Singapore - Travel Report

Singapore is a small, stable, highly developed parliamentary democracy. The capital is Singapore. Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English are official languages. The average GDP is $109.1 billion (2003 est.). Singapore’s major exports are poultry, orchids, vegetables, fruits and electronics. The major markets are the United States, Malaysia, and the European Union. The major suppliers to Singapore are the United States, Japan, Malaysia and the European Union. The primary religions in Singapore are Buddhism (Chinese), Muslim (Malays, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist. (ATMs) are plentiful in Singapore, and they are the best method of obtaining cash. Bank transfers generally take weeks, and surcharges are steep, but wire transfers from commercial services such as American Express and Western Union are generally more efficient. Americans may be asked by police or employers to surrender their passports in lieu of surety (guaranteed) bonds. Americans should carefully consider whether they wish to surrender their passport rather than seek some other type of surety, particularly if the passport is requested by someone who is not a government official (e.g., an employer).