By now, the economic miracle that is modern Singapore is known and admired from far and wide.  Cosmopolitan Singapore is a cultural and financial powerhouse that at first glance appears as just a speck on the map of Southeast Asia, with a current surface area of only 710 square kilometers (274 square miles).  How did this tiny island nation... (consisting of main Singapore Island and some 63 small islets) come into being and capture the imagination of the world?  How did Singapore achieve continued high economic growth and success and become known worldwide as one of the Four Asian Tigers alongside Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan?