Singapore: Introduction

Singapore is an island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor, and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait. Singapore has a strategic location for Southeast Asian sea routes. The government system is a parliamentary republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Singapore has a highly development free market economy in which the economy is open and corruption-free. Singapore is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).