Singapore

Singapore, an island city-state bordering the coast of southern Malaysia, is a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population. Singapore is similar to Night City, in that it is an independent city state separate from the country it was once a part of. Its colonial core centers on the Padang, a cricket field since the 1830s and now flanked by grand buildings such as City Hall, with its 18 Corinthian columns. In Singapore's circa-1820 Chinatown stands the red-and-gold Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, said to house one of Buddha's teeth.

Early History
Singapore, also known as the "Lion City", was originally developed as a settlement by the late Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. Overtime it grew under British rule, experiencing large amounts of immigration, that was until the takeover by the Imperial Japanese during World War 2. After achieving independence, it joined the Malay Federation, but was expelled two years later due to racial differences between the Malayasian-bigoted Malay government and the predominantly Chinese island.

1990s - 2020s
When Hong Kong collapsed, many companies and people fled to Singapore, however, only well-educated and skillful people were given permission to live in the city. Despite their best efforts to regulate immigration, many refugees gained access to the city over the years through subterfuge and smugglers.

Singapore is a city run by a freely elected government, but run with an iron-fist. The government, the People's Action Party, has ruled with an overwhelming majority since the 1960s, and has made Singapore a model city, with a minimum of crime and pollution. The mass media however is tightly controlled, dissent is highly "discouraged", and individual freedoms are significantly suppressed. The government mandates dress codes and laws of cleanliness. One example of such is that chewing gum in public is illegal in order to keep the streets clean. The corporations within Singapore, unlike Night City, do not interfere with the development and activities of the government, due to the government already having corporate interests in mind.

The Tiger Medicines Corporation, originally founded in the 1800s, is one of the most successful Singaporean corporations in the world.

At some point in the 2010s, the Arasaka Corporation's private security contractors were hired to police the city. Being policed by mercenaries has made any and all dissent of any kind virtually unallowed.

Economy
Singapore's economy is the second wealthiest in the Pacific Rim, with only Japan being foremost. Trade, shipping, banking, and high-tech industries dominate this city. The Strait of Malacca is the prime shipping route between the Pacific Rim and Europe/Africa. When Hong Kong was brought down to destruction, most of the companies that weren't already in Singapore followed Merrill, Asukaga &amp; Finch's lead. The government has always had a pro-business stance for decades previously, and it is a city considered to have everything a Corpo would ever want. Tiger Medicines Corporation is the largest company originating from Singapore.

For the most part, citizens within Singapore are reasonably well off, and anything that's not illegal is quite easily acquired, so there's very little black market trade in Singapore. What little there is takes place on the north end of the island, where newcomers/refugees live.

That being said, NetCrime and data smuggling are the most lucrative markets. Singapore's government has found it nearly impossible to regulate all broadcast Vids, and have almost no control over the Net whatsoever. The sheer volume of activity makes policing it almost completely impossible. Every company maintains its own secure uplinks for teleconferencing, then there is personal travel between companies to attempt to maintain secrecy.

Geography
Singapore is a very small, heavily urbanized, island city-state in Southeast Asia, located at the end of the Malayan Peninsula between Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore has a total land area of 724.2 square kilometers (279.6 sq mi).

The Singapore area comprises mainland and other islands. The mainland of Singapore measures 50 kilometers (31 mi) from east to west and 27 kilometers (17 mi) from north to south with 193 kilometers (120 mi) of coastline. These figures are based on 2.515 meters (8 ft 3.0 in) High Water Mark cadastral survey boundaries. It has an exclusive economic zone of 1,067 km2 (412 sq mi). Singapore is separated from Indonesia by the Singapore Strait and from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor.

Climate
Singapore is situated near the equator and has a typically tropical climate, with abundant rainfall, high and uniform temperatures, and high humidity all year round. Many of its climate variables, such as temperature and relative humidity, do not show large month-to-month variation. However, many variables exhibit prominent diurnal (or daily) variations from hour to hour, indicating the strong influence that solar heating has on the local climate.