History: Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963, but withdrew two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

Statistics:
Capital: Singapore
Population: 4,300,419
Languages: Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)
Currency: Singapore dollar (SGD)
GDP per capita: $26,500