Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia.In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles founded colonial Singapore as a trading post of the British East India Company. After the company's collapse in 1858, the islands came under direct British control as a crown colony called the Straits Settlements. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by Japan. It gained independence from the British Empire in 1963 by joining Malaysia along with other former British territories, It separated two years later over ideological differences, becoming a sovereign state in 1965. Singapore is a very advanced country, a global hub for education, entertainment,finance, healthcare, human capital,innovation, logistics,manufacturing,technology, tourism, trade, and transport. The city ranks highly in numerous international rankings, and has been recognised as the most "technology-ready" nation (WEF), top International-meetings city (UIA), city with "best investment potential"