President: Tony Tan Prime minister: Lee Hsien Loong
Population
10,884,958
5,353,494
Life Expectancy
58.610 years
83.750 years
Capital City
Singapore
Largest city
Camayenne (population: 1,871,240)
Singapore (population: 3,547,810)
Human Development Index
0.423
0.918
GDP per capita
$60,500 US
Literacy Rate
29.5%
92.5%
Corruption Perception Index
1.6
9.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
19.3%
24.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Ng Teng Fong & family ($5.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
2.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
republic
parliamentary republic
Independence date
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Religions
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
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); note - each ethnic group has its own language
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 North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Area
245,857 km sq
697 km sq
Coastline
320 km
193 km
Climate
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
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
