August 9: National Day in Singapore
Prayer Idea
Pray for the people and government of Singapore.
Map by Peter Hermes Furian / Shutterstock.com.
History Note
Singapore has played a role in international trade since at least around 1300. The name comes from the Sanskrit language and means “Lion City”. The Portuguese, Dutch, and English all participated in trade in the region during their colonial periods. Singapore is a city on an island also named Singapore. The Republic of Singapore, located off the southern tip of the Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia, includes the island of Singapore and 63 other small islands.
Sir Stamford Raffles began his career as a clerk for the British East India Company in London and later worked for the company in India. Raffles wanted to create a British center for trade in Southeast Asia. He led the establishment of the modern city of Singapore. Raffles decided that the British would charge no duties for ships to land and trade at Singapore. The free trade arrangement attracted settlers and traders, and the population quickly grew, including Malays, Chinese, Bugis, Arabs, Indians, and Europeans.
Singapore gained increased independence from Britain during the 1950s. It joined a federation with Malaysia in 1963, but this ended on August 9, 1965. Singapore observes this date as its National Day. The prime minister traditionally records a message about the country’s situation and residents enjoy a large fireworks celebration.
With a population of six million people in a small area, Singapore is one of the world’s most densely-populated countries. It is a global leader in business, finance, and international trade.
About three-fourths of the population have Chinese heritage with Malays and Indians being significant minorities. English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil are the official languages, though other Chinese dialects are fairly common. The country is religiously diverse, including Buddhists (31%), Christians (19%), Muslims (16%), Taoists (9%), and Hindus (5%).
National Day fireworks in Singapore in 2016. Photo by Patrick Foto / Shutterstock.com
Learn More
Singtel, a telecommunications company, produced this video in honor of Singapore's 60th anniversary of independence in 2025.
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