Conventional long name	}}

|common_name = Singapore |image_flag = Flag of Singapore.svg |alt_flag = |image_coat = Coat of arms of Singapore.png |national_motto = ''"Majulah Singapura"''"Onward, Singapore" |national_anthem = ''Majulah Singapura''"Onward, Singapore" |royal_anthem = |motto = |other_symbol_type = |other_symbol = |image_map = Singapore montage.png |alt_map = |map_caption = |image_map2 = Location Singapore ASEAN.svg |alt_map2 = |map_caption2 = |capital = Singapore}} |latd= 1 | latm= 17 | latNS = N |longd= 103 |longm= 50 |longEW = E |largest_city = |official_languages = EnglishMalayChineseTamil |national_languages = |regional_languages = |languages_type = Official scripts |languages = English alphabetMalay alphabetSimplified ChineseTamil script |ethnic_groups = |ethnic_groups_year = |demonym = Singaporean |government_type = Parliamentary republic |leader_title1 = President |leader_name1 = Tony Tan Keng Yam |leader_title2 = Prime Minister |leader_name2 = Lee Hsien Loong |leader_title3 = Speaker of Parliament |leader_name3 = Abdullah Tarmugi |leader_title4 = Chief Justice |leader_name4 = Chan Sek Keong |leader_title5 = |leader_name5 = |leader_title6 = |leader_name6 = |legislature = Parliament |upper_house = |lower_house = |sovereignty_type = Formation |sovereignty_note = |established_event1 = Founding |established_date1 = 6 February 1819 |established_event2 = Self-government |established_date2 = 3 June 1959 |established_event3 = Independence from the United Kingdom |established_date3 = 31 August 1963 |established_event4 = Merger with Malaysia |established_date4 = 16 September 1963 |established_event5 = Separation from Malaysia |established_date5 = 9 August 1965 |established_event9 = |established_date9 = |area_rank = 191st |area_magnitude = 1_E8 |area = |area_km2 = 694 |area_sq_mi = |area_footnote = |percent_water = 1.444 |population_census = 5,076,700 |population_census_year = 2010 |population_estimate = |population_estimate_rank = |population_estimate_year = |population_density_km2 = 7,315 |population_density_sq_mi = 18,943 |population_density_rank = 3rd |GDP_PPP = $291.9 billion |GDP_PPP_rank = 41st |GDP_PPP_year = 2010 |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $62,100 |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 5th |GDP_nominal = $222.7 billion |GDP_nominal_rank = |GDP_nominal_year = 2010 |GDP_nominal_per_capita = $43,867 |GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 15th |Gini = 47.8 |Gini_rank = 29th |Gini_year = 2009 |Gini_category = |HDI = 0.846 |HDI_rank = 27th |HDI_year = 2010 |HDI_category = very high |currency = Singapore dollar |currency_code = SGD |time_zone = SST |utc_offset = +8 |time_zone_DST = |antipodes = |date_format = dd/mm/yyyy |DST_note = |utc_offset_DST = |drives_on = left |cctld = .sg |iso3166code = |calling_code = +65 |image_map3 = |alt_map3 = |footnotes = |footnote1 = Singapore is a city-state. |footnote2 = STD code 02 from Malaysia. |footnote7 = }}

Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. The country is highly urbanised with very little primary rainforest remaining, although more land is being created for development through land reclamation.

Singapore had been a part of various local empires since it was first inhabited in the second century AD. It hosted a trading post of the East India Company in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. Singapore was occupied by the Japanese in World War II and reverted to British rule after the war. It became internally self-governing in 1959. Singapore united with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963 and became a fully independent state two years later after separation from Malaysia. Since then it has had a massive increase in wealth, and is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy heavily depends on the industry and service sectors. Singapore is a world leader in several areas, it is the world's fourth leading financial centre, the world's second biggest casino gambling market, the world's top three oil refining centre. The port of Singapore is one of the five busiest ports in the world. The country is home to more US dollar millionaire households per capita than any other country. The World Bank notes Singapore as the easiest place in the world to do business.

Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. The People's Action Party (PAP) has won every election since the British grant of internal self-government in 1959. The legal system of Singapore has its foundations in the English common law system, but modifications have been made to it over the years, such as the removal of trial by jury. The PAP's popular image is that of a strong, experienced and highly qualified government, backed by a skilled Civil Service and an education system with an emphasis on achievement and meritocracy; but it is perceived by some voters, opposition critics and international observers as being authoritarian and too restrictive on individual freedom.

Some 5 million people live in Singapore, of whom 2.91 million were born locally. Most are of Chinese, Malay or Indian descent. There are four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. One of the five founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, Singapore also hosts the APEC Secretariat, and is a member of the East Asia Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth.

Etymology

The English name of Singapore is derived from the Malay ''Singapura'' (Sanskrit सिंहपुर ''Lion City''), hence the customary reference to the nation as the ''Lion City''. Lions probably never lived there; the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama, founder of ancient Singapore, who gave the city its name, was most likely a tiger.

History

The earliest known settlement on Singapore was in the second century AD. It was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire, named ''Temasek'' ('sea town'). Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, it was part of the Sultanate of Johor. In 1613, Portuguese raiders burnt down the settlement and the island sank into obscurity for the next two centuries.

In 1819, Thomas Stamford Raffles arrived and signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah on behalf of the British East India Company to develop the southern part of Singapore as a British trading post. In 1824 the entire island became a British possession under a further treaty whereby the sultan and the Temenggong transferred it to the British East India Company. In 1826 it became part of the Straits Settlements, a British colony. Before Raffles arrived, there were around 1,000 people living in Singapore, mostly Malays and a few dozen Chinese. By 1869, due to migration from Malaya and other parts of Asia, 100,000 people lived on the island.

During World War II the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya culminating in the Battle of Singapore. The British were defeated, and surrendered on 15 February 1942. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called this "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history". The Japanese occupied Singapore until the British repossessed it in September 1945 after the Japanese surrender.

Singapore's first general election in 1955 was won by the pro-independence David Marshall, leader of the Labour Front. Demanding complete self-rule he led a delegation to London but was turned down by the British. He resigned when he returned and was replaced by Lim Yew Hock, whose policies convinced Britain to grant Singapore full internal self-government for all matters except defence and foreign affairs.

In elections in May 1959 the People's Action Party won a landslide victory. Singapore had become an internally self-governing state within the Commonwealth, with Lee Kuan Yew as the first Prime Minister. Governor Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode served as the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara, and was succeeded by Yusof bin Ishak who in 1965 became the first President of Singapore.

Singapore declared independence from Britain on 31 August 1963 before joining the new Federation of Malaysia in September along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as the result of the 1962 Merger Referendum. Tunku Abdul Rahman separated Singapore from the Federation two years later after heated ideological conflict between the ruling parties of Malaya and Singapore.

Singapore gained sovereignty as the Republic of Singapore (remaining within the Commonwealth) on 9 August 1965 with Yusof bin Ishak as president and Lee Kuan Yew as prime minister. In 1967 it helped found the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and in 1970 it joined the Non-aligned movement. In 1990 Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as prime minister. During his tenure the country faced the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak and terrorist threats posed by Jemaah Islamiyah. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the country's third prime minister.

Government and politics

Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing constituencies. Its constitution establishes representative democracy as its political system. Freedom House ranks Singapore as "partly free" in its ''Freedom in the World'' report, and ''The Economist'' ranks Singapore as a "hybrid regime", the third rank out of four, in its "Democracy Index". Singapore is consistently rated one of the least corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International.

Executive power rests with the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister, and the President. The president is elected through popular vote, and has some veto powers for a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of judges, but otherwise occupies a ceremonial post.

The Parliament serves as the legislative branch of government. Members of Parliament (MPs) consist of elected, non-constituency and nominated members. Elected MPs are voted into parliament on a "first-past-the-post" (plurality) basis and represent either single-member or group-representation constituencies. The People's Action Party has won control of Parliament with large majorities in every election since self-governance was secured in 1959. However, in the most recent parliamentary elections in 2011, the opposition, led by the Workers' Party, made significant gains and increased its representation in the House to 6 elected MPs.

The legal system of Singapore is based on English common law, albeit with substantial local differences. Trial by jury was entirely abolished in 1970 leaving judicial assessment performed wholly by judgeship. Singapore has penalties that include judicial corporal punishment in the form of caning for rape, rioting, vandalism, and some immigration offences. There is a mandatory death penalty for murder, and for certain drug-trafficking and firearms offences. Amnesty International has said that some legal provisions conflict with the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that Singapore has "possibly the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population". The government has disputed Amnesty's claims. In a 2008 survey, international business executives believed Singapore, along with Hong Kong, had the best judicial system in Asia.

Geography

Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island, widely known as Singapore Island but also as Pulau Ujong. There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia: the Johor–Singapore Causeway in the north, and the Tuas Second Link in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore's smaller islands. The highest natural point is Bukit Timah Hill at .

There are ongoing land reclamation projects, which have increased Singapore's land area from in the 1960s to today; it may grow by another by 2030. Some projects involve merging smaller islands through land reclamation to form larger, more functional islands, as with Jurong Island. About 23% of Singapore's land area consists of forest and nature reserves. Urbanisation has eliminated most primary rainforest, with Bukit Timah Nature Reserve the only significant remaining forest.

Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons, uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures usually range from . Relative humidity averages around 79% in the morning and 73% in the afternoon. April and May are the hottest months, with the wetter monsoon season from November to January. From July to October, there is often haze caused by bush fires in neighbouring Indonesia. Although Singapore does not observe daylight saving time, it follows time zone GMT+8, one hour ahead of its geographical location.

Economy

Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy, based historically on extended entrepôt trade. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Republic of China (Taiwan), Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing, which constituted 27.2% of Singapore's GDP in 2010 and includes significant electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences sectors. In 2006 Singapore produced about 10% of the world's foundry wafer output.

Singapore is a world leader in several economic areas, it is the world's fourth leading financial centre, the world's second biggest casino gambling market, the world's top three oil refining centre, the world's largest oil rig producing nation and a major ship repairing nation. The port is one of the five busiest ports in the world. The country is home to more US dollar millionaire households per capita than any other country. The World Bank also praises Singapore as the easiest place in the world to do business and ranks Singapore as the world's top logistics hub. Lastly, the country is also the world's fourth largest foreign-exchange trading centre after London, New York and Tokyo.

Before independence in 1965, Singapore had a GDP per capita of $511, then the third highest in East Asia. After independence, foreign direct investment and a state-led drive for industrialisation based on plans by Goh Keng Swee and Albert Winsemius created a modern economy. As a result of global recession and a slump in the technology sector, the country's GDP contracted by 2.2% in 2001. The Economic Review Committee was set up in December 2001 and recommended several policy changes to revitalise the economy. Singapore has since recovered, largely due to improvements in the world economy; the economy grew by 8.3% in 2004, 6.4% in 2005, and 7.9% in 2006. After a contraction of −0.8% in 2009, the economy recovered in 2010 with a GDP growth of 14.5%.

Singapore possesses the world's tenth largest foreign reserves. Singapore's external trade is of higher value than its GDP, making trade one of the most vital components of the economy. Over ten free trade agreements have been signed with other countries and regions. Singapore's economy was ranked the world's most open in 2009, competitive and innovative. Singapore is rated the most business-friendly economy in the world. The currency of Singapore is the Singapore dollar, issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It is interchangeable with the Brunei dollar.

Most work in Singapore is in the service sector, which employed around 2,151,400 people out of 3,102,500 jobs in December 2010. Around 64.2% of jobs were held by locals. The percentage of unemployed economically active people above age 15 is about 2%. Poverty levels are low compared to other countries in the region. The government provides cheap housing (in the form of Housing Development Board flats) and financial assistance to poorer people. Singapore has the world's highest percentage of millionaire households, with 15.5 percent of all households owning at least one million US dollars.

Tourism forms a large part of the economy, and 10.2 million tourists visited the country in 2007. To attract more tourists, in 2005 the government legalised gambling and allowed two casino resorts (called Integrated Resorts) to be developed. Singapore is promoting itself as a medical tourism hub: about 200,000 foreigners seek medical care there each year, and Singapore medical services aim to serve one million foreign patients annually by 2012 and generate USD 3 billion in revenue.

Foreign relations

Singapore's foreign policy is directed to maintaining a secure environment in Southeast Asia as well as the territories that surround it. An underlying principle is regional political and economic stability in the region. It has diplomatic relations with 175 other Sovereign states. As one of the five founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the country is a strong supporter of the ASEAN Free Trade Area and the ASEAN Investment Area, because Singapore's economic growth is closely linked with the economic progress of the region as a whole. Former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong proposed the formation of an ASEAN Economic Community, a step beyond the current AFTA bringing it closer to a common market. This idea was agreed to in 2007 for implementation in 2015. Other regional organisations are also important to Singapore, and it is the host of the APEC Secretariat. Singapore also maintains membership in other regional organisations, such as Asia-Europe Meeting, the Forum for East Asia-Latin American Cooperation, and the East Asia Summit. It is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth.

Bilateral relations with other ASEAN members are generally strong; however, disagreements have arisen, and relations with neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia have historically been difficult. Malaysia has often come into conflict with Singapore over the delivery of fresh water to Singapore, and access to Malaysian airspace for the Singapore Armed Forces, among others. Border issues exist with both Malaysia and Indonesia, and both have banned the sale of marine sand to Singapore over disputes about Singapore's land reclamation. Some previous disputes have been solved by the International Court of Justice. Piracy in the Malacca Strait has been a cause of concern for all three countries. Close economic ties exist with Brunei, and the two share a pegged currency value.

Singapore and the United States share a long-standing and strong relationship, particularly in defence, the economy, health and education. The USA is Singapore's third largest trading partner in 2010 after the People's Republic of China(2nd) and the European Union(1st). The government of Singapore believes that regional security, and by extension, Singapore's security will be affected if the United States loses its resolve in Iraq. Singapore has pushed regional counter-terrorism initiatives, with a strong resolve to deal with terrorists inside its borders. To this end it has given support to the US-led coalition to fight terrorism, with bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation initiatives, and joint military exercises. Relations with the United States have expanded in other areas, and the two countries share a free trade agreement and take part in joint policy dialogues.

Relations with the People's Republic of China were established in the 1970s, and since then the two countries have enjoyed a strong relationship, being major players in strengthening the ASEAN-China relationship.

Military

The Singaporean military is the most advanced in Southeast Asia. It comprises the Army, Navy, and Air Force. It is seen as the guarantor of the country's independence. The nation's philosophy of defence is one of diplomacy and deterrence. This principle translates into the culture, involving all citizens in the country's defence. The government spends 4.9% of its GDP on the military.

At the time of independence, Singapore had two infantry regiments commanded by British officers. This force was considered too small to provide effective security to the new country and so the development of the military became a priority. Tactics such as jungle warfare were learned to allow the army to fight outside Singapore's borders, and the army obtained equipment such as tanks before its neighbours, often from Israel, and became a highly effective force.

The SAF is being developed to respond to a wide range of issues, in both conventional and unconventional warfare. The Defence Science and Technology Agency is responsible for procuring resources for the military. The geographic restrictions of Singapore mean that the SAF must plan to fully repulse an attack, as they can not fall back and re-group. The small population has also affected the way the SAF has been designed, with a small active force but a large number of reserves.

Singapore has a draft which extends to all able-bodied males at the age of 18, except to those who have a criminal record, or can prove that their loss would bring hardships to their families. In addition, males who have yet to complete pre-university education or are awarded the Public Service Commission scholarship can opt to defer their draft. Though not required to perform military service, the number of women in the Singapore Armed Forces has been increasing, with women allowed since 1989 to fill military vocations formerly reserved for men. Before induction into a specific branch of the armed forces, recruits undergo at least 9 weeks of basic military training.

Because of the scarcity of open land on the main island, training involving activities such as live firing and amphibious landings is often carried out on smaller islands, typically barred to civilian access. This also avoids risk to the main island and the city. However, large-scale drills are considered too dangerous to be performed in the area, and since 1975 have been performed in Taiwan, although training is held in about a dozen other countries. Military exercises are generally held with foreign forces once or twice per week.

The SAF has sent forces to assist in operations outside the country in areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan, in both military and non-military roles. Regionally it has helped stabilise East Timor and provided aid to Aceh in Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Singapore is part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, a military alliance with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Demographics

As of 2010, 5.1 million people live in Singapore, of whom 3.2 million (64%) are Singapore citizens while the rest (36%) are permanent residents or foreign workers. 2.9 million people (57%) were born in Singapore while the rest are foreign-born. The median age of Singaporeans is 37 years old and the average household size is 3.5 persons. In 2010, the total fertility rate was 1.1 children per woman, the third lowest in the world and well below the 2.1 needed to replace the population. To overcome this problem, the Singapore government is encouraging foreigners to immigrate to Singapore. The large number of immigrants has kept Singapore's population from declining.

About 40 percent of the population are foreigners, the sixth-highest percentage in the world. The government is considering capping these workers, although it is recognised that they play a large role in the country's economy. Foreign workers make up 80% of the construction industry and up to 50% in the service industry.

In 2009, 74.2% of residents were of Chinese, 13.4% of Malay, and 9.2% of Indian descent. Prior to 2010, each person could register as a member of only one race, by default that of his or her father. From 2010 onwards, people may register using a "double-barrelled" classification, in which they may choose one primary race and one secondary race, but no more than two.

Religion

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Buddhism is the most widely practised religion in Singapore, with 33% of the resident population declaring themselves adherents at the most recent census. The next largest religions, in order of size, are Christianity, Islam, Taoism and Hinduism. The proportion of Christians, Taoists and non-religious people increased between 2000 and 2010 by about 3% each, while the proportion of Buddhists decreased. Other faiths remained largely stable in their share of the population.

There are monasteries and Dharma centres from all three major traditions of Buddhism in Singapore: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Most Buddhists in Singapore are Chinese and are of the Mahayana tradition. Chinese Mahayana is the most predominant form of Buddhism in Singapore, with missionaries from Taiwan and China for several decades. However, Thailand's Theravada Buddhism has seen growing popularity amongst the people (not only the Chinese) in the past decade. Soka Gakkai International, a Japanese Buddhist organisation, is practised by many people in Singapore, but by mostly those of Chinese descent. Tibetan Buddhism has also made slow inroads into the country in recent years.

Languages

{{bar box |title=Native languages of Singaporeans |titlebar=#ddd |left1=language |right1=% of first language speakers |float=right |bars= }}

Singapore has four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. English is the first language of the nation and is the language of business, government and medium of instruction in schools. The Singapore constitution and all laws are written in English. 80% of Singaporeans are literate in English as either their first or second language. Chinese Mandarin is the next commonly spoken, followed by Malay and Tamil. Singaporean English is based on British English, and forms of English spoken range from Standard English to a pidgin known as Singlish. Singlish is heavily discouraged by the government. According to the 2010 official census, nearly one in three Singaporeans speak English as their home language.

Chinese is the most common home language, used by about half of all Singaporeans. Singaporean Mandarin is the most common version of Chinese in the country, with 1.2 million using it as their home language. Nearly half a million speak other Chinese languages (which the government describes as "dialects"), mainly Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese, as their home language, although the use of these is declining in favour of Mandarin and English.

Malay is the "national language", a ceremonial rather than functional designation to reflect the country's history. It is used in the national anthem "Majulah Singapura" and in military commands. Today Malay is generally spoken within the Singaporean Malay community, with only 16.8% of Singaporeans literate in Malay and only 12% using it as their home language. Bazaar Malay was historically the lingua franca in Singapore, until it was eclipsed by English, especially after independence. Around 0.1 million or 3% of Singaporeans speak Tamil as their home language. Even though only Tamil has official status, there have been no attempts to discourage the use or spread of other Indian languages.

Education

Education for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels is mostly supported by the state. All institutions, private and public, must be registered with the Ministry of Education. English is the language of instruction in all public schools and all subjects are taught and examined in English except for the "Mother Tongue" language paper. While "Mother Tongue" generally refers to the first language internationally, in Singapore's education system it is used to refer to the second language as English is the first language. Students who have been abroad for a while or who struggle with their "Mother Tongue" language are allowed to take a simpler syllabus or drop the subject.

Education takes place in three stages: "Primary education", "Secondary education", and "Pre-university education", of which only the Primary level is compulsory. Students begin with six years of primary school, which is made up of a four-year foundation course and a two-year orientation stage. The curriculum is focused on the development of English, the mother tongue, and maths. There are four standard subjects taught to all students: English, the mother tongue, mathematics, and science. Secondary school lasts from four to five years, and is divided between "Special", "Express", "Normal (Academic)", and "Normal (Technical)" streams within each school, depending on a student's ability level. The basic coursework breakdown is the same as in the primary level, although classes are much more specialised. Pre-university education takes place over two to three years at senior schools mostly called Junior Colleges. Some schools have a degree of freedom in their curriculum, and are known as autonomous schools. These exist from the secondary education level.

{{bar box |title=Educational attainment of non-student Singaporeans aged above 15yo in 2005 |titlebar=#ddd |width=350px |left1=Highest qualification |right1=Percentage |float=right |bars= }}

National examinations are standardised across all schools, with a test taken after each stage of school. After the first six years of education, students take the Primary School Leaving Examination, which determines their placement at secondary school. At the end of the secondary stage, GCE 'O' Level exams are taken; at the end of the following pre-university stage, the GCE 'A' Level exams are taken. Of all non-student Singaporeans aged 15 and above, 18% have no educational qualifications at all while 45% have the Primary School Leaving Examination as their highest qualification. 15% have the GCE 'O' Level as their highest qualification and 13% have a degree.

Health

Singapore has one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world, even with a health expenditure relatively low for developed countries. Life expectancy in Singapore is 79 for males and 83 for females, and almost the whole population has access to improved water and sanitation facilities. There are fewer than 10 annual deaths from HIV per 100,000 people. There is a high level of immunisation. Adult obesity is below 10%.

The government's healthcare system is based upon the "3M" framework. This has three components: Medifund, which provides a safety net for those who could not otherwise afford healthcare, Medisave, a compulsory health savings scheme covering about 85% of the population, and Medishield, a government-funded health insurance scheme. Public hospitals in Singapore have autonomy in their management decisions, and compete for patients. A subsidy scheme exists for those on low income. In 2008, 31.9% of healthcare was funded by the government. It accounts for approximately 3.5% of Singapore's GDP.

Culture

Racial and religious harmony is regarded by the government as a crucial part of Singapore's success and played a part in building a Singaporean identity. Due to the many races and cultures in the country, there is no single set of culturally acceptable behaviours. The country is generally conservative socially but some liberalisation has occurred. Foreigners also make up 42% of the population and have a strong influence on Singaporean culture. A.T. Kearney named Singapore the most globalised country in the world in 2006 in its Globalization Index. The Economist Intelligence Unit in its "Quality-of-Life Index" ranks Singapore as having the best quality of life in Asia and eleventh overall in the world. The Singapore dream is often satirically and light-heartedly portrayed as the "5 Cs" of Singapore – cash, credit cards, car, condominium and country club membership.

Cuisine

Dining, along with shopping, is said to be the country's national pastime. The diversity of food is touted as a reason to visit the country, and the variety of food representing different ethnicities is seen by the government as a symbol of its multiculturalism. The "national fruit" of Singapore is the Durian In popular culture, food items belong to a particular ethnicity, with Chinese, Indian, and Malay food clearly defined. The diversity of cuisine has been increased further by the "hybridization" of different styles, e.g. the Peranakan style, a mix of Chinese and Malay cuisine.

Arts

Since the 1990s, the government has been promoting Singapore as a centre for arts and culture, in particular the performing arts, and to transform the country into a cosmopolitan 'gateway between the East and West'. One highlight was the construction of Esplanade, a performing arts centre opened in October 2002. The annual Singapore Arts Festival is organised by the National Arts Council. The stand-up comedy scene has been growing, with a weekly open mic. Singapore hosted the 2009 Genee International Ballet Competition, a classical ballet competition promoted by London's Royal Academy of Dance.

Sport and recreation

Popular sports include football, basketball, cricket, swimming, sailing, table tennis and badminton. Most Singaporeans live in public residential areas near amenities such as public swimming pools, outdoor basketball courts and indoor sport complexes. Water sports are popular, including sailing, kayaking and water skiing. Scuba diving is another popular recreational sport. The Southern island of Pulau Hantu, particularly, is known for its rich coral reefs.

Singapore's football (soccer) league, the S-League, formed in 1994, currently comprises 12 clubs including foreign teams. The Singapore Slingers, formerly in the Australian National Basketball League, is one of the inaugural teams in the ASEAN Basketball League, founded in October 2009. Singapore began hosting a round of the Formula One World Championship in 2008. The race was staged at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and became the first night race on the F1 circuit and the first street circuit in Asia. Singapore won the bid to host the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.

Media

Media in Singapore is tightly controlled, and strong action is taken against media that criticise government officials, thus promoting an atmosphere of self-censorship. Freedom of the press is limited and companies linked to the government control the domestic media. The state-owned MediaCorp operates most television channels and radio stations in Singapore. Singapore Press Holdings, a body with close links to the government, controls most of the newspaper industry. In 2010, Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore 136 out of 178 in the Press Freedom Index.

The Media Development Authority regulates Singaporean media, claiming to balance the demand for choice and protection against offensive and harmful material. Private ownership of TV satellite dishes is banned. There are 3.4 million users of the internet in Singapore, one of the highest Internet penetration rates in the world. Although the government does not engage in widespread censoring of internet sites, a number of websites featuring pornography, violence, and incitement of racial or religious hatred are blocked, with the government maintaining a list of 100 permanently blocked websites. Government censorship policies have not hindered economic growth. In the 1990s the media sector grew 7.7%, and by 2001 produced $10 billion and contributed 1.56% of Singapore's GDP.

Transport

Singapore is a major international transportation hub in Asia, positioned on many sea and air trade routes. The Port of Singapore, managed by port operators PSA International and Jurong Port, was the world's second busiest port in 2005 in terms of shipping tonnage handled, at 1.15 billion gross tons, and in terms of containerised traffic, at 23.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). It is also the world's second busiest in terms of cargo tonnage, coming behind Shanghai with 423 million tons handled. In addition, the port is the world's busiest for transshipment traffic and the world's biggest ship refuelling centre.

Singapore is an aviation hub for the Southeast Asian region and a stopover on the Kangaroo route between Sydney and London. There are 8 total airports in the country, and Singapore Changi Airport hosts a network of 80 airlines connecting Singapore to 200 cities in 68 countries. It has been rated one of the best international airports by international travel magazines, including being rated as the world's best airport for the first time in 2006 by Skytrax. The national airline is Singapore Airlines.

The island has a road system covering which includes of expressways. The public road system is served by many bus services and a number of licensed taxi-operating companies, and thousands of people use these services every day. Since 1987, the heavy rail passenger Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) metro system has been in operation.

See also

Index of Singapore-related articles

International rankings of Singapore

Outline of Singapore

References

;Notes ;Bibliography

Lee Kuan Yew (2000). ''From Third World To First: The Singapore Story: 1965–2000''. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-019776-5

External links

;Government

Singapore Government Directory Interactive

Singapore Government Online Portal

Gateway To All Government Services

Singapore National Service Portal

Singapore Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority

Singapore Department of Statistics Annual Data

Chief of State and Cabinet Members

Singapore Economic Development Board

;General information

Singapore from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''

Singapore Infomap

WikiSatellite view of Singapore at WikiMapia

Official Gateway To Singapore

, also as book ''Wikitravel Singapore: The free, complete, up-to-date and reliable guide to Singapore'', ISBN 1229217831

:*''This article incorporates public domain text from the websites of the Singapore Department of Statistics, the United States Department of State, the United States Library of Congress and the CIA World Factbook.''

}}

Category:Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Category:Capitals in Asia Category:Chinese-speaking countries and territories Category:City-states Category:Countries bordering the South China Sea Category:English-speaking countries and territories Category:Former British colonies Category:Island countries Category:Malay-speaking countries and territories Category:Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations Category:Populated coastal places Category:Republics Category:Tamil-speaking countries and territories Category:Southeast Asian countries Category:States and territories established in 1965 Category:Member states of the United Nations

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name	Corrinne May符美云／符美雲
background	solo_singer
birth name	Corrinne Foo May Ying
birth date	January 19, 1973
origin	Singapore
instrument	Vocals, piano, acoustic guitar
occupation	Singer, musician, songwriter, record producer
years active	2001–present
label	Pink Armchair Records (US)Warner Music (Singapore/Philippines)S2S Pte. Ltd. (Japan)
website	www.corrinnemay.com
notable instruments	}}

Corrinne May (born Corrinne Foo May Ying; on 19 January 1973) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles.

Corrinne composed and performed the Theme Song for Singapore's National Day 2010, titled "Song For Singapore". She performed the song live at the NDP Parade on 9th August 2010.

Biography

Born on 19 January 1973, she was named after her mother's favorite song, "Corinna, Corinna".

Corrinne studied in Raffles Girls' Primary School, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) and Raffles Junior College. She later majored in mass communications and English literature at the National University of Singapore. Corrinne left Singapore to further her music education at the Berklee College of Music, where she majored in songwriting and film scoring. In order to pursue her dreams in music, she moved to Los Angeles in 1999.

Corrinne co-wrote the song "If You Didn't Love Me" with the legendary songwriters Carole King and Carole Bayer Sager as part of her winning entry in a songwriting competition on the music industry website Tonos.com. Carole King & Carole Bayer Sager wrote the lyric for the song and entertained submissions for the best musical accompaniment and melody. Corrinne's version was the winner. The song is featured on Corrinne's debut album.

Her song "Journey" was featured on the Taiwanese drama Love At The Dolphin Bay and was covered by popular Asian singers Angela Chang and Gigi Leung.

Corrinne's cover version of the Burt Bacharach classic "Close to You" was featured prominently in the movie ''So Close'' released by Columbia-Tristar films (2002).

In September 2004, Corrinne May became the first (and only) artist singing exclusively in English, to be signed by the record label Forward Music in Taiwan, which distributes her music to Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and China.

Two songs from Corrinne's second album, "Save Me" and "Everything in its Time", were featured in Channel 5's hit television series ''Chase'', which ran from March to May 2005. Chase arguably propelled Corrinne May from relative obscurity to an unprecedented level of recognition in Singapore.

Corrinne has been playing the piano since the age of 5, and is also proficient with the guitar. On 11 February 2005, ''The Straits Times'' interviewed May, who related that being a devout Catholic, "much of her music has been inspired by her relationship with God".

On 10th August 2005, Corrinne held her first sold-out concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall, playing to a 1600 strong crowd.

On 12 February 2006, Corrinne held a concert "Strings & Serenades: Corrinne May in Concert" in Singapore at UCC Hall. Singapore's answer to Sarah McLachlan returned to kick off the Arts Festival with this one-night-only acoustic concert, backed by an eight-piece string ensemble. Due to popular demand, an extra show was added on Monday 13 February 2006. This second show was more intimate and featured Corrinne on her piano accompanied by just a string quartet.

On 16 December 2006, Corrinne held a Christmas Concert in Esplanade following the release of her Christmas album, The Gift. Eager fans snapped up all the tickets for the concert one month prior to the concert date, making the concert a sold-out success.

On 3 August 2007, Corrinne held her "Beautiful Seed: Corrinne May in Concert" at the UCC Hall. She performed tracks from her latest CD "Beautiful Seed", which was released the following Monday. A pre-release sale of the CD was held after the concert, followed by an autograph session, which lasted almost four hours.

In 2010, Corrinne was invited to write the annual theme song for Singapore's National Day. On 9 August 2010, she performed 'Song for Singapore' on the floating platform, in front of more than 9, 000 people, wearing a shimmering white dress. A music video was also filmed, which featured her as a young schoolgirl with a passion for music, aspiring to be a music teacher. She also begins to learn how to play the piano. She eventually realises her dream. There has been more than 400, 000 views on YouTube and more than 900, 000 downloads on the song. The song has received generally very good reviews and is featured on her website.

On 21 July 2010, she was the lead guest on prime time Channel 5 show "Entertainment on 5", Mediacorp.

On 5 December 2010, she performed at Marina Barrage in Singapore for the 'I Love V' concert to celebrate International Volunteer Day. The event is a celebration held to recognise 8,000 volunteers for their service to the community.

Discography

Albums

2001 - ''Fly Away'' (originally titled ''Corrinne May'')

2005 - ''Safe in a Crazy World''

2006 - ''The Gift''

2007 - ''Beautiful Seed''

Awards

2001

* Kerrville Folk Festival, New Folk Award

2003

*Just Plain Folks Music Awards, Best Contemporary Album

2007

* COMPASS Young Composer of the Year (Singapore)

* COMPASS Wings of Excellence (Singapore)

* NUS Young Alumni Award (Singapore)

External links

Her blog

Corrinne May's facebook page

MTVAsia.com interview 02/2006

References

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Singaporean female singers Category:Performers of Christian music Category:Christian religion-related songwriters Category:Singaporean Roman Catholics

zh:符美芸

name	David Archuleta
background	solo_singer
birth name	David James Archuleta
birth date	December 28, 1990
birth place	Miami, Florida
origin	Murray, Utah, United States
occupation	Singer-songwriter, student
genre	Pop
instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar
years active	2003–present
label	Jive Records (2008–2011)
website	www.DavidArchuleta.com }}

David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer-songwriter. At ten years old he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, Archuleta became the Junior Vocal Champion on ''Star Search 2''. In 2007, at sixteen years old, he became one of the youngest contestants on the seventh season of ''American Idol''. In May 2008 he finished as the runner-up, receiving 44 percent of over 97 million votes.

In August 2008 Archuleta released "Crush," the first single from his self-titled debut album. The album, released two months later, debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart; it has sold over 750,000 copies in the U.S. and over 900,000 Worldwide. In October 2010 he released a third album, ''The Other Side of Down'' featuring lead single "Something 'Bout Love".

Early life

Archuleta was born in Miami, Florida, to Jeff Archuleta and Lupe Marie Mayorga. His mother is a salsa singer and dancer from Honduras; in spite of this, he speaks very little Spanish. Archuleta has four siblings. His family moved to the Sandy, Utah, suburb of Salt Lake City when he was six. He now lives in Murray where he attended Murray High School and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America.

Archuleta started singing at the age of six, inspired by a ''Les Misérables'' video. "That musical is what started all of this", he said. He started performing publicly at age ten when he participated in the Utah Talent Competition, singing "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton; he received a standing ovation and won the Child Division.

Music career

2003–06: Star Search and musical beginnings

In 2003, when he was twelve years old, Archuleta sang on several episodes of the television show ''Star Search''. He ended up as the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2, Losing the Junior Grand Champion title to Tiffany Evans. On one episode, he sang against then-11-year-old Alexandréa Lushington, who became a "top 20" semi-finalist on ''American Idol'' alongside Archuleta. Around the second year of being on ''Star Search'' he started focusing on the lyrics, "I didn't even pay attention to the lyrics when I was 12, 13". and led to appearances on CBS' ''The Early Show'', The year after ''Star Search'' he found out he had partial vocal paralysis but declined risky surgery and has said he feels he is almost fully recovered.

He later recorded two songs written and composed by Merrick Christensen as a featured artist for the small demo titled Fear vs. Faith. It is available on iTunes.

2007–08: American Idol and ''David Archuleta''

Archuleta received his ticket to the Hollywood final auditions at the San Diego tryouts – held at Qualcomm Stadium at the end of July 2007 – with a performance of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change" with judge Randy Jackson spontaneously joining in to sing the background "waiting" in the song. He was sixteen during the Hollywood auditions and attended school while a part of ''American Idol's'' seventh season. His parents were there because he was a minor. Archuleta also took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments when he accompanied himself on piano for his performances of "Crazy", "Another Day in Paradise", and "Angels".

During the 1970s themed week Archuleta sang the John Lennon song "Imagine", omitting the earlier verses in favor of the last one. ''Los Angeles Times'' columnist Ann Powers speculated that he wanted to avoid singing "no religion too" because of his faith. "As a Mormon, he's unlikely to espouse the song's agnostic ideal," she wrote. However, he did sing the entire song on ''Good Things Utah'' when he was thirteen. When asked by judge Randy Jackson why he didn't sing the first verse, Archuleta said the third verse was his favorite because it has "a great message."

After his performance of "We Can Work It Out", which judge Simon Cowell called "a mess", ''Entertainment Tonight'' reported that Archuleta was feeling pressure from his father, Jeff Archuleta, who "reportedly yelled at" his son after a recording session the previous night. Jeff Archuleta, in an interview with ''Us Weekly'', denied the claim. A May 2008 Associated Press article reported that Jeff Archuleta had his son add a lyric from the Sean Kingston song "Beautiful Girls" into an interpretation of "Stand by Me" (from which "Beautiful Girls" samples its bass line), increasing the costs for licensing, and that this had resulted in Jeff Archuleta being banned from ''American Idol'' backstage rehearsals. Archuleta defended his father calling him "a great guy" who keeps him grounded.

During the Top 7 results show, the contestants were split into two groups. In one group was Syesha Mercado, Brooke White, and Kristy Lee Cook. In the other group was David Cook, Carly Smithson, and Jason Castro. Archuleta was the only one not sorted into a group. He was declared safe after the groups were formed, then was asked to choose the group he thought was safe. He refused, and sat down on the floor of the stage, much like Melinda Doolittle had done the previous season.

In the finale he sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "In This Moment" and "Imagine". Judge Simon Cowell declared that Archuleta won the evening and even David Cook, who ultimately won, thought Archuleta would win: "I have to concede it, the kid came out all three songs and nailed it", said Cook. In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes. During the finale show, identical commercials featuring Archuleta and fellow finalist Cook mimicked the Tom Cruise scene from ''Risky Business'' where he dances in his underwear playing an air guitar; they were promoting the game franchise ''Guitar Hero''.

Archuleta's first appearances on music ranking charts were with the three songs he performed in the ''American Idol'' finale; "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "In This Moment", and "Imagine", debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart the week of June 7, 2008. "Imagine" entered at #36 (giving Archuleta his first top forty hit), "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" at #58, and "In This Moment" entered at #60. That same week he had three songs on ''Billboard'''s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart as well, where his versions of "Longer", "Think of Me", and "Angels" debuted at #15, #19, and #24 respectively. In July 2008 ''So You Think You Can Dance'', a dance competition reality show, Archuleta's cover of "Imagine" by John Lennon was the featured music for contestants Katee Shean and William Wingfield with their pas de deux performance.

Archuleta signed with Jive Records in June 2008. His self-titled album, ''David Archuleta'', was released in November 2008. His first single "Crush" was released in August 2008 on Z100, a New York radio station. On August 12 "Crush" became available on iTunes. It debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, beaten only by Rihanna's "Disturbia". It was the best chart debut in more than 18 months. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the track sold 166,000 downloads in the first week in the United States. It has sold 1.92 million digital copies in the US. Along with ''American Idol'' winner David Cook, Archuleta placed second on ''Forbes''' list of "Breakout Stars of 2008". The two co-presented an award at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards in August 2008. Archuleta also received the Teen Choice Award surfboard for "Most Fanatic Fans".

2009–present: ''Christmas from the Heart'' and ''The Other Side of Down''

Since the release of his debut album, Archuleta has released three new songs: "Let's Talk About Love (The Build-A-Bear theme song)," "Save the Day (released only in Japan as a bonus track in his album)," and "Zero Gravity." In February, it was announced that Archuleta will be touring the United Kingdom supporting British band McFly on their "Up Close...And This Time It's Personal" tour. The tour began on April 21, 2009 and continued until May. Archuleta became the opening act for Demi Lovato's tour which began June 21, 2009.

On April 22, 2009, Archuleta returned to the ''American Idol'' stage in its eighth season and performed the third single from his debut album, "Touch My Hand". On April 30, 2009 he made his first UK television appearance, on the ''Paul O'Grady Show'', performing "Crush" and chatting about his album, which was released there in May. In May, Archuleta and fellow American Idol David Cook, visited the Philippines. Two days later he made live appearances on two of GMA-7's shows, ''Sis'' and ''Eat Bulaga''. He also confirmed that month that he was working on two new albums, his sophomore pop album and a Christmas album. In August 2009, Archuleta won three Teen Choice Awards for Breakout Artist, Love Song, and the Music Tour category with Demi Lovato. In September he won the Year in Music – Rising Male Star award at the ALMA Awards and performed a cover of the standard "Contigo En La Distancia."

Archuleta's acting debut was when he appeared as himself for his acting debut on Nickelodeon's show ''iCarly'' titled "iRocked the Vote". The episode aired February 7, 2009. He had also made a special guest appearance in Season 3 of the Disney Channel show ''Hannah Montana'' In the episode "Promma Mia" as himself and he sang a duet: "I Wanna Know You" with Miley Cyrus who plays the title character; the song was featured on the soundtrack, ''Hannah Montana 3''.

On May 16, 2009, Archuleta and David Cook performed in the Mall of Asia: Concert Grounds for their Back-to-Back Concert in Manila, Philippines. On June 1, 2010, Archuleta released ''Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song, and the Power of Perseverance'', a memoir which refers to "the partial vocal paralysis he suffered in 2004 but has now fully recovered from". He went on a book signing tour beginning in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The book was a bestseller.

Archuleta came back to the ''American Idol'' stage on April 7, 2010 on the show's ninth season and performed John Lennon's "Imagine", which David had performed previously when he was a contestant on the show. After his performance, he mentioned that he was working on his third studio album.

Archuleta sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Stand by Me" at the 30th anniversary of the annual A Capitol Fourth concert in Washington, D.C. on the Fourth of July. The show was aired on PBS at 8pm EST live and tape delay PT.

Archuleta sang live at the Tejano Music Awards covering Selena's songs, ''Como La Flor'' and No Me Queda Más at the event as a tribute on July 11, 2010.

In an interview with AOL's ''Something Pitchy'', Archuleta revealed that the release of his next album is planned for Fall 2010 (he did mention a late September release, but then went back to the Fall). On June 24, 2010 Jive Records announced that his new single would be released on DavidArchuleta.com on July 13, and iTunes on July 20. However, on June 30, 2010 the full version of "Something 'Bout Love" became available to play on his website. His album ''The Other Side of Down'' was released on October 5, 2010.

On October 7, 2010, it was announced that David Archuleta would be the guest star at the annual Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Archuleta was scheduled to sing in performances on December 16–19.

On February 18, 2011 it was announced by Jive Records that David Archuleta had been released from his contract with them. It was also announced on February 17, 2011 that Archuleta left his management Wright Entertainment Group. Archuleta intends to spend time working on writing original material.

On July 2, 2011, Archuleta joined Brad Paisley to perform at the Stadium of Fire, where he performed the anthem in addition to his five song set. From July 16 to 26, 2011, Archuleta will tour, performing in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

Philanthropy

Along with Do Something and the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation Archuleta is involved with helping willing teenagers make a difference in others' lives with disaster relief. He is also one of several teen celebrities taking part in Dosomething.org's Teens for Jeans charity initiative, which donates denim to homeless teenagers nationwide. In January 2010, Haiti was hit with a major earthquake. On Jan 22, 2010 Archuleta joined other celebrities for a 2-hour fundraising telethon where he answered phones, and even stayed longer afterward to keep answering the phones.

In January 2011, Archuleta travelled to India with Rising Star Outreach, a non-profit charity helping children who are afflicted with leprosy.

Archuleta was one of the many Latino singers who participated in ''Somos El Mundo'', the Spanish version of ''We Are The World 25 for Haiti''. The song and video premiered on the ''Cristina Show'' in March 2010, funds raised benefit Haiti relief.

Musical influences

Archuleta's mother is from Honduras, and much of the music he listened to as a child was Latin-influenced, including watching his mom sing at events with her sisters. She also "was big on dancing" according to Archuleta, and would "make" him dance to traditional music with his older sister. He also listened to jazz music, he said, from his father's collection as well as gospel, pop, rock and "soulful music." In a later interview, he revealed that his father was a jazz musician. Archuleta also said he enjoys Broadway musicals.

On his ''American Idol'' "Fast Facts" page, Archuleta cited his musical influences as Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin and Bryan Adams. Like Elliott Yamin and another singer he admires, John Mayer, Archuleta tries to infuse his pop selections with a soulful vibe. In a ''Seventeen'' interview he cites Sara Bareilles as a clever singer-songwriter whom he looks up to.

Discography

''David Archuleta'' (2008)

''Christmas from the Heart'' (2009)

''The Other Side of Down'' (2010)

Filmography

Television
Year	Film	Role	! Notes
2008	''American Idol''	Himself	Runner Up
	''iCarly''	Himself	''Season 2 - Episode 12: ''iRocked the Vote''
''Hannah Montana''	Himself	Season 3 – Episode 14: ''Promma Mia''

Tours

;As main act

American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008 (2008)

David Archuleta Live In Concert (2009)

Christmas from the Heart Tour (2009)

The Other Side of Down Asian Tour (2011)

;As supporting act

Demi Lovato Summer Tour 2009 (2009)

Awards and nominations

rowspan="2"

Year !! Presenter !! Award !! Result
rowspan="2"	2008	Teen Choice Awards	Most Fanatic Fans
Best Smile (Post Show)
rowspan="4"	2009	Teen Choice Awards	Breakout Artist
Music: Love Song (for "Crush")
rowspan="4"	2010		Teen Choice Awards ||	Fanatic Fans
American Idol Album
rowspan="2"	J-14 Teen Icon Awards	Iconic Fan Favorite
Iconic Tweeter
	2011	Barkada Choice Awards ||	Teen Icon

Notes

References

External links

Official website

David Archuleta at YouTube

Video and audio clips from Archuleta's official website prior to 2006.

Category:American child singers Category:American Idol participants Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:American male singers Category:American people of Honduran descent Category:American pop keyboardists Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American tenors Category:Idol series runners-up Category:Jive Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Utah Category:People associated with the Boy Scouts of America Category:People from Murray, Utah Category:1990 births Category:People from Miami, Florida

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Name	Kim Hyun Joong
	kim+hyun+joong&hltl&biw1370&bih617&gbv2&tbmisch&tbnid52tz2H2nwisqPM:&imgrefurlhttp://star.koreandrama.org/%253Fp%253D1135&docid4YQZyqn20WiB0M&w550&h732&eipIwzTuiNEM7HrQeyheWrCw&zoom1
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kim Hyun Joong (김현중)
Birth date	June 06, 1986
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Instrument	Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Rapper
Genre	Korean pop
Occupation	Singer, Actor, Model, Dancer, MC
Label	DSP Entertainment (2005 - 2010) Key East (2010-present) Pony CanyonUnited Asia Management (2011-present)
Associated acts	SS501 (2005 - Present)Boys Over Flowers, Playful Kiss, Dream High
Website	}}

Background	singer
Hangul	김현중
Hanja
Rr	Gim Hyeon-jung
Mr	Kim Hyŏn-chung }}

Kim Hyun Joong (born June 6, 1986) is a South Korean actor and singer. He is the leader and main dancer of popular boyband SS501 and a prominent style icon in Korea, winning multiple icon awards. He gained widespread popularity beyond Asia for his role as Yoon Ji Hoo in the 2009 hit drama series ''Boys Over Flowers'' and is now known worldwide as the perfect Baek Seung Jo in the hit series drama ''Mischievous/Playful Kiss''.

Biography

Debuting as the leader of SS501 in 2005. They also appeared in "Thank You For Waking Me Up" where he was proven to be a heavy sleeper, "Thank You For Raising Me Up" in 2006 and MNet's "Idol World" in 2007, which showed SS501 doing various missions in Japan.

He joined the cast of ''We Got Married'' as one of the members of the famous F4. Known as the "Lettuce Couple", Hyun Joong and Hwang Bo went on to win MBC's Best Couple Award. The couple made their official exit from ''We Got Married'' on December 14, 2008 due to scheduling conflicts presented by ''Boys Over Flowers''. His latest TV drama is ''Playful/Naughty Kiss'' with Jung So Min.

In the hit drama series, ''Boys Over Flowers'', he plays Yoon Ji Hoo. The series was a huge media and ratings sensation in Korea during its run from January to March 2009, garnering a huge amount of popularity for the entertainer. The series was not only a hit in Korea, but all around Asia as well. This includes INDIA, Taiwan, Nepal and the Southeast Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, amongst others as well as in Japan and in North America where it was released on DVD with English subtitles.

Not long after him and SS501 members released their album ''SS501 Collection'', where they each sang a solo song, along with being featured in their mini drama music video.

Their Asia Concert Tour began in mid-August 2009 in Seoul at the Olympic Park. They continued their tour in Shanghai, Taipei, Bangkok before returning to Seoul for a closing encore concert. They staged two concerts for the encore closure on the 27th Feb and 28th Feb 2010 respectively.

In 2011, he admitted on a talk show that he had some plastic surgery work done.He explained that his nose was hit by a stone as a kid. He got treatment and had his nose done at the same time.

Work

On September 2009, during promotions in Japan for ''Boys Over Flowers'', Kim Hyun Joong was diagnosed with H1N1. While recovering from H1N1, he could not attend Seoul's International Drama Awards. To accept the award on his behalf, his members of SS501, Heo Young Saeng, Kim Kyu Jong, and Kim Hyung Jun were present for the award show. He recovered from H1N1 and was discharged on September 15, 2009.

On October 23, 2009 Kim Hyun Joong and SS501 released their album "Rebirth," and performed "Love Like This."

He has also been the spokesperson for cosmetics brand, Tony Moly, an established company with numerous branches across Korea and Asia, including Taiwan and Hong Kong. He had since ended his contract with Tony Moly in End September 2010, and he had been chosen to be the Spokesperson for The Face Shop.

In April 2010, he appeared opposite Jung Ryeo Won in the music video for Korean Singer Gummy's new song "As A Man" (남자라서).

In June 2010, him and his band mates of SS501 released an album titled ''Destination'' (produced by Steven Lee). Their title song 'Love Ya' was received well, rating high in record sales and online music stores. 'Love Ya' went on to top Music Bank (TV series)'s K-Chart for two weeks. Doing great for two weeks was all they could have though, they soon ended promotions, because of SS501's contract was ending.

On June 19, 2010, he then appeared at a concert in the Philippines along side BEAST

On June 28, 2010, it was officially announced that Kim Hyun Joong officially left DSP Entertainment and signed a contract with Bae Yong Joon's KeyEast Entertainment company.

Kim Hyun Joong is now the leading role of the drama ''Playful Kiss'' (Korean adaptation of the Taiwanese drama ''It Started With a Kiss'' and Japanese drama ''Itazura na Kiss'') as Baek Seung Jo, who has a stand-offish personality.

He had said at the ''Playful Kiss'' press conference, that SS501 will never disband unless you stop buying their album, and that they will make new albums in the future.

Kim Hyun Joong was then invited to the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou as the representative of South Korea to sing "Sunshine Again" with other 3 singers. On the 7 November, Kim Hyun Joong was interviewed by CNN's Anna Coren due to his success in ''Playful Kiss''. ''Playful Kiss Special Edition'' is a big hit on Youtube as it is the first Korean drama to air on YouTube. Its first episode garners 1 million views just in 5 days and it proves so popular that there is a record channel view of 6.3 million and 17.5 million total upload views, still fans from all over the world have not stop asking for more or a part 2 of Naughty Kiss. This has once again showed that Kim Hyun Joong is a global star.

In the early of December 2010, Kim Hyun Joong went to Singapore and Malaysia to promote The Face Shop which he endorses. He received massive success in both countries, over 5000 people went to his fanmeetings.He also became the 2nd most expensive cosmetic endorser in Korea after actress Go Hyun Jung with his contract with Face Shop. He contract was worth 1.8 Billion won.

Kim Hyun Joong released his very first solo debut mini album on the 8th of June, titled ''Break Down'', which is the name of his title track, featuring Double K. Besides, Hyun Joong will have another music video for 'Please' which is one of the tracks in his album. The music video teaser for 'Please' has been released on Hyun Joong's official Youtube account on the 26th of May and it's set to be released through music sites on the 31st of May, while the music video on the 2nd of June. "Break Down" Album is produced by famous music producer Steven Lee (music producer), which is the composer for SS501 previous hits like Love Like This and Love Ya.

Kim Hyun Joong's album has achieved more than 100,000 copies sold on Hanteo Chart in 2 weeks.His album also topped the Gaon Chart for the 2nd week of June and the Oricon chart in Japan in the International imported Album category for the first week of July.The Gaon Chart is the national chart of South Korea and is intended to be the equivalent of Japan’s Oricon and America’s Billboard charts. On the 16th of June 2011, he became the winner for two weeks on Mnet M! Countdown, making him the first SS501 member to win an award on any music shows; also Kim Hyun Joong clinched his win for two consecutive weeks on KBS2's Music Bank (TV show) with his title song "Break Down". Right now he's promoting with his follow-up track Kiss Kiss.

"Break Down" is certified platinum in Taiwan. Warner Music Tawian CEO Chen Ze Shan personally awarded him with a Platinum Record in a press conference held in Taiwan. Kim Hyun Joong also became the first Korean celebrity to appear in the Taiwanese TV show "The Person". 'The Person’ is a talk show that only invites the best celebrity stars in the industry, as it consistently ranks #1 in TV ratings in Taiwan

Filmography

2011: '' Dream High '' (Cameo ''KBS2)

2010: '' Playful Kiss'' (MBC)

2009: '' Boys Over Flowers'' (KBS2)

2008: '' Spotlight- (with SS501 Cameo '' MBC)

2008: '' We Got Married (MBC- Ep 9-38)

2007: '' Hotelier- (with SS501 Cameo Ep 7 '' TV Arashi)

2006: '' Pi Story- (Voice)

2005: '' Can Love Be Refilled?- (Sitcom '' KBS2)

2005: '' Nonstop- (Ep 208 '' MBC)

MV

2011 '' Kim Hyun Joong - Kiss Kiss

2011 '' Kim Hyun Joong - Break Down

2011 '' Kim Hyun Joong - 제발(Please)

2010 '' Gummy - As A Man

2009 '' Kim Joon - Jun Be O.K

2006 '' Eru - Black Glasses

2005 '' 2Shai - She Laughed

Album

2011- Break Down (y)

2008- Digital Single "Thank You"

TV commercials / Advertisements / Model

Samsung Anycall Blue

Mighty Mac

Elite Uniform

Lotte Milkshake

Converse

Samsung Anycall Haptic Pop

T.I For Men

NongShim

Le Coq Sportif

Samsung Anycall Jet

Dinamic Kin

Hotsun Chicken

Samsung Card

MVIO

Basic House

I'm David

The Face Shop with Park Min Young

Hang Ten

Coupang Spring Campaign

Lotte Duty Free

DVDs

2010 '' Ready,Action! Spain Photo Book

2010 '' Kim Hyun Joong's "First Love Story DVD"

Awards

Years	Awards
2008		* MBC Entertainment Award: Best Couple Award on MBC's ''We Got Married'' with Hwang Bo	* MBC Entertainment Award: Best Brand of The Year Special Award on MBC's ''We Got Married'' with other WGM Cast
2009		Boys Over Flowers (TV Series)>Boys Over Flowers''	* Best Actor for Seoul's International Drama Awards	* Most Popular Icon for Style Icon Awards 2009	* Yahoo Asia Buzz Award: Koreans Top Buzz Male Artist	* Yahoo Asia Buzz Award: Taiwan's Top Buzz Korean Artist	* Yahoo Asia Buzz Award: Asia Top Buzz Male Artist
2010		* Mnet 20's Choice Award: Most Influential Star	* 2010 Sky Perfect TV Awards - Best Dresser Award	* 2010 Style Icon Awards - Popularity Award	* Yahoo Asia Buzz Award: Hong Kong's Top Buzz Korean Artist	* Yahoo Asia Buzz Award: Taiwan's Top Buzz Korean Artist	* Yahoo Asia Buzz Award: The Best Search Asia Buzz Award 2010	* MBC Drama Award - Male Popularity Award
2011		* 2011 Best CF Model given by MTN (Bloomberg TV)

References

External links

Kim Hyun Joong's Official Website

Kim Hyun Joong's Official Japanese Website

Kim Hyun Joong's Official Fan Club Website

SS501's Official Website

SS501's Official Japanese Website

Kim Hyun Joong's KeyEast Profile Page

Hyunniesbeannie.com

Category:1986 births Category:K-pop singers Category:Living people Category:People from Seoul Category:South Korean idols Category:South Korean television actors Category:South Korean male singers Category:South Korean pop singers Category:SS501 members Category:Kyung Hee Cyber University alumni

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