President: Tony Tan Prime minister: Lee Hsien Loong
Population
4,366,266
5,353,494
Life Expectancy
55.270 years
83.750 years
Capital City
Singapore
Largest city
Brazzaville (population: 1,284,610)
Singapore (population: 3,547,810)
Human Development Index
NA
0.918
GDP per capita
$60,500 US
Literacy Rate
83.8%
92.5%
Corruption Perception Index
1.9
9.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
NA
24.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Ng Teng Fong & family ($5.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
2.000%
Death Penalty
Abolished in practice
Legal
Political System
republic
parliamentary republic
Independence date
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Religions
Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
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
French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
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
machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, mineral fuels
External Debt
$23,580,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
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
4.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
1
Location
Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Area
342,000 km sq
697 km sq
Coastline
169 km
193 km
Climate
tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
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
