| Singapore |
|
| 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. 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 |
|
| Location: |
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia |
| Geographic coordinates: |
1 22 N, 103 48 E |
| Area: |
total: 692.7 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km
water: 10 sq km |
| Terrain: |
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve |
| 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 |
| Natural resources: |
fish, deepwater ports |
| Geography - note: |
focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes |
| Population |
|
| Population: |
4,608,167 (July 2008 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 14.8% (male 353,333/female 329,005)
15-64 years: 76.5% (male 1,717,357/female 1,809,462)
65 years and over: 8.7% (male 177,378/female 221,632) (2008 est.) |
| Population growth rate: |
1.135% (2008 est.) |
| Migrants net rate: |
6.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 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% (2000 census) |
| Economy |
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| Economy - overview: |
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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