Singapore

§1. Singapore Introduction

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. 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 in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal
  to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

§2. Singapore Geography

Location:
  Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:
  1 22 N, 103 48 E

Map references:
  Southeast_Asia

Area:
  total: 692.7 km²
  land: 682.7 km²
  water: 10 km²

Area - 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
  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 km²

Natural hazards:
  NA

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

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
    Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
    Pollution
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
  focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes

§3. Singapore People

Population:
  4,492,150 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  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) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 37.3 years
  male: 36.9 years
  female: 37.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  1.42% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  9.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  4.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  9.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 2.29 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 2.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 81.71 years
  male: 79.13 years
  female: 84.49 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.06 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  4,100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Singaporean(s)
  adjective: Singapore

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

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)

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 92.5%
  male: 96.6%
  female: 88.6% (2002)

§4. Singapore Government

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

Government type:
  parliamentary republic

Capital:
  Singapore

Administrative divisions:
  none

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

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 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 Shunmugan
    JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004) and WONG Kan Seng (since 1 September
    2005)
  cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president, responsible to Parliament
  elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; last
    appointed 17 August 2005 - see note (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:
  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
  elections: last held 3 November 2001 (next to be held not later than 25
    June 2007) thereby extending terms by several months
  election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 75.3% (in contested
    constituencies), other 24.7%; seats by party - PAP 82, 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:
  governing party: People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; opposition
    parties: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [LING How Dong]; National
    Solidarity Party or NSP [YIP Yew Weng] (SDA group); Singapore Democratic
    Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong] (includes SPP, PKMS, NSP, SJP);
    Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Singapore Justice
    Party or SJP [Desmond LIM] (SDA group); Singapore National Malay
    Organization or PKMS [Malik ISMAIL] (SDA group); Singapore People's Party
    or SPP [CHIAM See Tong] (SDA group); Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia Lim
    Swee LIAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee
  chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100
  FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876
  consulate(s) general: San Francisco
  consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia L. HERBOLD
  embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508
  mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001
  telephone: [65] 6476-9100
  FAX: [65] 6476-9340

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

§5. Singapore Economy

Economy - overview:
  Singapore, a highly-developed and successful free-market economy, 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 electronics and
  manufacturing. It was hard hit in 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. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be
  less vulnerable to the external business cycle and will continue efforts to
  establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal
  stimulus, low interest rates, a surge in exports, and internal flexibility
  led to vigorous growth in 2004, with real GDP rising by 8% - by far the
  economy's best performance since 2000 - but growth slowed to 5.7% in 2005.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $132.3 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $111.5 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  5.7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $29,900 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 0% negligible
  industry: 33.6%
  services: 66.4% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  2.28 million (September 2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%,
  financial, business, and other services 39%, other 26% (2003)

Unemployment rate:
  3.3% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  42.5 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1% (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):
  23% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $18.67 billion
  expenditures: $18.21 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.1
    billion (2005 est.)

Public debt:
  102% of GDP (2005 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:
  8.6% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  36.8 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - consumption:
  33.2 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
  8,290 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  800,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  5.32 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  2.5 billion m³
  note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2001 est.)

Current account balance:
  $25.24 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $204.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals,
  mineral fuels

Exports - partners:
  Malaysia 15.2%, US 13%, Hong Kong 9.8%, China 8.6%, Japan 6.4%, Taiwan
  4.6%, Thailand 4.3%, South Korea 4.1% (2004)

Imports:
  $188.3 billion (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
  Malaysia 15.3%, US 12.7%, Japan 11.7%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 5.7%, South Korea
  4.3%, Thailand 4.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $123.5 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $24.67 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $NA

Currency (code):
  Singapore dollar (SGD)

Exchange rates:
  Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422
  (2003), 1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. Singapore Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  1,847,800 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  4,256,800 (2005)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: excellent service
  domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless service in
    February 2005
  international: country code - 65; 9 submarine cables provide direct
    connection to more than 100 countries; 4 satellite earth stations,
    supplemented by VSAT coverage

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2 (2003)

Television broadcast stations:
  3 (2005)

Internet country code:
  .sg

Internet hosts:
  679,369 (2005)

Internet users:
  2,421,800 (2005)

§7. Singapore Transportation

Airports:
  9 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 9
  over 3,047 m: 2
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
  914 to 1,523 m: 1
  under 914 m: 1 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 139 km (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 3,165 km
  paved: 3,130 km (including 150 km of expressways) (2003)

Merchant marine:
  total: 1,003 ships (1000 GRT or over) 29,116,937 GRT/46,517,745 DWT
  by type: bulk carrier 149, cargo 85, chemical tanker 128, container 196,
    liquefied gas 45, livestock carrier 2, petroleum tanker 340, refrigerated
    cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 39
  foreign-owned: 554 (Australia 6, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 9, China 20, Denmark
    44, Germany 7, Greece 8, Hong Kong 53, India 4, Indonesia 49, Japan 93,
    South Korea 17, Malaysia 35, Netherlands 1, Norway 96, Philippines 3,
    Slovenia 1, Sweden 12, Taiwan 49, Thailand 23, UAE 7, UK 10, US 6)
  registered in other countries: 277 (The Bahamas 14, Bangladesh 9, Belize 4,
    Bolivia 2, Cambodia 4, Cyprus 2, Dominica 11, Honduras 12, Hong Kong 25,
    Indonesia 14, Isle of Man 8, South Korea 1, Liberia 16, Malaysia 56,
    Marshall Islands 5, Mongolia 8, Nigeria 1, Norway 4, Panama 57, Saint
    Vincent and the Grenadines 7, Thailand 9, Tuvalu 2, Venezuela 1, unknown
    5) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Singapore

§8. Singapore Military

Military branches:
  Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for
  volunteers; conscript service obligation reduced to 24 months beginning
  December 2004 (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 1,215,568 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 982,368 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $4.47 billion (FY01 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  4.9% (FY01)

§9. Singapore Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore,
  Singapore's extensive land reclamation works, bridge construction, maritime
  boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - parties agree to ICJ
  arbitration on island dispute within three years; Indonesia and Singapore
  pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by
  defining unresolved areas north of Batam Island; piracy remains a problem
  in the Malacca Strait

Illicit drugs:
  as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable,
  despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for money laundering


<Factbook 2006>
