1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
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
Environment
mostly urban and industrialized
Exclusive fishing zone
not specific;
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
People and Society
Birth rate
18 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
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
211,200; 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)
Government
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 five-pointed 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)
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, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
National Day, 9 August (1965)
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
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 20
Type
republic within Commonwealth
Economy
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
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $590 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $882 million
Budget
revenues $6.6 billion; expenditures $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (FY88)
Currency
Singapore dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents
Electricity
4,000,000 kW capacity; 12,000 million kWh produced, 4,490 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
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
$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
$5.2 billion (December 1988)
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$27.5 billion, per capita $10,300; real growth rate 9.2% (1989 est.)
Imports
$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 9% (1989 est.)
Industries
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)
3.5% (1989 est.)
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. 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
2% (1989 est.)
Communications
Airports
6 total, 6 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
38 major transport aircraft (est.)
Highways
2,597 km total (1984)
Merchant marine
407 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,286,824 GRT/11,921,610 DWT; includes 126 cargo, 52 container, 5 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 13 vehicle carrier, 1 livestock carrier, 103 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 4 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 15 liquefied gas, 68 bulk, 3 combination bulk; note--many Singapore flag ships are foreign owned
Ports
Singapore
Railroads
38 km of 1.000-meter gauge
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
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Army Reserve
Defense expenditures
5% of GDP, or $1.4 billion (1989 est.)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 834,720; 621,497 fit for military service