President: Tony Tan Prime minister: Lee Hsien Loong
Population
30,419,928
5,353,494
Life Expectancy
49.720 years
83.750 years
Capital City
Kabul
Singapore
Largest city
Kabul (population: 3,043,530)
Singapore (population: 3,547,810)
Human Development Index
0
0.918
GDP per capita
$1,000 US
$60,500 US
Literacy Rate
28.1%
92.5%
Corruption Perception Index
1.5
9.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
25.9%
24.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Ng Teng Fong & family ($5.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
35.000%
2.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
Islamic republic
parliamentary republic
Independence date
19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)
Languages
Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)
Exports
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, mineral fuels
External Debt
$1,280,000,000 $
$23,580,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)
Singapore dollars (SGD) per US dollar - 1.415 (2008 est.), 1.507 (2007), 1.5889 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.900%
4.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
1
Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Area
652,230 km sq
697 km sq
Coastline
0 km
193 km
Climate
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms
