Locations: Located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 km north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands.

Total Area: 710.2 sq km

Water: 1.444% Temperature: range from 22 °C to 34 °C (72°F to 93 °F).

Climate: Equatorial; hot, humid, rainy; monsoons are expected from mid-November till early March and from mid-June till early September.

Population: 4,987,600 (2009 estimate)

Currency: Singapore Dollar (SGD)

Time Zone: GMT/UTC +8 (Standard Time)

When moving to a new country, cultural differences are inevitable.

Most Singaporeans are descendants of immigrants from the Malay Peninsula, China, the Indian sub-continent. While acquiring a distinct identity as Singaporeans, customs, practices and festivals are still retained.

Main Festivals of Singapore mainly consists of Chinese Lunar New Year, Hungry Ghost Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Lantern Festival, whereby Malays would celebrate Hari Raya Puasa and Haji and Indians celebrating Deepavali and Thaipusam).

In addition, Christian in particular celebrates Christmas and Good Friday. As celebrations are calculated based on the Lunar calendar, the dates of every festivals varies from year to year. Latest information can be obtained from the Singapore Tourism Board Office or visit their website at www.visitsingapore.com

In this multi-racial country, Chinese ethnic groups formed 75.2% of Singapore's residents, Malays 13.6%, Indians 8.8%, while Eurasians and other groups formed 2.4%.

4 official languages namely, English, Mandarin (Chinese), Malay and Tamil. However, one distinct feature of Singapore culture is a peculiar branding of English called "Singlish". It is a local concoction of English with Chinese dialects (mostly Hokkien) and a little Malay.

Prepare yourself with the upcoming cultural differences by reading books, exploring websites and talking to people who were here before.

Preferably take a pre-orientation visit to a new country and gain an understanding and insight of the people, government regulations, food and other cultural expectations.

Always stay friendly, courteous, helpful and feel if the adaptation would be a breeze as this would be a fairly dramatic change in your lifestyle.

After arrival, spend a few weeks to adapt to your new country e.g. find out the food places, tourist attractions, check on the (visa, license etc.) needed to suit your pursuit.

Share your feelings and thoughts in particular with someone who has been here. You will definitely be in for some cultural shocks however, Singapore is a place that is safe to walk in the wee hours of the morning.

Enjoy your stay in your new country!