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.)                       
                                                                                
