Singapore's Diverse Culture

The city-state of Singapore has a large and diverse cultural heritage. The city is actually one of the most diverse cities in the world. The different cultures that reside in Singapore live in harmony with one another, as the city has been integrated with different ethnicities for centuries. Today the city is a mixture of predominately Malay, Chinese, European and Indian heritages. Something that Singaporeans never seem to forget unlike other nations in the world is the fact that their country is loved by many because of its people and not for other reasons. The people of a country are the driving force behind anything the country supports. Singapore is a multi-cultural, multi-faceted country that has been moulded and shaped by its inhabitants over the years into becoming the economically stable, culturally rich country that it is today. The location of Singapore made it a key military position that everyone wanted to get their hands on. Thus capturing Singapore was the number 1 priority and was considered a great achievement. The people of Singapore were caught unaware and most had to flee the island. Some were known to have traveled as far as Sri Lanka in cargo ships and boats to escape the hands of invading armies.

Chinatown will take you deep into the heart of the oriental world and flood your senses with all things Chinese. The Neo-classical architecture was Britain's gift to modern Singapore. These boldly crafted constructions add certain elegance to this already amazing country. While the city contains different areas comprised of individual ethnicities and cultures, most of the residents of Singapore consider themselves to be Singaporeans. The city's buildings and small villages still show a great deal of the island's history. Many of the buildings share the neo-Classical design brought the British colonists. Many of the Muslim characteristics can be seen in Arab Street and Chinatown is filled with Chinese culture, cuisine and language. Little India is uniquely appointed with Indian culture as well. Despite the many different types of religions found throughout Singapore, religious tolerance is widespread. Religions are not bound by ethnic boundaries and temples, mosques and churches can be seen everywhere. Singaporeans celebrate their religious beliefs with a number of different festivals, held all over the city. Each festival is based on specific religious concepts, but the largest festivals are usually celebrated by all Singaporeans.

Food is always available in Singapore and is offered in wide array of different tastes and recipes. Some of the dishes that can be found in Singapore are Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Malay, Western, Italian, Spanish, Thai, French, Perkanakan and Fusion mixes. It is very common to order a dish with a mixture of different ethnic flavors. Indian dishes are typically very spicy and Chinese dishes often contain seafood. The main ingredient in all Malay dishes is coconut milk. While local delicacies that belong to Singapore do exist, most of these have bits and pieces of other cuisine within them. All these twists and turns make dining in Singapore an absolute pleasure purely because two dishes never taste the same in this corner of the world. The culture of Singapore has evolved from a combination of the original inhabitants and the colonization of the island by the British in the 19th century. The original inhabitants were the Malay and when the island became a trading port for the British East India Trading Company it introduced a number of different ethnic groups including Chinese and European.