Map of Singapore | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Founded as a British trading colony in 1819 Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963 but withdrew two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe.


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Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total area total: 632.6 km²
Land: 622.6 km²
Comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 193 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice
Territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in April)

Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve

Elevation

Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports

Land use
Arable land: 4%
Permanent crops: 7%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Forest and woodland: 5%
Other: 84%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes


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Population: 2,890,468 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 1.06% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Singaporean(s)
Adjective: Singapore

Ethnic groups: Chinese 76.4%, Malay 14.9%, Indian 6.4%, other 2.3%

Languages: Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)

Religions: Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 23% (female 327,417; male 348,345)
15-64 years: 70% (female 991,015; male 1,030,668)
65 years and over: 7% (female 105,081; male 87,942) (July 1995 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.06% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 15.93 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 5.35 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems
Current issues natural hazards: NA
Current issues international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 5.7 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.16 years
Male: 73.28 years
Female: 79.25 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.87 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 89%
Male: 95%
Female: 83%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
Conventional short form: Singapore

Government type: republic within Commonwealth

Capital: Singapore

Administrative divisions: none

Dependent areas

Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)

National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)

Constitution: 3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution)

Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President ONG Teng Cheong (since 1 September 1993); election last held 28 August 1993 (next to be held NA August 1997); results - ONG Teng Cheong was elected with 59% of the vote in the country's first popular election for president
Head of government: Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990); Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990)
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president, responsible to parliament

Legislative branch: unicameral
Parliament: elections last held 31 August 1991 (next to be held by 31 August 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (81 total) PAP 77, SDP 3, WP 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sellapan Rama NATHAN
In the us chancery: 3,501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 537-3,100
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Timothy A. CHORBA
From the us embassy: 30 Hill Street, Singapore 0617
From the us mailing address: FPO AP 96,534
From the us telephone: [65] 3,380,251
From the us FAX: [65] 3,384,550

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Singapore has an open entrepreneurial economy with strong service and manufacturing sectors and excellent international trading links derived from its entrepot history. The economy registered 10.1% growth in 1994, with prospects for 7.5%-8.5% growth in 1995. In 1994, the manufacturing and financial and business services sectors have led economic growth. Exports boomed, led by the electronics sector, particularly US demand for disk drives. Rising labor costs continue to be a threat to Singapore's competitiveness, but there are indications that productivity is keeping up. In applied technology, per capita output, investment, and labor discipline, Singapore has key attributes of a developed country.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 10.1% (1994)

Real gdp per capita: $19,940 (1994 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: minor importance in the economy; self-sufficient in poultry and eggs; must import much of other food; major crops - rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables

Industries: petroleum refining, electronics, oil drilling equipment, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, financial services, biotechnology

Industrial production growth rate: 13% (1994 est.), accounts for 28% of GDP (1993)

Labor force: 1.649 million (1994)
By occupation financial business andother services: 33.5%
By occupation manufacturing: 25.6%
By occupation commerce: 22.9%
By occupation construction: 6.6%
By occupation other: 11.4% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 2.6% (1994)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $11.9 billion
Expenditures: $10.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.9 billion (FY93/94 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $96.4 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
Commodoties: computer equipment, rubber and rubber products, petroleum products, telecommunications equipment
Partners: Malaysia 20%, US 19%, Hong Kong 9%, Japan 7%, Thailand 6% (1994)

Imports: $102.4 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
Commodoties: aircraft, petroleum, chemicals, foodstuffs
Partners: Japan 22%, Malaysia 16%, US 15%, Taiwan 4%, Saudi Arabia 4% (1994)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $20 million (1993 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Singapore dollars (S$) per US$1 - 1.4524 (January 1995), 1.5275 (1994), 1.6158 (1993), 1.6290 (1992), 1.7276 (1991), 1.8125 (1990)


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Electricity
Capacity: 4,510,000 kW
Production: 17 billion kWh
Production consumption per capita: 5,590 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 1,110,000 telephones; good domestic facilities; good international service; good radio and television broadcast coverage
Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: submarine cables extend to Malaysia (Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines; 2 INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) earth stations

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $2.7 billion, 6% of GDP (1993 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 10
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 563 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,167,596 GRT/17,845,687 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 96, cargo 121, chemical tanker 16, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 7, container 78, liquefied gas tanker 6, oil tanker 198, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 12, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 22
Note: a flag of convenience registry; includes 20 countries among which are Japan 35 ships, Denmark 21, Germany 21, Hong Kong 18, Belgium 14, Thailand 11, Sweden 8, US 7, Indonesia 6, and Norway 5; Singapore owns 1 ship under Malaysia registry

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: two islands in dispute with Malaysia

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transit point for Golden Triangle heroin going to the US, Western Europe, and the Third World; also a major money-laundering center