Singapore
Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore
parliamentary republicIndependence 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
Singapore as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 114 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 above that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
Geography
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
18 fieldsClimate
- 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
Land use
arable land: 2% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 5% other: 87% (1993 est.)
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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 17.89% (male 397,124; female 372,058) 15-64 years: 75.16% (male 1,575,381; female 1,656,838) 65 years and over: 6.95% (male 130,815; female 168,203) (2001 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: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 80.17 years male: 77.22 years female: 83.35 years (2001 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.5% male: 97% female: 89.8% (1999)
Government
Parliamentary republic
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Parliament, 83 seatsone dot, one seat
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) head of government: Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990) and Tony TAN Keng Yam (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 NA 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
- unicameral Parliament (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 2 January 1997 (next to be held by 26 August 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 65% (in contested constituencies), other 35%;
- seats by party - PAP 81, WP 1, SPP 1;
- note - subsequent to the election, there was a change in the distribution of seats, the new distribution is as follows: PAP 80, WP 1, SPP 1, vacant 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
- People's Action Party or PAP [GOH Chok Tong, secretary general] - the governing party;
- Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan];
- Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See Tong];
- Workers' Party or WP [J. B. JEYARETNAM]
International organization participation
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, Australia Group (observer), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
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
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: PSC Box 470, FPO AP 96534-0001 telephone: [65] 476-9100
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
Economy
Singapore is blessed with a highly developed and successful free-market economy, a remarkably open and corruption-free business environment, stable prices, and the fifth highest per capita GDP in the world.
32 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Singapore is blessed with a highly developed and successful free-market economy, a remarkably open and corruption-free business environment, stable prices, and the fifth highest per capita GDP in the world. Exports, particularly in electronics and chemicals, and services are the main drivers of the economy.
Mainly because of robust exports, especially electronic goods, the economy grew 10.1% in 2000. Forecasters, however, are projecting only 4%-6% growth in 2001 largely because of weaker global demand, especially in the US. The government promotes high levels of savings and investment through a mandatory savings scheme and spends heavily in education and technology.
It also owns government-linked companies (GLCs) - particularly in manufacturing - that operate as commercial entities. As Singapore looks to a future increasingly marked by globalization, the country is positioning itself as the region's financial and high-tech hub.
Labor force - by occupation
financial, business, and other services 35%, manufacturing 21%, construction 13%, transportation and communication 9%
Budget
revenues: $18.1 billion expenditures: $17.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $9.5 billion (FY99/00 est.)
Industries
electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, biotechnology
Agriculture - products
rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs, fish, ornamental fish
Exchange rates
Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.7365 (January 2001), 1.7240 (2000), 1.6950 (1999), 1.6736 (1998), 1.4848 (1997), 1.4100 (1996)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- major consideration given to serving business interests;
- excellent international service domestic: excellent domestic facilities international: submarine cables to Malaysia (Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines;
- satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)
Transportation
8 fieldsRailways
total: 38.6 km narrow gauge: 38.6 km 1.000-m gauge note: there is a 83 km mass transit system with 48 stations
Merchant marine
total: 879 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,849,168 GRT/33,215,317 DWT ships by type: bulk 134, cargo 111, chemical tanker 63, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 6, container 167, liquefied gas 28, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 295, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 33 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bermuda 12, Belgium 6, China 9, Denmark 29, Germany 8, Greece 1, Hong Kong 20, Indonesia 9, Japan 32, South Korea 3, Netherlands 2, Norway 9, Russia 1, Sweden 22, Thailand 22, Taiwan 17, UK 3, US 10 (2000 est.)
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 (2000 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police Force
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, to use as a transit point for Golden Triangle heroin and as a venue for money laundering
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Singapore.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/singapore/2001.