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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 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
water: 10 sq km
land: 682.7 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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4,353,893
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 16.5% (male 370,660; female 345,713)
15-64 years: 75.8% (male 1,611,502; female
1,687,048)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 149,452; female
189,518) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
36.2 years
male: 35.9 years
female: 36.6 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.71%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.63
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.05
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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11.53
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004
est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
2.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.)
male: 2.49 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 81.53 years
male: 78.96 years
female: 84.29 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.04
children born/woman (2004 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
76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% |
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Religions:
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Buddhist
(Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh,
Taoist, Confucianist |
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Languages:
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Chinese
(official), Malay (official and national), Tamil
(official), English (official) |
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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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Independence
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 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 by 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 |
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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 [GOH Chok Tong];
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 [Muhammad ALI Aman] (SDA
group); Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See
Tong] (SDA group); Workers' Party or WP [LOW Thia
Kiang] |
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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,
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, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee
consulate(s): New York
consulate(s) general: San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876
telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100
chancery: 3501 International Place NW,
Washington, DC 20008 |
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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
high per capita GDP. The economy depends heavily on
exports, particularly in electronics and
manufacturing. It was hard hit in 2001-03 by the
global recession and the slump in the technology
sector. The government hopes to establish a new
growth path that will be less vulnerable to the
external business cycle but is unlikely to abandon
efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's
financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal stimulus, low
interest rates, and global economic recovery should
lead to much improved growth in 2004. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $109.4 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.1%
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $23,700 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
negligible
industry: 32.2%
services: 67.8% (2003 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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24.9%
of GDP (2003) |
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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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0.5%
(2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.2
million (2003) |
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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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4.8%
(2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$14.15 billion
expenditures: $15.61 billion, including
capital expenditures of $5.6 billion (2003 est.) |
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Public debt:
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106.4%
of GDP (2003) |
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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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2.8%
(2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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30.48
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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28.35
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2001) |
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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
(2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA
(2001) |
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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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$26.15
billion (2003) |
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Exports:
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$142.4
billion f.o.b. (2003 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
15.8%, US 14.3%, Hong Kong 10%, China 7%, Japan
6.7%, Taiwan 4.7%, Thailand 4.3%, South Korea 4.2%
(2003 est.) |
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Imports:
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$121.6
billion (2003 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
16.8%, US 14.1%, Japan 12%, China 8.7%, Taiwan 5.1%,
Thailand 4.3% (2003 est.) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$95.75
billion (2003) |
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Debt - external:
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$15.06
billion (2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA |
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Currency:
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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 - 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906
(2002), 1.7917 (2001), 1.724 (2000), 1.695 (1999) |
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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:
3,066 km
paved: 3,066 km (including 150 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 139
km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Singapore |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
900 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 23,065,290 GRT/36,393,317
DWT
registered in other countries: 383 (2003
est.)
foreign-owned: Australia 6, China 15, Denmark
32, Germany 18, Greece 12, Hong Kong 31, India 3,
Indonesia 33, Japan 58, South Korea 13, Malaysia 31,
Monaco 19, Norway 53, Papua New Guinea 1,
Philippines 9, Russia 2, Slovenia 1, Sweden 12,
Switzerland 5, Taiwan 44, Tanzania 1, Thailand 16,
United Kingdom 15, United States 1
by type: bulk 136, cargo 84, chemical tanker
96, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 8,
container 186, liquefied gas 41, livestock carrier
3, multi-functional large load carrier 2, petroleum
tanker 290, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off
5, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 10,
vehicle carrier 32 |
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Airports:
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9 (2003
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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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 (2003 est.)
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 15-49: 1,292,471 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 15-49: 934,317 (2004 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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| Transnational
Issues |
Singapore |
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Disputes - international:
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disputes
with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to
Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation works,
bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra
Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih persist - parties
agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within
three years |
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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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