Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

1 22 N, 103 48 E

Southeast Asia

total: 697 sq km
country comparison to the world: 192
land: 687 sq km
water: 10 sq km

slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

193 km

territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice

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

lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve

lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m

fish, deepwater ports

arable land: 0.89%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 98.97% (2011)

NA

0.6 cu km (2011)

total: 0.19 cu km/yr (47%/53%/0%)
per capita: 81.97 cu m/yr (2005)

NA

industrial pollution; limited natural freshwater resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes

noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore

Chinese 74.2%, Malay 13.3%, Indian 9.2%, other 3.3% (2012 est.)

Mandarin (official) 36.3%, English (official) 29.8%, Hokkien 8.1%, Tamil (official) 4.4%, Cantonese 4.1%, Teochew 3.2%, Malay (official) 1.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.1%, other 1.7% (2010 est.)

Buddhist 33.9%, Muslim 14.3%, Taoist 11.3%, Catholic 7.1%, Hindu 5.2%, other Christian 11%, other 0.7%, none 16.4% (2010 est.)

5,460,302 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116

0-14 years: 13.6% (male 381,145/female 363,504)
15-24 years: 18.2% (male 490,526/female 505,713)
25-54 years: 50.1% (male 1,336,298/female 1,401,106)
55-64 years: 9.9% (male 269,411/female 269,137)
65 years and over: 8.1% (male 200,602/female 242,860) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 35.6 %
youth dependency ratio: 21.8 %
elderly dependency ratio: 13.8 %
potential support ratio: 7.2 (2013)

total: 33.6 years
male: 33.5 years
female: 33.7 years (2013 est.)

1.96% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56

7.91 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 221

3.41 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 217

15.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5

urban population: 100% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 1.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

29.4 (2008 est.)

3 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 182

total: 2.59 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 221
male: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 84.07 years
country comparison to the world: 4
male: 81.67 years
female: 86.64 years (2013 est.)

0.79 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 224

62%
note: percent of women aged 15-44 (1997)

4.6% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 150

1.92 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

2.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)

0.1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129

3,400 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127

fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

7.1% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 142

3.3% (2000)
country comparison to the world: 108

3.3% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 132

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.9%
male: 98%
female: 93.8% (2010 est.)

total: 6.7% (2012)
country comparison to the world: 131

conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore
local long form: Republic of Singapore
local short form: Singapore

parliamentary republic

name: Singapore
geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

none

9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

National Day, 9 August (1965)

several previous; latest adopted 22 December 1965; amended several times, last in 2010 (2013)

English common law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

21 years of age; universal and compulsory

chief of state: President Tony TAN Keng Yam (since 1 September 2011)
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Minister TEO Chee Hean (since 1 April 2009) and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman SHANMUGARATNAM (since 21 May 2011)
cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament

elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; election last held on 27 August 2011 (next to be held by August 2017); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
election results: Tony TAN Keng Yam elected president from a field of four candidates with 35.2% of the votes cast

unicameral Parliament (87 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine nominated members (NMP) and up to nine Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP); traditionally, members of parties that came closest to winning seats may be appointed as NCMPs; NMPs are appointed by the president to ensure that a wide range of community views are present in Parliament; NMPs are independent and non-partisan members
elections: last held on 7 May 2011 (next to be held in May 2016)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 60.1%, WP 12.8%, NSP 12.1%, others 15%; seats by party - PAP 81, WP 6; (seats as of February 2013 PAP 80, WP 7)

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the president or chief justice and 16 justices and organized into an upper tier Appeal Court and a lower tier High Court)
judge selection and term of office: all judges appointed by the president from candidates recommended by the prime minister after consultation with the chief justice; justices appointed for life
subordinate courts: district, magistrates', juvenile, family, community, and coroners' courts; small claims tribunals

National Solidarity Party or NSP [Hazel POA]
note: SDA includes Singapore Justice Party or SJP and Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS

none

ADB, AOSIS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FATF, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIT, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador Ashok Kumar MIRPURI (since 24 July 2012)
chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100
FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876
consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco

chief of mission: Ambassador Kirk WAGER (since 4 September 2013)
embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508
mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001
telephone: [65] 6476-9100
FAX: [65] 6476-9340

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle; red denotes brotherhood and equality; white signifies purity and virtue; the waxing crescent moon symbolizes a young nation on the ascendancy; the five stars represent the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality

lion, merlion (mythical half lion-half fish creature)

name: "Majulah Singapura" (Onward Singapore)
lyrics/music: ZUBIR Said
note: adopted 1965; the anthem, which was first performed in 1958 at the Victoria Theatre, is sung only in Malay

Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics, information technology products, pharmaceuticals, and on a growing financial services sector. Real GDP growth averaged 8.6% between 2004 and 2007. The economy contracted 0.8% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis, but rebounded 14.8% in 2010, on the strength of renewed exports, before slowing to 5.2% in 2011 and 1.3% in 2012, largely a result of soft demand for exports during the second European recession. Over the longer term, the government hopes to establish a new growth path that focuses on raising productivity, which has sunk to an average of about 1.0% in the last decade. Singapore has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.

$323 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$272.8 billion (2012 est.)

1.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155

$60,800 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

45.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7

household consumption: 39.2%
government consumption: 9.7%
investment in fixed capital: 24.1%
investment in inventories: 2.9%
exports of goods and services: 200.7%
imports of goods and services: -178.5%

agriculture: 0%
industry: 26.8%
services: 73.2% (2012 est.)

orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs; fish, ornamental fish

electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade

1.2% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117

3.362 million
country comparison to the world: 100
note: excludes non-residents (2012 est.)

agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 19.6%
services: 80.3%
note: excludes non-residents (2011)

1.9% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9

NA%

lowest 10%: 4.4%
highest 10%: 23.2% (2008)

47.8 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 26

revenues: $43.44 billion
expenditures: $37.83 billion
note: expenditures include both operational and development expenditures (2012 est.)

15.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188

2.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23

111.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
note: for Singapore, public debt consists largely of Singapore Government Securities (SGS) issued to assist the Central Provident Fund (CPF), which administers Singapore's defined contribution pension fund; special issues of SGS are held by the CPF, and are non-tradable; the government has not borrowed to finance deficit expenditures since the 1980s

1 April - 31 March

4.6% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138

5.38% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154

$115 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33

$400.8 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26

$281.1 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36

$709.4 billion (31 December 2012)
country comparison to the world: 21

$51.44 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12

$435.8 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14

machinery and equipment (including electronics and telecommunications), pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, refined petroleum products

Malaysia 12.3%, Hong Kong 10.9%, China 10.8%, Indonesia 10.6%, US 5.5%, Japan 4.6%, Australia 4.2%, South Korea 4% (2012)

$374.9 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14

machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs, consumer goods

Malaysia 10.6%, China 10.3%, US 10.2%, South Korea 6.8%, Japan 6.2%, Indonesia 5.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.5%, UAE 4.1% (2012)

$259.1 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12

$1.174 trillion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16

$741 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10

$416.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17

Singapore dollars (SGD) per US dollar -

44.41 billion kWh (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54

40.62 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133

10.25 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54

99.8% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198

0.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92

20,170 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183

1.137 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9

0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 185

1.357 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17

1.25 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19

1.14 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7

1.348 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190

8.778 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181

8.78 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33

0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 192

212.4 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28

1.99 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 58

8.063 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 92

general assessment: excellent service
domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless service in February 2005; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity more than 180 telephones per 100 persons; multiple providers of high-speed Internet connectivity and the government is close to completing an island-wide roll out of a high-speed fiber-optic broadband network
international: country code - 65; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations - 4; supplemented by VSAT coverage (2011)

state controls broadcast media; 8 domestic TV stations operated by MediaCorp which is wholly owned by a state investment company; broadcasts from Malaysian and Indonesian stations available; satellite dishes banned; multi-channel cable TV service available; a total of 18 domestic radio stations broadcasting with MediaCorp operating more than a dozen and another 4 stations are closely linked to the ruling party or controlled by the Singapore Armed Forces Reservists Association; many Malaysian and Indonesian radio stations are available

.sg

1.96 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 39

3.235 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 65

9 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 158

total: 9
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2013)

gas 122 km; refined products 8 km (2013)

total: 3,425 km
country comparison to the world: 163
paved: 3,425 km (includes 161 km of expressways) (2012)

total: 1,599
country comparison to the world: 6
by type: bulk carrier 247, cargo 109, carrier 6, chemical tanker 256, container 339, liquefied gas 131, petroleum tanker 436, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 5, vehicle carrier 57
foreign-owned: 966 (Australia 12, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 1, Bermuda 25, Brazil 9, Chile 6, China 29, Cyprus 6, Denmark 149, France 3, Germany 32, Greece 22, Hong Kong 46, India 21, Indonesia 60, Italy 5, Japan 164, Malaysia 27, Netherlands 1, Norway 153, Russia 2, South Africa 13, South Korea 3, Sweden 11, Switzerland 3, Taiwan 77, Thailand 33, UAE 10, UK 6, US 36)
registered in other countries: 344 (Australia 2, Bahamas 7, Bangladesh 7, Belize 4, Cambodia 3, Cyprus 1, France 3, Honduras 11, Hong Kong 13, Indonesia 46, Italy 1, Kiribati 9, Liberia 22, Malaysia 13, Maldives 4, Malta 4, Marshall Islands 30, Mongolia 3, North Korea 1, Panama 92, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 10, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Sierra Leone 9, Thailand 1, Tuvalu 19, US 16, Vanuatu 2, unknown 5) (2010)

major seaport(s): Singapore
major container port(s) (TEUs): Singapore

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense) (2013)

18-21 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 1/2 years of age for volunteers; 2-year conscript service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers) (2012)

males age 16-49: 1,255,902 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 1,018,839
females age 16-49: 1,087,134 (2010 est.)

male: 27,098
female: 25,368 (2010 est.)

3.52% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 44

disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works, bridge construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits; in 2008, ICJ awarded sovereignty of Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh/Horsburgh Island) to Singapore, and Middle Rocks to Malaysia, but did not rule on maritime regimes, boundaries, or disposition of South Ledge; Indonesia and Singapore continue to work on finalization of their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Indonesia's Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait