Singapore

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore and member of the Sino-Federation, is a southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of Earth's equator.

An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated 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 urbanised with very little primary rainforest remaining, although more land is being created for development through land reclamation.

Part of various local empires since being inhabited in the 2nd century CE, Singapore hosted a trading post of the East India Company in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. Occupied by the Japanese in World War II, Singapore declared independence, uniting with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963, although it was separated from Malaysia two years later. Since then it has had over two centuries of increase in wealth, and is one of the wealthiest and technological advanced locations on Earth.

There are slightly over 15-million people in Singapore, of which a third were born locally. The population is highly diverse; the majority are Chinese, with Malays, Americans, Japanese and Indians forming significant minorities. Reflecting this diversity, the country has four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.

Singapore is also the site of the  Singapore Interplanetary Tether, the first space elevator, extending down from orbit to link with the island nation. Native Singaporians nickname it Heaven's Thread.

Singapore was one of the few places to survive unscathed during the August Wave, part of the Xindi First Strike that eventually prompted the Xindi Conflict. This can be credited with the immense sea wall built around the island, topping 100-meters in sections, along with being shielded by Phillippines and Malaysia.

Following the Xindi First Strike, Starfleet and the Interstellar Coalition moved its base of operations to the island city to make use of the Heaven's Thread. Following the conclusion of Xindi Conflict, the Coalition moved its political capital to Babylon Station in 2162 but the city remained its military headquarters. As such Singapore now receives more space-traffic than every other location in the Sol-system combined.