Statistical information Singapore 1999Singapore

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

Singapore in the World
Singapore in the World

World Nomads


Singapore - Introduction 1999
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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.


Singapore - Geography 1999
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Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E

Map referenceSoutheast Asia

Area
Total: 647.5 km²
Land: 637.5 km²
Water: 10 km²
Comparative: slightly more 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
Extremes lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
Extremes highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m

Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
Land use

Land use
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 6%
Permanent pastures: NA%
Forests and woodland: 5%
Other: 87% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes


Singapore - People 1999
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Population: 3,531,600 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 1.15% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 21% (male 387,786; female 364,018)
15-64 years: 72% (male 1,265,291; female 1,268,458)
65 years and over: 7% (male 109,418; female 136,629) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.15% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 13.38 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 4.69 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.83 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 3.84 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.84 years
Male: 75.79 years
Female: 82.14 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (1999 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
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 91.1%
Male: 95.9%
Female: 86.3% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


Singapore - Government 1999
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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)
Head of government: Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990) and Tony TAN Keng Yam (since 1 August 1995)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 28 August 1993 (next to be held NA August 1999); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
Election results: ONG Teng Cheong elected president in the country's first popular election for president; percent of vote_ONG Teng Cheong 59%, CHUA Kim Yeow 41%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 2 January 1997 (next to be held by 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party_PAP 65% (in contested constituencies), other 35%; seats by party_PAP 81, WP 1, SPP 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice; Court of Appeals

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, Australia Group (observer), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee
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
In the us consulates: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Steven J. GREEN
From the us embassy: 27 Napier Street, Singapore 258,508
From the us mailing address: FPO AP 96,534-0001
From the us telephone: [65] 476-9,100
From the us FAX: [65] 476-9,340

Flag descriptionflag of Singapore: 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


Singapore - Economy 1999
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Economy overview: Singapore has an open economy with strong service and manufacturing sectors and excellent international trading links derived from its entrepot history. Extraordinarily strong fundamentals allowed Singapore to weather the effects of the Asian financial crisis better than its neighbors, but the crisis did pull GDP growth down to 1.3% in 1998 from 6% in 1997. Projections for 1999 GDP growth are in the -1% to 1% range. Rising labor costs and appreciation of the Singapore dollar against its neighbors' currencies continue to be a threat to Singapore's competitiveness. The government's strategy to address this problem includes cutting costs, increasing productivity, improving infrastructure, and encouraging higher value-added industries. 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: 1.3% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $26,300 (1998 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NEGL%
Industry: 28%
Services: 72%

Agriculture products: rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables; poultry

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 1.856 million (1997 est.)
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)
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 5% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $16.3 billion
Expenditures: $13.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY97/98 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: $128 billion (1998 est.)
Commodities: computer equipment, rubber and rubber products, petroleum products, telecommunications equipment
Partners: Malaysia 19%, US 18%, Hong Kong 9%, Japan 8%, Thailand 6% (1995)

Imports: $133.9 billion (1997 est.)
Commodities: aircraft, petroleum, chemicals, foodstuffs
Partners: Japan 21%, Malaysia 15%, US 15%, Thailand 5%, Taiwan 4%, South Korea 4% (1995)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Singapore dollars (S$) per US$1: 1.6781 (January 1999), 1.6736 (1998), 1.4848 (1997), 1.4100 (1996), 1.4174 (1995), 1.5274 (1994)


Singapore - Energy 1999
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Electricity
Production: 28 billion kWh (1998)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 28 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Singapore - Communication 1999
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Telephones: 1.4 million (1997 est.)

Telephone system: good domestic facilities; good international service
Domestic: NA
International: submarine cables to Malaysia (Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines; satellite earth stations_2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


Singapore - Military 1999
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $4.244 billion (FY98/99)
Percent of gdp: 5.1% (FY98/99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Singapore - Transportation 1999
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 9 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 9
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 38.6 km
Narrow gauge: 38.6 km 1.000-m gauge
Note: there is a 67 km mass transit system with 42 stations

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 875 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,734,146 GRT/31,442,482 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 142, cargo 132, chemical tanker 51, combination bulk 6, combination ore/oil 6, container 154, liquefied gas tanker 27, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 6, oil tanker 291, refrigerated cargo 8, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 30
Note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 22 countries among which are Japan 41, Denmark 35, Sweden 28, Thailand 28, Hong Kong 26, Germany 19, Taiwan 19, and Indonesia 11 (1998 est.)

Ports and terminals


Singapore - Transnational issues 1999
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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 money-laundering center


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