World Facts Index
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.
Geography of Singapore
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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, islands
between Malaysia and Indonesia |
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Coordinates:
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1 22 N, 103 48 E |
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Area:
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total: 692.7 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km |
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Area comparative:
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slightly more than 3.5
times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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193 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive fishing zone:
within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice
territorial sea: 3 NM |
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Climate:
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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 |
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Terrain:
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lowland; gently undulating
central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish, deepwater ports |
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Environment current issues:
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industrial pollution;
limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability
presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from
forest fires in Indonesia |
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Geography - note:
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focal point for Southeast
Asian sea routes
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More Geography
Population of Singapore
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Population:
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4,608,167 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 15.6% (male 362,329/female 337,964)
15-64 years: 76.1% (male 1,666,709/female 1,750,736)
65 years and over: 8.3% (male 165,823/female 208,589) |
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Median age:
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37.3 years |
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Growth rate:
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1.42% |
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Infant mortality:
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2.29 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 81.71 years
male: 79.13 years
female: 84.49 years |
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Fertility rate:
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1.06 children born/woman |
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Nationality:
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noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore |
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Ethnic groups:
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Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% |
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Religions:
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Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%,
Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% |
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Languages:
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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% |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total : 93.2%
male: 96.7%
female: 89.7%
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Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of
Singapore |
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Government type:
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parliamentary republic |
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Capital:
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Singapore |
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Independence:
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9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 9 August (1965) |
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Constitution:
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3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on
preindependence State of Singapore Constitution) |
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Legal system:
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based on English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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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; 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. |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine nominated
members; the losing opposition candidate who came closest to winning a seat may be
appointed as a "nonconstituency" member |
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Judicial branch:
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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 |
Economy
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.
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GDP:
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$227.1 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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6.4% |
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GDP per capita:
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$28,100 |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: negligible
industry: 33.9%
services: 66.1% |
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Inflation rate:
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0.4% |
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Labor force:
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2.28 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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financial, business, and other services
49%, manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%, other 16% |
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Unemployment:
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3.1% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $18.67 billion
expenditures: $18.21 billion |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100% |
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Industries:
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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 |
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Agriculture:
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rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables,
poultry, eggs, fish, ornamental fish |
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Exports:
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machinery and equipment (including
electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels |
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Export partners:
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Malaysia 14.7%, US 11.5%, Hong Kong 10.4%, China 9.5%,
Japan 6%, Thailand 4.5%, Taiwan 4.3%, Australia 4.1% |
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Imports:
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machinery and equipment, mineral fuels,
chemicals, foodstuffs |
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Import partners:
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Malaysia 14.4%, US 12.4%, China 10.8%, Japan 10.1%, Taiwan
6.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, South Korea 4.5% |
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Currency:
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Singapore dollar (SGD) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |