mirror of
https://github.com/opsxcq/mirror-textfiles.com.git
synced 2025-09-01 01:42:08 +02:00
250 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
250 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
SINGAPORE
|
||
GEOGRAPHY
|
||
Total area: 632.6 km2; land area: 622.6 km2
|
||
|
||
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of
|
||
Washington, DC
|
||
|
||
Land boundaries: none
|
||
|
||
Coastline: 193 km
|
||
|
||
Maritime claims:
|
||
|
||
Exclusive fishing zone: not specific;
|
||
|
||
Territorial sea: 3 nm
|
||
|
||
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry
|
||
seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in April)
|
||
|
||
Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water
|
||
catchment area and nature preserve
|
||
|
||
Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
|
||
|
||
Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures
|
||
0%; forest and woodland 5%; other 84%
|
||
|
||
Environment: mostly urban and industrialized
|
||
|
||
Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
|
||
|
||
PEOPLE
|
||
Population: 2,756,330 (July 1991), growth rate 1.3% (1991)
|
||
|
||
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)
|
||
|
||
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
|
||
|
||
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
|
||
|
||
Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
|
||
|
||
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 77 years female (1991)
|
||
|
||
Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)
|
||
|
||
Nationality: noun--Singaporean(s), adjective--Singapore
|
||
|
||
Ethnic divisions: Chinese 76.4%, Malay 14.9%, Indian 6.4%, other
|
||
2.3%
|
||
|
||
Religion: majority of Chinese are Buddhists or atheists; Malays
|
||
are nearly all Muslim (minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs,
|
||
Taoists, Confucianists)
|
||
|
||
Language: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English (all official);
|
||
Malay (national)
|
||
|
||
Literacy: 88% (male 93%, female 84%) age 15 and over can
|
||
read and write (1990 est.)
|
||
|
||
Labor force: 1,280,000; financial, business, and other services
|
||
35.3%, manufacturing 29.0%, commerce 22.8%, construction 6.6%,
|
||
other 6.3% (1989)
|
||
|
||
Organized labor: 210,000; 16.1% of labor force (1989)
|
||
|
||
GOVERNMENT
|
||
Long-form name: Republic of Singapore
|
||
|
||
Type: republic within Commonwealth
|
||
|
||
Capital: Singapore
|
||
|
||
Administrative divisions: none
|
||
|
||
Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
|
||
|
||
Constitution: 3 June 1959, amended 1965; based on preindependence
|
||
State of Singapore Constitution
|
||
|
||
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted
|
||
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
||
|
||
National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)
|
||
|
||
Executive branch: president, prime minister, two deputy prime
|
||
ministers, Cabinet
|
||
|
||
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
|
||
|
||
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
|
||
|
||
Leaders:
|
||
|
||
Chief of State--President WEE Kim Wee (since 3 September 1985);
|
||
|
||
Head of Government--Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November
|
||
1990); Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990);
|
||
Deputy Prime Minister ONG Teng Cheong (since 2 January 1985)
|
||
|
||
Political parties and leaders:
|
||
|
||
government--People's Action Party (PAP), LEE Kuan Yew, secretary
|
||
general;
|
||
|
||
opposition--Workers' Party (WP), J. B. JEYARETNAM;
|
||
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), CHIAM See Tong;
|
||
National Solidarity Party (NSP), SOON Kia Seng;
|
||
United People's Front (UPF), Harbans SINGH;
|
||
Barisan Sosialis (BS, Socialist Front), leader NA
|
||
|
||
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 20
|
||
|
||
Elections:
|
||
|
||
President--last held 31 August 1989 (next to be held August 1993);
|
||
results--President WEE Kim Wee was reelected by Parliament without
|
||
opposition;
|
||
|
||
Parliament--last held 3 September 1988 (next to be held 31
|
||
August 1991);
|
||
results--PAP 61.8%, WP 18.4%, SDP 11.5%, NSP 3.7%, UPF 1.3%, other 3.3%;
|
||
seats--(81 total) PAP 80, SDP 1; note--BS has 1 nonvoting seat
|
||
|
||
Communists: 200-500; Barisan Sosialis infiltrated by Communists;
|
||
note--Communist party illegal
|
||
|
||
Member of: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
|
||
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
|
||
IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WMO
|
||
|
||
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador S. R. NATHAN;
|
||
Chancery at 1824 R Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202)
|
||
667-7555;
|
||
|
||
US--Ambassador Robert D. ORR; Embassy at 30 Hill Street,
|
||
Singapore 0617 (mailing address is FPO San Francisco 96699); telephone
|
||
65 338-0251
|
||
|
||
Flag: 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
|
||
Overview: Singapore has an open entrepreneurial economy with strong
|
||
service and manufacturing sectors and excellent international trading
|
||
links derived from its entrepot history. During the 1970s and early
|
||
1980s, the economy expanded rapidly, achieving an average annual growth
|
||
rate of 9%. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia. In 1985 the
|
||
economy registered its first drop in 20 years and achieved less than a 2%
|
||
increase in 1986. Recovery was strong based on rising demand for
|
||
Singapore's products in OECD countries and improved competitiveness of
|
||
domestic manufactures. The economy grew 8.3% in 1990. Singapore's
|
||
position as a major oil refining and services center helped it weather
|
||
the Persian Gulf crisis.
|
||
|
||
GDP: $34.6 billion, per capita $12,700; real growth rate 8.3%
|
||
(1990)
|
||
|
||
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (1990)
|
||
|
||
Unemployment rate: 1.7% (1990)
|
||
|
||
Budget: revenues $8.0 billion; expenditures $7.2 billion,
|
||
including capital expenditures of $2.4 billion (FY90 est.)
|
||
|
||
Exports: $52.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
|
||
|
||
commodities--includes transshipments to Malaysia--petroleum
|
||
products, rubber, electronics, manufactured goods;
|
||
|
||
partners--US 21%, EC 14%, Malaysia 13%, Japan 9%
|
||
|
||
Imports: $60.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
|
||
|
||
commodities--includes transshipments from Malaysia--capital
|
||
equipment, petroleum, chemicals, manufactured goods, foodstuffs;
|
||
|
||
partners--Japan 20%, US 16%, Malaysia 14%, EC 13%
|
||
|
||
External debt: $3.9 billion (1990)
|
||
|
||
Industrial production: growth rate 9% (1990 est.); accounts
|
||
for 29% of GDP (1989)
|
||
|
||
Electricity: 4,000,000 kW capacity; 14,400 million kWh produced,
|
||
5,300 kWh per capita (1990)
|
||
|
||
Industries: petroleum refining, electronics, oil drilling
|
||
equipment, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and
|
||
beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, financial services,
|
||
biotechnology
|
||
|
||
Agriculture: occupies a position of minor importance in the
|
||
economy; self-sufficient in poultry and eggs; must import much of other
|
||
food; major crops--rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables
|
||
|
||
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $590
|
||
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
|
||
(1970-87), $882 million
|
||
|
||
Currency: Singapore dollar (plural--dollars);
|
||
1 Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents
|
||
|
||
Exchange rates: Singapore dollars per US$1--1.7454 (January 1991),
|
||
1.8125 (1990), 1.9503 (1989), 2.0124 (1988), 2.1060 (1987), 2.1774
|
||
(1986), 2.2002 (1985)
|
||
|
||
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
|
||
COMMUNICATIONS
|
||
Railroads: 38 km of 1.000-meter gauge
|
||
|
||
Highways: 2,597 km total (1984)
|
||
|
||
Ports: Singapore
|
||
|
||
Merchant marine: 435 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,259,085
|
||
GRT/13,553,438 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 121 cargo, 66 container,
|
||
6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 18 vehicle carrier,
|
||
1 livestock carrier, 118 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5
|
||
chemical tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 7 liquefied
|
||
gas, 75 bulk, 2 combination bulk; note--many Singapore flag ships are
|
||
foreign owned
|
||
|
||
Civil air: 38 major transport aircraft (est.)
|
||
|
||
Airports: 9 total, 9 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways;
|
||
2 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways
|
||
1,220-2,439 m
|
||
|
||
Telecommunications: good domestic facilities; good international
|
||
service; good radio and television broadcast coverage; 1,110,000
|
||
telephones; stations--13 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; submarine cables extend to
|
||
Malaysia (Sabah and peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines;
|
||
satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean
|
||
INTELSAT
|
||
|
||
DEFENSE FORCES
|
||
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police
|
||
Force
|
||
|
||
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 842,721; 625,546 fit for
|
||
military service
|
||
|
||
Defense expenditures: $1.7 billion, 4% of GDP (1990 est.)
|
||
|
||
|