SINGAPORE
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 632.6 km2; land area: 622.6 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: not specific;
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
Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures
0%; forest and woodland 5%; other 84%
Environment: mostly urban and industrialized
Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
PEOPLE
Population: 2,756,330 (July 1991), growth rate 1.3% (1991)
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 77 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Singaporean(s), adjective--Singapore
Ethnic divisions: Chinese 76.4%, Malay 14.9%, Indian 6.4%, other
2.3%
Religion: majority of Chinese are Buddhists or atheists; Malays
are nearly all Muslim (minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs,
Taoists, Confucianists)
Language: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English (all official);
Malay (national)
Literacy: 88% (male 93%, female 84%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 1,280,000; financial, business, and other services
35.3%, manufacturing 29.0%, commerce 22.8%, construction 6.6%,
other 6.3% (1989)
Organized labor: 210,000; 16.1% of labor force (1989)
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Republic of Singapore
Type: republic within Commonwealth
Capital: Singapore
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
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
National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, two deputy prime
ministers, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President WEE Kim Wee (since 3 September 1985);
Head of Government--Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November
1990); Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990);
Deputy Prime Minister ONG Teng Cheong (since 2 January 1985)
Political parties and leaders:
government--People's Action Party (PAP), LEE Kuan Yew, secretary
general;
opposition--Workers' Party (WP), J. B. JEYARETNAM;
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), CHIAM See Tong;
National Solidarity Party (NSP), SOON Kia Seng;
United People's Front (UPF), Harbans SINGH;
Barisan Sosialis (BS, Socialist Front), leader NA
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 20
Elections:
President--last held 31 August 1989 (next to be held August 1993);
results--President WEE Kim Wee was reelected by Parliament without
opposition;
Parliament--last held 3 September 1988 (next to be held 31
August 1991);
results--PAP 61.8%, WP 18.4%, SDP 11.5%, NSP 3.7%, UPF 1.3%, other 3.3%;
seats--(81 total) PAP 80, SDP 1; note--BS has 1 nonvoting seat
Communists: 200-500; Barisan Sosialis infiltrated by Communists;
note--Communist party illegal
Member of: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador S. R. NATHAN;
Chancery at 1824 R Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202)
667-7555;
US--Ambassador Robert D. ORR; Embassy at 30 Hill Street,
Singapore 0617 (mailing address is FPO San Francisco 96699); telephone
65 338-0251
Flag: 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
ECONOMY
Overview: Singapore has an open entrepreneurial economy with strong
service and manufacturing sectors and excellent international trading
links derived from its entrepot history. During the 1970s and early
1980s, the economy expanded rapidly, achieving an average annual growth
rate of 9%. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia. In 1985 the
economy registered its first drop in 20 years and achieved less than a 2%
increase in 1986. Recovery was strong based on rising demand for
Singapore's products in OECD countries and improved competitiveness of
domestic manufactures. The economy grew 8.3% in 1990. Singapore's
position as a major oil refining and services center helped it weather
the Persian Gulf crisis.
GDP: $34.6 billion, per capita $12,700; real growth rate 8.3%
(1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 1.7% (1990)
Budget: revenues $8.0 billion; expenditures $7.2 billion,
including capital expenditures of $2.4 billion (FY90 est.)
Exports: $52.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--includes transshipments to Malaysia--petroleum
products, rubber, electronics, manufactured goods;
partners--US 21%, EC 14%, Malaysia 13%, Japan 9%
Imports: $60.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--includes transshipments from Malaysia--capital
equipment, petroleum, chemicals, manufactured goods, foodstuffs;
partners--Japan 20%, US 16%, Malaysia 14%, EC 13%
External debt: $3.9 billion (1990)
Industrial production: growth rate 9% (1990 est.); accounts
for 29% of GDP (1989)
Electricity: 4,000,000 kW capacity; 14,400 million kWh produced,
5,300 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries: petroleum refining, electronics, oil drilling
equipment, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and
beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, financial services,
biotechnology
Agriculture: occupies a position of minor importance in the
economy; self-sufficient in poultry and eggs; must import much of other
food; major crops--rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $590
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $882 million
Currency: Singapore dollar (plural--dollars);
1 Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Singapore dollars per US$1--1.7454 (January 1991),
1.8125 (1990), 1.9503 (1989), 2.0124 (1988), 2.1060 (1987), 2.1774
(1986), 2.2002 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 38 km of 1.000-meter gauge
Highways: 2,597 km total (1984)
Ports: Singapore
Merchant marine: 435 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,259,085
GRT/13,553,438 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 121 cargo, 66 container,
6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 18 vehicle carrier,
1 livestock carrier, 118 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5
chemical tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 7 liquefied
gas, 75 bulk, 2 combination bulk; note--many Singapore flag ships are
foreign owned
Civil air: 38 major transport aircraft (est.)
Airports: 9 total, 9 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways;
2 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good domestic facilities; good international
service; good radio and television broadcast coverage; 1,110,000
telephones; stations--13 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; submarine cables extend to
Malaysia (Sabah and peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines;
satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean
INTELSAT
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police
Force
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 842,721; 625,546 fit for
military service
Defense expenditures: $1.7 billion, 4% of GDP (1990 est.)