President: Tony Tan Prime minister: Lee Hsien Loong
Population
1,248,348
5,353,494
Life Expectancy
78.290 years
83.750 years
Capital City
Manama
Singapore
Largest city
Manama (population: 147,074)
Singapore (population: 3,547,810)
Human Development Index
0.902
0.918
GDP per capita
$27,900 US
$60,500 US
Literacy Rate
86.5%
92.5%
Corruption Perception Index
5.4
9.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
13.8%
24.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Ng Teng Fong & family ($5.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
15.000%
2.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
constitutional monarchy
parliamentary republic
Independence date
15 August 1971 (from UK)
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Religions
Muslim (Shia and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)
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
Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
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
petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, mineral fuels
External Debt
$14,930,000,000 $
$23,580,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar - 0.376 (2008 est.), 0.376 (2007), 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004)
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
4.500%
4.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
1
Location
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Area
760 km sq
697 km sq
Coastline
161 km
193 km
Climate
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid 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
