Map of Singapore | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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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 equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.


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Location: Southeastern Asia islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N 103 48 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 692.7 km²
Water: 10 km²
Land: 682.7 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; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon from December to March and Southwestern monsoon from June to September; inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms

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
Arable land: 1.64%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 98.36% (1998 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


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Population: 4,452,732 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 3.46% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Singaporean
Adjective: Singapore

Ethnic groups: Chinese 76.7% Malay 14% Indian 7.9% other 1.4%

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: 17.6% (male 404,212; female 378,660)
15-64 years: 75.3% (male 1,630,696; female 1,724,532)
65 years and over: 7.1% (male 137,512; female 177,120) (2002 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.46% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 12.78 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 4.28 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 26.11 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 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, Desertification, 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/female
Under 15 years: 1.07 male/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 3.6 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.29 years
Female: 83.47 years (2002 est.)
Male: 77.34 years

Total fertility rate: 1.23 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.19% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 4,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 210 (1999 est.)

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: 93.5%
Male: 97%
Female: 89.8% (1999)

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: parliamentary republic

Capital: Singapore

Administrative divisions: none

Dependent areas

Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)

National holiday: Independence 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: 21 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN (since 1 September 1999)
Head of government: Prime Minister Chok Tong GOH (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Hsien Loong LEE (since 28 November 1990) and Keng Yam Tony TAN (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 1999 (next to be held by August 2005); 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: Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN elected president unopposed

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 3 November 2001 (next to be held 25 June 2007)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 75.3% (in contested constituencies), other 24.7%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 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: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [leader NA]; People's Action Party or PAP [Chok Tong GOH secretary general] - the governing party; Singapore Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong] (includes Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See Tong] Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan] National Solidarity Party [leader NA] Singapore Justice Party [leader NA] and Singapore Malay National Organization [leader NA]); Workers' Party or WP [J. B. JEYARETNAM]

International organization participation: APEC ARF AsDB ASEAN BIS C CCC CP ESCAP G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO ITU NAM OPCW PCA UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNIKOM UNMEE UNTAET UPU WCL WHO WIPO WMO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Heng Chee CHAN
In the us consulates: New York
In the us consulates general: San Francisco
In the us fax: [1] (202) 537-0876
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 537-3,100
In the us chancery: 3,501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Franklin L. LAVIN
From the us embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258,508
From the us mailing address: PSC Box 470, FPO AP 96,534-0001
From the us telephone: [65] 6,476-9,100
From the us fax: [65] 6,476-9,232

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 a highly developed and successful free-market economy enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment stable prices and one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world. The economy depends heavily on exports particularly in electronics and manufacturing and was hard hit in 2001 by the global recession and the slump in the technology sector. In 2001 GDP contracted by 2.2%. The economy is expected to recover in 2002 in response to improvements in the US economy and GDP growth for 2002 is projected to be 3% to 4%. In the longer term the government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle than the current export-led model but is unlikely to abandon efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -2.2% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,700 (2001 est.)

Gross national saving