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National Map
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Singapore |
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National Flag
Of |
Singapore |
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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
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
Of |
Singapore |
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National Anthem
Of |
Singapore |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Singapore |
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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and
Indonesia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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1 22 N,
103 48 E |
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Map references:
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Southeast
Asia |
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Area:
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total:
692.7 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km
water: 10 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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193 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond
territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice
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Climate:
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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 |
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Terrain:
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lowland;
gently undulating central plateau contains water
catchment area and nature preserve |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish,
deepwater ports |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 98.36% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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NA |
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Environment - current issues:
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industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water
resources; limited land availability presents waste
disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from
forest fires in Indonesia |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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focal
point for Southeast Asian sea routes |
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Population:
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4,425,720
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 16% (male 366,971/female 342,295)
15-64 years: 75.9% (male 1,639,842/female
1,719,829)
65 years and over: 8.1% (male 157,636/female
199,147) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
36.76 years
male: 36.4 years
female: 37.07 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.56%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.49
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.16
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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10.3
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
2.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 81.62 years
male: 79.05 years
female: 84.39 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.05
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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4,100
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
200 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore |
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Ethnic groups:
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Chinese
76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000
census) |
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Religions:
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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) |
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Languages:
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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) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 96.6%
female: 88.6% (2002) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore |
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Government type:
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parliamentary republic |
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Capital:
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Singapore
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Administrative divisions:
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none |
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Independence:
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9 August
1965 (from Malaysian Federation) |
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National holiday:
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National
Day, 9 August (1965) |
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Constitution:
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3 June
1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of
Singapore Constitution) |
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Legal system:
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based on
English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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21 years
of age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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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 Tony TAN
Keng Yam (since 1 August 1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president,
responsible to Parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for
six-year term; last appointed 17 August 2005 (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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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)
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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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 |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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
[vacant] (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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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APEC,
APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Franklin L. LAVIN
embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508
mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001
telephone: [65] 6476-9100
FAX: [65] 6476-9340 |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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 Big 4 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 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
percent, by far the economy's best performance since
2000. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$120.9
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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8.1%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $27,800 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 0% negligible
industry: 32.6%
services: 67.4% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.18
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and
communication 11%, financial, business, and other
services 49%, other 16% (2003) |
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Unemployment rate:
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3.4%
(2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.7%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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27.4% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $17.05 billion
expenditures: $18.45 billion, including capital
expenditures of $5.8 billion (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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102.5% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rubber,
copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables, poultry, eggs, fish,
ornamental fish |
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Industries:
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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 |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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11.1%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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35.33
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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32
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2003) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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700,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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2.5
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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2.5
billion cu m
note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2001 est.)
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Current account balance:
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$8.8
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$174
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery
and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods,
chemicals, mineral fuels |
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Exports - partners:
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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) |
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Imports:
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$155.2
billion (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery
and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Malaysia
15.3%, US 12.7%, Japan 11.7%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 5.7%,
South Korea 4.3%, Thailand 4.1% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$112.8
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$19.4
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA |
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Currency (code):
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Singapore
dollar (SGD) |
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Currency code:
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SGD |
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Exchange rates:
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Singapore
dollars per US dollar - 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003),
1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001), 1.724 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April -
31 March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1,896,100
(2004) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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3,521,800
(2004) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: excellent service
domestic: excellent domestic facilities
international: country code - 65; 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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 0, FM
17, shortwave 2 (2003) |
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Radios:
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2.6
million (2000) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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7 (2003)
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Televisions:
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1.33
million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.sg |
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Internet hosts:
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484,825
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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9 (2000)
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Internet users:
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2.31
million (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
3,130 km
paved: 3,130 km (including 150 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2002) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 139
km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Singapore
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Merchant marine:
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total:
923 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 23,065,290 GRT/36,393,317
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 138, cargo 86, chemical
tanker 115, combination ore/oil 5, container 180,
liquefied gas 42, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo
1, petroleum tanker 316, refrigerated cargo 3, vehicle
carrier 36
foreign-owned: 487 (Australia 5, Bangladesh 1,
Belgium 10, China 15, Denmark 34, Germany 7, Greece 5,
Hong Kong 43, India 3, Indonesia 54, Japan 83, Malaysia
31, Norway 83, Philippines 3, Russia 1, Slovenia 1,
South Korea 12, Sweden 12, Taiwan 44, Thailand 17, UAE
6, United Kingdom 12, United States 5)
registered in other countries: 276 (2005) |
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Airports:
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10 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
10
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Singapore
Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense (2005)
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age
for volunteers; conscript service obligation reduced to
24 months beginning December 2004 (December 2004) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 1,215,568 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 982,368 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$4.47
billion (FY01 est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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4.9%
(FY01) |
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Disputes - international:
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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 |
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Illicit drugs:
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as a
transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is
vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, to be
used as a transit point for Golden Triangle heroin and
as a venue for money laundering |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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