Singapore is the largest port in Southeast Asia and one of the busiest
in the world. It owes its growth and prosperity to its focal position at
the
Malay Peninsula, where it dominates the Strait of Malacca,
which connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. Once a British
colony and now a member of the Commonwealth, Singapore first joined the
Federation of Malaysia on its formation in 1963 but seceded to become an
independent state on August 9, 1965.
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