Getting Close to Singapore

Singapore, like most Australian capital cities, now has one of everything: a flagship museum, a flagship gallery, a flagship performing centre, a flagship library. In 2015, there were 5,412 arts and cultural organisations, and 1.5 million tickets sold to different performing arts events.

Singaporeans from all groups are incredibly proud of their mixed culture and heritage, seeing all cultures as being part of the overall makeup of the country rather than being one and the same. It is a true meritocracy, where all people’s achievements are based on merit, rather than ethnicity and cultural identity.

Many different languages are spoken in Singapore, although the first language of the country is English. The majority of Singaporeans can speak at least two languages, with many people speaking even more! Other common languages within the population include Mandarin Chinese, Tamil, and Malay. There is also a colloquial form of English, known as Singlish. The official languages of Singapore are Bahasa Melayu, which is the national language, English, which is the primary language, Mandarin, and Tamil.

There are few religions followed in Singapore. Indeed, it is one of the most religiously diverse countries on the planet! Respect and tolerance largely exists between religious groups, with some of the major religions including Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. There are some people that follow more than one belief system, and others that do not ascribe to any religious views. Many religious holidays are public holidays in the country.

Singaporeans go barefoot inside their homes, so to show respect, shoes should be removed when entering their home.