- Its modern history began in 1819, when Stamford Raffles set it up as a British trading post. It became an independent country in 1965.
- The Merlion, a lion's head on a fish's body, is the official mascot of Singapore.
Sources: Wikipedia: Singapore, Wikipedia: Flag of Singapore, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Singapore
- Asian capitals quiz — match Singapore to Singapore
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Singapore flag among its neighbours
- Island nations quiz — Singapore is an island country
Quizzes that include Singapore
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Singapore those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Singapore
- Singapore capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Singapore
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Singapore
- Capital of Singapore: Singapore — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Singapore flag?
The flag of Singapore is two horizontal stripes, red over white, with a white crescent moon and a ring of five white stars in the top left. Red stands for brotherhood and equality, and white for purity and virtue. The waxing crescent stands for a young nation on the rise, and the five stars for democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
Which countries border Singapore?
None. Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia, about one degree of latitude north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, so it has no land borders with other countries.
How can I remember the capital of Singapore?
Singapore is a city-state, so the capital question has the same answer as the country: Singapore. For the flag, it starts like Indonesia's red over white, then adds a crescent and five stars in the corner.