250 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
250 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
SINGAPORE
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 632.6 km2; land area: 622.6 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of
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Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 193 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive fishing zone: not specific;
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Territorial sea: 3 nm
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Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry
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seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in April)
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Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water
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catchment area and nature preserve
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Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
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Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures
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0%; forest and woodland 5%; other 84%
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Environment: mostly urban and industrialized
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Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
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PEOPLE
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Population: 2,756,330 (July 1991), growth rate 1.3% (1991)
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Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 77 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Singaporean(s), adjective--Singapore
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Ethnic divisions: Chinese 76.4%, Malay 14.9%, Indian 6.4%, other
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2.3%
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Religion: majority of Chinese are Buddhists or atheists; Malays
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are nearly all Muslim (minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs,
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Taoists, Confucianists)
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Language: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English (all official);
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Malay (national)
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Literacy: 88% (male 93%, female 84%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 1,280,000; financial, business, and other services
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35.3%, manufacturing 29.0%, commerce 22.8%, construction 6.6%,
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other 6.3% (1989)
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Organized labor: 210,000; 16.1% of labor force (1989)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Singapore
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Type: republic within Commonwealth
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Capital: Singapore
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Administrative divisions: none
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Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
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Constitution: 3 June 1959, amended 1965; based on preindependence
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State of Singapore Constitution
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Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted
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compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)
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Executive branch: president, prime minister, two deputy prime
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ministers, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President WEE Kim Wee (since 3 September 1985);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November
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1990); Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990);
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Deputy Prime Minister ONG Teng Cheong (since 2 January 1985)
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Political parties and leaders:
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government--People's Action Party (PAP), LEE Kuan Yew, secretary
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general;
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opposition--Workers' Party (WP), J. B. JEYARETNAM;
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Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), CHIAM See Tong;
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National Solidarity Party (NSP), SOON Kia Seng;
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United People's Front (UPF), Harbans SINGH;
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Barisan Sosialis (BS, Socialist Front), leader NA
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 20
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Elections:
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President--last held 31 August 1989 (next to be held August 1993);
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results--President WEE Kim Wee was reelected by Parliament without
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opposition;
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Parliament--last held 3 September 1988 (next to be held 31
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August 1991);
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results--PAP 61.8%, WP 18.4%, SDP 11.5%, NSP 3.7%, UPF 1.3%, other 3.3%;
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seats--(81 total) PAP 80, SDP 1; note--BS has 1 nonvoting seat
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Communists: 200-500; Barisan Sosialis infiltrated by Communists;
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note--Communist party illegal
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Member of: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
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IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
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IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador S. R. NATHAN;
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Chancery at 1824 R Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202)
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667-7555;
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US--Ambassador Robert D. ORR; Embassy at 30 Hill Street,
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Singapore 0617 (mailing address is FPO San Francisco 96699); telephone
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65 338-0251
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Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near
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the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent
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(closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white
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five-pointed stars arranged in a circle
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Singapore has an open entrepreneurial economy with strong
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service and manufacturing sectors and excellent international trading
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links derived from its entrepot history. During the 1970s and early
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1980s, the economy expanded rapidly, achieving an average annual growth
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rate of 9%. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia. In 1985 the
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economy registered its first drop in 20 years and achieved less than a 2%
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increase in 1986. Recovery was strong based on rising demand for
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Singapore's products in OECD countries and improved competitiveness of
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domestic manufactures. The economy grew 8.3% in 1990. Singapore's
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position as a major oil refining and services center helped it weather
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the Persian Gulf crisis.
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GDP: $34.6 billion, per capita $12,700; real growth rate 8.3%
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(1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 1.7% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $8.0 billion; expenditures $7.2 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $2.4 billion (FY90 est.)
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Exports: $52.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--includes transshipments to Malaysia--petroleum
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products, rubber, electronics, manufactured goods;
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partners--US 21%, EC 14%, Malaysia 13%, Japan 9%
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Imports: $60.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
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commodities--includes transshipments from Malaysia--capital
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equipment, petroleum, chemicals, manufactured goods, foodstuffs;
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partners--Japan 20%, US 16%, Malaysia 14%, EC 13%
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External debt: $3.9 billion (1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate 9% (1990 est.); accounts
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for 29% of GDP (1989)
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Electricity: 4,000,000 kW capacity; 14,400 million kWh produced,
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5,300 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: petroleum refining, electronics, oil drilling
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equipment, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and
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beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, financial services,
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biotechnology
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Agriculture: occupies a position of minor importance in the
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economy; self-sufficient in poultry and eggs; must import much of other
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food; major crops--rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $590
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-87), $882 million
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Currency: Singapore dollar (plural--dollars);
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1 Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: Singapore dollars per US$1--1.7454 (January 1991),
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1.8125 (1990), 1.9503 (1989), 2.0124 (1988), 2.1060 (1987), 2.1774
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(1986), 2.2002 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 38 km of 1.000-meter gauge
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Highways: 2,597 km total (1984)
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Ports: Singapore
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Merchant marine: 435 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,259,085
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GRT/13,553,438 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 121 cargo, 66 container,
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6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 18 vehicle carrier,
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1 livestock carrier, 118 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5
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chemical tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 7 liquefied
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gas, 75 bulk, 2 combination bulk; note--many Singapore flag ships are
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foreign owned
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Civil air: 38 major transport aircraft (est.)
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Airports: 9 total, 9 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways;
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2 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways
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1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: good domestic facilities; good international
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service; good radio and television broadcast coverage; 1,110,000
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telephones; stations--13 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; submarine cables extend to
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Malaysia (Sabah and peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines;
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satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean
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INTELSAT
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police
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Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 842,721; 625,546 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $1.7 billion, 4% of GDP (1990 est.)
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