Small in size but not in economy, Singapore is the concrete example of the saying that "size does not matter". This city-state got its name from "singa" which means "lion" and the Malay word "pura" meaning "city". Singapore used to be a humble fishing village back in the 1800's, but it is now one of Asia's richest countries with a 139 billion US dollar foreign reserve. 

Officially known as Portuguese Republic, Portugal is a country rich in history. The reality that it was home to historical personages like Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama makes Portugal a perfect place to retire for the Old World European lover. 

If you fancy living in an urban dwelling riddled with high-rise buildings, Hong Kong might just be the place for you. Hong Kong and Macau make up the Republic of China's special administrative regions. A UK crown colony since 1842, Hong Kong has reached a level of westernization though it remains steadfast to its Chinese roots. 

Cyprus is the mythical birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite. It is one of the three largest islands in the Mediterranean, and is visited by almost 2.5 million tourists each year. 

Lolling in a powder-white beach or drinking wine under the Tuscan sun may just be your usual idea of retirement heaven. But you may find Canada to be a good choice for retirement.  Familiar and so comfortable, but with enough difference to make life spicy and interesting - starting with its weather. 

It is spring in Spain. Freed from the iron rule of an aged dictator, the country is undergoing its own renaissance in all aspects of Spanish life, culture and art.  Although still burdened with such serious challenges as the separatist movement, Spain is vibrant and alive in the 21st millennium. 

To the rest of the world, South Africa is a kaleidoscope of images -- apartheid and black empowerment, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, blood diamonds and de Beers engagement rings,  Christmas festivities at the beaches and  safaris where visitors can view, but not shoot, the big five wild game.  For people poised to retire from a job, but not retreat from life, South Africa may be IT, an exceptional and exotic landscape where people are hopefully building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable community. 

Think of art and you think of Italy. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Verdi, and Puccini, Italians all, are among the best known giants of painting, sculpture, and opera.  Living in cities like Rome, Venice and Milan takes you back centuries to more heroic ages. Even today, modern Italy and its people seem larger than life, like the tragic-comic characters in a Fellini film. 

If you could retire in any country in the world, you would probably pick France. It would not be surprising.  France is one of the top five tourist destinations in the world, a magical place where history still breathes and lives, from ancient olive groves in rural Provence to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. If people can have their heart’s desire, many would be in France in the blink of an eye. 

Oil and trade have transformed what was once a quiet and anonymous fishing village into the Pearl of the Middle East -- Dubai -- a modern desert trading city with luxurious four- and five-star hotels and world-class entertainment facilities.  Tourists from all over the world revel in the bright lights and bargains that Dubai can offer, but could it also be your retirement haven?    

Australia is a stunningly beautiful continent with unique animal and plant life. So unique that scientists could not initially believe that they really existed.  European settlers first landed in the 18th century, and most were British convicts. By the 19th century the discovery of gold had accelerated the arrival of new, free settlers. Although the first settlers claimed that the continent was uninhabited, hundreds of thousands of indigenous people were already present when the settlers arrived. They were the First People of Australia. 

A New Life in the Philippines

The Philippines is made up of more than seven thousand islands. The count actually varies, depending on whether it is high tide or low tide. A unique island is typhoon battered and ruggedly beautiful Batanes, where people live in low stone houses without any locks, use homemade lamps to light their homes at night and go fishing in wooden canoes in 20 feet waves. Expats who decide to make the Philippines their retirement home can explore this and other islands, and find that each one has its own particular charm and delights.

A New Life in Thailand

For three years running, Thailand has managed to keep its position as the top tourist destination in the world. Despite the tsunami, despite the Muslim insurgency in the southern provinces, Thailand is still the destination of millions of tourists drawn to its tropical beauty, its hospitable people, and world-class services. Tourists not only go to Thailand; they keep coming back.  Some come back to live in Thailand and expats .

A New Life in Belize

Belize is a tiny country, so tiny that you can get around without a car, use a bike and walk to keep yourself fit and healthy as well. Its total population stands at barely 300,000 people.  It was an English colony until 1981, and consequently, the only English speaking country in Central America. It is admired for what people consider to be its long history of democratic government, environmental awareness, and  respect for its multiple ethnicities and cultures. 

A New Life in Costa Rica

Upon seeing indigenous people wearing gold ornaments, Spanish explorers baptized this land Costa Rica or the Rich Coast.  It has proved to be a rich and lush land, with tropical forests that shelter a staggering variety of plants and animals, unmatched by any other country in this world. Costa Rica is not only a land of natural beauty; it is also a land of people who want harmony with both nature and other peoples of the world. Read more and ask questions to expats living in Costa Rica now .

A New Life in Panama   

Panama welcomes expatriate retirees with open arms.  It offers the Pensionado Program, a neat package of the best incentives for retirees in the whole wide world.  You don’t have to be sixty to qualify. You can be 19 years old. All you need to do is show that you have a monthly pension of $500 plus $100 per dependent to qualify for the program.  You are also qualified to receive most of the benefits of the Pensionado Program if you are a female foreign resident who is at least 55 years old or a male foreign resident who is at least 60 years old.  The benefits include but are not limited to the following:

• Tax free importation of household goods when you finally make the move to Panama and tax free importation of a new car every other year
• Discounts ranging from one to 50 percent on utility bills, airline tickets, loans, home mortgages, medicine, professional and technical services, dental and eye exams, and numerous other items.
  

Panama’s starts with the Pensionado Program but doesn’t end there. That is the reason why it is presently considered by many to be the world’s leading retirement destination.

A New Life South of the Border in Mexico

Mexico is now the fifth of the top ten destinations in the world for “international retirees” to become Expats in Mexico . More than a hundred thousand North Americans, mostly from the U.S. and Canada, have already gone south, like flocks of migrating birds, to retire in sunny, scenic and affordable Mexico. Drawn mainly by the warm climate and low cost of living, they find that Expat life in Mexico offers much more and can make their retirement years the most fulfilling and peaceful time of their lives.