Singapore

Who would have guessed that when a resource-scarce island at the tip of the Malay archipelago became a sovereign nation by accident after expulsion from Malaysia in 1965, it would grow into a gleaming example of 20th and then 21st-century modernisation? Singapore’s dramatic metamorphosis has led to a somewhat undeserved reputation for being a sterile playground of the rich. The truth is, the city-state continues to defy expectations if you know where to look.