1989 Edition

Climate

tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in April)

Coastline

193 km

Comparative area

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador George CAREW; Chancery at 1701 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-9261; US— Ambassador Johnny YOUNG; Embassy at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown; telephone 26481

Environment

mostly urban and industrialized

Exclusive fishing zone

not specific

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue

Land boundaries

none

Land use

4% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 5% forest and woodland; 84% other

Natural resources

fish, deepwater ports

Note

focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes

Terrain

lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve

Territorial sea

3 nm

Total area

632.6 km2; land area: 622.6 km2

Birth rate

1 8 births/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Death rate

5 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

76.4% Chinese, 14.9% Malay, 6.4% Indian, 2.3% other Singapore {continued)

Infant mortality rate

8 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

1,280,000; 34.4% industry, 1.2% agriculture, 61.7% services (1988)

Language

Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English (official); Malay (national)

Life expectancy at birth

72 years male, 77 years female (1990)

Literacy

86.8% (1987)

Nationality

noun — Singaporean(s), adjective— Singapore

Net migration rate

0 migrants/ 1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

2 11, 200; 16.5% of labor force (1988)

Population

2,720,915 (July 1990), growth rate 1. 3% (1990)

Religion

majority of Chinese are Buddhists or atheists; Malays nearly all Muslim (minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Taoists, Confucianists)

Total fertility rate

2.0 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

none

Capital

Singapore

Communists

200-500; Barisan Sosialis infiltrated by Communists

Constitution

3 June 1959, amended 1965; based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Tommy KOH Tong Bee; 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

Elections

President — last held 31 August 1989 (next to be held NA August 1993); results — President Wee Kim Wee was reelected by Parliament without opposition; Parliament— last held 3 September 1988 (next to be held NA September 1993); results— PAP 61.8%, WP 18.4%, SDP 11.5%, NSP 3.7%, UPF 1.3%, others 3.3%; seats— (81 total) PAP 80, SDP 1; note — BS has 1 nonvoting seat

Executive branch

president, prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, Cabinet

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 fivepointed stars arranged in a circle

Independence

9 August -1965 (from Malaysia)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State— President WEE Kim Wee (since 3 September 1985); Head of Government — Prime Minister LEE Kuan Yew (since 5 June 1959); First Deputy Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 2 January 1985); Second Deputy Prime Minister ONG Teng Cheong (since 2 January 1985) Political parties and leaders: government — People's Action Party (PAP), Lee Kuan Yew; 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); Communist party illegal

Legal system

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament

Long-form name

Republic of Singapore

Member of

ADB, ANRPC, ASEAN, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, I HO, ILO, IMF, I MO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

National Day, 9 August (1965)

Suffrage

universal and compulsory at age

Type

republic within Commonwealth

Agriculture

accounts for over 30% of GDP and two-thirds of the labor force; largely subsistence farming; cash crops — coffee, cocoa, palm kernels; harvests of food staple rice meets 80% of domestic needs; annual fish catch averages 53,000 metric tons

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

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $149 million; Western (nonUS) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $698 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $18 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $101 million

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $590 million; Western (nonUS) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $882 million

Budget

revenues $86 million; expenditures $128 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)

revenues $6.6 billion; expenditures $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (FY88)

Currency

leone (plural — leones); 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents

Singapore dollar (plural — dollars); I Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents

Electricity

83,000 kW capacity; 180 million kWh produced, 45 kWh per capita (1989)

4,000,000 kW capacity; 12,000 million kWh produced, 4,490 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

leones per US$1 — 87.7193 (January 1990), 58.1395 (1989), 31.2500 (1988), 30.7692 (1987), 8.3963 (1986), 4.7304(1985)

Singapore dollars per US$1 — 1.8895 (January 1990), 1.9503 (1989), 2.0124(1988), 2.1060(1987), 2.1774(1986), 2.2002(1985)

Exports

$106 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— rutile 50%, bauxite 17%, cocoa 1 1%, diamonds 3%, coffee 3%; partners — US, UK, Belgium, FRG, other Western Europe

$46 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities — includes transshipments to Malaysia — petroleum products, rubber, electronics, manufactured goods; partners—US 24%, Malaysia 14%, Japan 9%, Thailand 6%, Hong Kong 5%, Australia 3%, FRG 3%

External debt

$805 million (1989 est.)

$5.2 billion (December 1988)

Fiscal year

1 Jul\ -30 June

1 April-31 March

GDP

$965 million, per capita $250; real growth rate 1.8%(FY87)

$27.5 billion, per capita $10,300; real growth rate 9.2% (1989 est.)

Imports

$167 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities— capital goods 40%, food 32%, petroleum 12%, consumer goods 7%, light industrial goods; partners — US, EC, Japan, China, Nigeria

$53 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities— includes transshipments from Malaysia — capital equipment, petroleum, chemicals, manufactured goods, foodstuffs; partners— Japan 22%, US 16%, Malaysia 15%, EC 12%, Kuwait 1%

Industrial production

growth rate — 19% (FY88 est.)

growth rate 9% (1989 est.)

Industries

mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery

petroleum refining, electronics, oil drilling equipment, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, financial services, biotechnology

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

42% (September 1988)

3.5% (1989 est.)

Overview

The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working population. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of GDP, consisting mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Diamond mining provides an important source of hard currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation, large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance.

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. Estimates for 1989 suggest a 9.2% growth rate based on rising demand for Singapore's products in OECD countries, a strong Japanese yen, and improved competitiveness of domestic manufactures.

Unemployment rate

NA%

2% ( 1 989 est.)

Airports

12 total, 8 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

6 total, 6 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,4403,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Army, Navy

Army, Navy, Air Force, Army Reserve Military manpower males 1 5-49, 834,720; 621,497 fit for military service

Civil air

no major transport aircraft

38 major transport aircraft (est.)

Defense expenditures

1% of GDP (1986) 10km Singapore Strait Main Strait See rfgiunal map IX

5% of GDP, or $1.4 billion (1 989 est.)

Highways

7,400 km total; 1,150 km bituminous, 490 km laterite (some gravel), remainder improved earth

2,597 km total (1984)

Inland waterways

800 km; 600 km navigable year round

Merchant marine

407 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,286,824 CRT/ 11,921,610 DWT; includes 126 cargo, 52 container, 5 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 3 vehicle carrier, I livestock carrier, 103 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 4 combination ore/oil, I specialized tanker, 1 5 liquefied gas, 68 bulk, 3 combination bulk; note — many Singapore flag ships are foreign owned

Military manpower

males 15-49, 918,078; 433,350 fit for military service; no conscription

Ports

Freetown, Pepel

Singapore

Railroads

84 km 1 .067-meter narrowgauge mineral line is used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed

38 km of 1.000-meter gauge

Telecommunications

marginal telephone and telegraph service; national microwave radio relay system unserviceable at present; 23,650 telephones; stations — 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense Forces

good domestic facilities; good international service; good radio and television broadcast coverage; 1,1 10,000 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