The English Name of Singapore is derived from the Malay Word "SINGAPURA", which means Lion City in Sanskrit. Hence the Customary Reference to the nation as the LION CITY. Singapore is also called a Garden City because there are many trees everywhere which makes it look more like a garden. It is an island country made up of 63 Islands. It separates from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. The country is highly urbanized with very little primary rainforest remaining, although more land is being created for development through land reclamation.
Singapore is also known for Singlish, or Singaporean English, which is English, mixed with some words from Malay and other local languages. The government runs a campaign, the Speak Good English Movement, against Singlish as it makes Singaporeans look less educated and intelligent than they are. Buddhism is the most common religion in Singapore. Other common religions include: Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism.
Students in Singapore go through six years of compulsory Primary school, which ends with all students taking a Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).
The Singapore Changi Airport is the main airport of Singapore. There are daily flights from Colombo to Singapore. (Sri Lankan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates are the main airlines. Colombo to Singapore is only about 3 hour flight time.
Singapore is one of the most livable city and developed city.
Primary and secondary schooling is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16, with the majority attending from the age of 5. There are 13 school years and attending state (public) schools is free to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents from a person's 5th birthday to the end of the calendar year following their 19th birthday. New Zealand has an adult literacy rate of 99 percent, and over half of the population aged 15 to 29 holds a tertiary qualification. There are five types of government-owned tertiary institutions: universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, specialist colleges, and wÄnanga, in addition to private training establishments. In the adult population 14.2 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher, 30.4 percent have some form of secondary qualification as their highest qualification and 22.4 percent have no formal qualification. The OECD's program for International Student Assessment ranks New Zealand's education system as the 7th best in the world with students performing exceptionally well in reading, mathematics and science.