Corey Williams, age 15, of White Plains, N.Y., for his question:
IS SINGAPORE OWNED BY CHINA?
Singapore is a republic. It is not owned by China. In addition to being a small island nation in Southeast Asia, Singapore is also the name of the country's largest and most important city.
Ninety percent of the citizens of the republic of Singapore live in the city of Singapore. The city is the major commercial and shipping center of the region and is the gateway to China and Japan. The republic has a population of about 3 million.
In the early 1800s, Singapore was a jungle covered island with a small fishing village on the southern coast. Sir Stamford Raffles, an agent for the British trading organization called the East India Company, gained possession of the harbor in 1819.
In 1824, Singapore became part of the Straits Settlements, a British colony. Emigrants from China poured in to become traders and workers.
The British built a large naval and air base in Singapore during the first half of the 1900s. Then, during World War II, Japanese troops occupied the country from 1942 to 1945.
The British dissolved the Straits Settlements in 1946 and made Singapore a separate crown colony. It then gained internal self government on June 3, 1959. For a time, the colony joined Saban, Sarawak and Malaya in the Federation of Malaysia, but in 1965 Singapore became an independent country.
Today, Singapore city is a business and banking center and one of the world's busiest ports. Many countries send copra, lumber, rubber, spices and other goods to Singapore to be sorted, graded and packed. Ships then carry the goods to other countries of the world.
Singapore has a president that is elected to a four year term by the Parliament. He is the head of state and appoints the prime minister. The people elect the 65 members of the Parliament.
Today, about three out of four Singapore citizens are Chinese. They run most of the important trade and much of the country's other businesses.
Some of the country's Chinese citizens work on farms.
About 15 out of 100 persons are Malays. Many of the Malays work as fishermen, policemen, plantation laborers or taxicab drivers.
Most of the other citizens of the country are Indians, Pakistanis and Europeans. The Europeans work mainly in trade and commerce.
Official languages of Singapore are Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil.
Much of the city of Singapore resembles large cities of the United States and Canada. Hotels and offices are found in downtown skyscrapers. Department stores and shops attract many shoppers.
Singapore is a free port, which means that goods can be unloaded, stored and reshipped without paying duty fees.