Singapore

Covering 263 square miles, Singapore is an unrivalled success story.

The Island nation contains the headquarters of 200 banks, its port competes with that of Rotterdam for the title of the busiest in the world, a good part of the planet's crude oil is refined there, and it boasts countless chemical, electronic, and pharmaceutical industries.

Founded in the 7th century A.D., it later disappeared from maps after having been an active trading centre, but was reborn in 1819 thanks to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, an official of Britain's East Indies Company. When he landed, Singapore already had a name promising a roaring future: Singapura, the City of the Lion. Its modern, enterprising mentality and tireless desire for expansion has transformed this small city-state on the Equator into one of the Orient's most important metropolises. Yet, tradition and the local culture have not disappeared.

Next to the temples of the Little India neighbourhood stand skyscrapers and super-modern shopping malls; the red lanterns of Chinatown line multi-lane roads where the most luxurious automobiles speed by; and everywhere exotic fragrances seduce and charm visitors.
In full colour throughout, this is a new title in the popular "Countries of the World" series.