President: Tony Tan Prime minister: Lee Hsien Loong
Population
4,327,944
5,353,494
Life Expectancy
80.710 years
83.750 years
Capital City
Wellington
Singapore
Largest city
Auckland (population: 417,910)
Singapore (population: 3,547,810)
Human Development Index
0.944
0.918
GDP per capita
$28,000 US
$60,500 US
Literacy Rate
99%
92.5%
Corruption Perception Index
9.3
9.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
33.1%
24.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
Graeme Hart ($4.5bn US)
Ng Teng Fong & family ($5.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.500%
2.000%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
parliamentary democracy
parliamentary republic
Independence date
26 September 1907 (from UK)
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Religions
Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (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
English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
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
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, mineral fuels
External Debt
$85,650,000,000 $
$23,580,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.4151 (2008 est.), 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (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
1.000%
4.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
9
1
Location
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Area
267,710 km sq
697 km sq
Coastline
15,134 km
193 km
Climate
temperate with sharp regional contrasts
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
