Map of Singapore | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) 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
Land: 682.7 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
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice

Climate: tropical; hot humid rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (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: 1.47%
Permanent crops: 1.47%
Other: 97.06% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 0.6 km³ (1975)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes


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Population: 4,608,167 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 1.135% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Singaporean
Adjective: Singapore

Ethnic groups: Chinese 76.8% Malay 13.9% Indian 7.9% other 1.4% (2000 census)

Languages: Mandarin 35% English 23% Malay 14.1% Hokkien 11.4% Cantonese 5.7% Teochew 4.9% Tamil 3.2% other Chinese dialects 1.8% other 0.9% (2000 census)

Religions: Buddhist 42.5% Muslim 14.9% Taoist 8.5% Hindu 4% Catholic 4.8% other Christian 9.8% other 0.7% none 14.8% (2000 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.8% (male 353,333/female 329,005)
15-64 years: 76.5% (male 1,717,357/female 1,809,462)
65 years and over: 8.7% (male 177,378/female 221,632) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 38.4 years
Male: 38 years
Female: 38.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.135% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 8.99 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 4.53 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.88 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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: 0.8 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 2.51 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 2.08 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.89 years
Male: 79.29 years
Female: 84.68 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 4,100 (2003 est.)
Deaths: fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.7% of GDP (2001)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 92.5%
Male: 96.6%
Female: 88.6% (2000 census)

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
Local long form: Republic of Singapore
Local short form: Singapore

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Singapore
Geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E
Time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: none

Dependent areas

Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

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: 21 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President S R NATHAN (since 1 September 1999)
Note: uses S R NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN
Head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004); Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Ministers Shunmugam JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004) and WONG Kan Seng (since 1 September 2005)
Cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament
Elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; appointed on 17 August 2005 (next election to be held by August 2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
Election results: Sellapan Rama (S R) NATHAN appointed president in August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held

Legislative branch
Elections: last held on 6 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%, SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; 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
Note: SDA includes Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP

International organization participation: ADB APEC APT ARF ASEAN BIS C CP EAS G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OPCW PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNMIT UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

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 general: San Francisco
In the us consulates: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia L. HERBOLD
From the us embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258,508
From the us mailing address: FPO AP 96,507-0001
From the us telephone: [65] 6,476-9,100
From the us fax: [65] 6,476-9,340

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 a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment stable prices and a per capita GDP equal to that of the four largest West European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports particularly in consumer electronics and information technology products. It was hard hit from 2001-03 by the global recession by the slump in the technology sector and by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 which curbed tourism and consumer spending. Fiscal stimulus low interest rates a surge in exports and internal flexibility led to vigorous growth in 2004-07 with real GDP growth averaging 7% annually. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the global demand cycle for information technology products - it has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production - and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $227.1 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 7.7% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $49,900 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0%
Industry: 31.2%
Services: 68.8% (2007 est.)

Agriculture products: rubber copra fruit orchids vegetables; poultry eggs; fish ornamental fish

Industries: electronics chemicals financial services oil drilling equipment petroleum refining rubber processing and rubber products processed food and beverages ship repair offshore platform construction life sciences entrepot trade

Industrial production growth rate: 7.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 2.751 million (2007 est.)
By occupation: manufacturing 21% construction 5% transportation and communication 7% financial business and other services 42% other 25% (2006)

Unemployment rate: 2.1% (2007 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.9%
Highest 10: 32.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 52.2 (2005)

Budget
Revenues: $27 billion
Expenditures: $21.5 billion (2007 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 96.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 5.33% (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $129.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $382.4 billion (2007)

Current account balance: $46.39 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $302.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment (including electronics) consumer goods chemicals mineral fuels
Partners: Malaysia 12.9% Hong Kong 10.5% Indonesia 9.8% China 9.7% US 8.9% Japan 4.8% Thailand 4.1% (2007)

Imports: $252 billion (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment mineral fuels chemicals foodstuffs
Partners: Malaysia 13.1% US 12.5% China 12.1% Japan 8.2% Taiwan 5.9% Indonesia 5.6% South Korea 4.9% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $163 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $25.59 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $214.5 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $111.2 billion (2005)

Exchange rates: Singapore dollars (SGD) per US dollar - 1.507 (2007) 1.5889 (2006) 1.6644 (2005) 1.6902 (2004) 1.7422 (2003)


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Electricity
Production: 38.68 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 35.13 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 6.5 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.859 million (2007)
Mobile cellular: 5.619 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent service
Domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless service in February 2005; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 165 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 65; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations -4; supplemented by VSAT coverage (2007)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .sg
Hosts: 837,559 (2008)
Users: 3.105 million (2007)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 4.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-21 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 2-year conscript service obligation with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers) (2008)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 8 (2007)
With paved runways total: 8
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 (2007)

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 139 km; refined products 8 km (2007)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 3,262 km
Paved: 3,262 km (includes 150 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 1,292
By type: bulk carrier 167, cargo 87, carrier 5, chemical tanker 209, container 273, liquefied gas 96, petroleum tanker 386, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 53
Foreign owned: 774 (Australia 12, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 8, Chile 6, China 14, Cyprus 1, Denmark 87, France 1, Germany 24, Greece 15, Hong Kong 47, India 13, Indonesia 66, Italy 5, Japan 131, South Korea 3, Malaysia 27, Norway 143, Slovenia 1, Sweden 20, Switzerland 2, Taiwan 72, Thailand 23, UAE 12, UK 17, US 22)
Registered in other countries: 331 (Australia 1, Bahamas 17, Belize 2, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 10, Comoros 1, Cyprus 3, Dominica 7, France 2, Honduras 12, Hong Kong 18, Indonesia 27, Isle of Man 1, Kiribati 4, Liberia 32, Malaysia 16, Marshall Islands 18, Mongolia 9, Norway 1, Panama 100, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Thailand 2, Tuvalu 23, US 12, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Singapore


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Disputes international: disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore Singapore's extensive land reclamation works bridge construction and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits; in November 2007 the ICJ will hold public hearings as a consequence of the Memorials and Countermemorials filed by the parties in 2003 and 2005 over sovereignty of Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Puteh Middle Rocks and South Ledge; Indonesia and Singapore continue to work on finalization of their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Indonesia's Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: drug abuse limited because of aggressive law enforcement efforts; as a transportation and financial services hub Singapore is vulnerable despite strict laws and enforcement as a venue for money laundering