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| Singapore | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
Except for rodents, comparatively few varieties of mammals are found in the islands. The most valuable are the domesticated water buffalo called the carabao, several species of deer, wild and domesticated pigs, the mongoose, and a mixture of humped cattle. Reptiles are numerous, and the islands contain 556 species of birds, including colorful parrots. Coastal waters teem with marine fauna, particularly mollusks, for which the Philippines are famous. Pearl oysters are extensive around the Sulu Archipelago, in the extreme southwest, and Sulu pearls are famous.
| Singapore | Communications | Back to Top |
major consideration given to serving business interests; excellent international service
domestic: excellent domestic facilities
international: submarine cables to Malaysia (Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)
| Singapore | Culture | Back to Top |
Mirror glass bank towers overshadowing Victorian-era government buildings symbolized Singapore's transformation from a colonial port to an independent city-state with the highest standard of living in Southeast Asia in 1989. Singapore's status as a newly industrializing economy was signaled by its landscaped complexes of owner-occupied apartments and streets blocked by the private cars of affluent citizens. Singapore in the 1980s had become a byword for orderliness and effective administration, a place where stiff fines discouraged littering and citizens of all ethnic groups were subject to common, impartial standards of merit and achievement. Government efforts at social engineering extended beyond slum clearance and the creation of housing estates to such matters as men's hair length, the language families spoke at breakfast, and the number of children born to women with university degrees.
The content of the typical "Singaporean identity" and the proper balance between cosmopolitan and orthodox values were issues that both preoccupied the leadership and would continue to shape the society in the 1990s. There was much public discussion of social identity, ethnicity, and the proper relation of Singaporeans to worldwide popular culture. Such discussion, often initiated by political leaders, tended to dichotomize habits and behavior into mutually exclusive "Asian" or "Western" categories. The initial premise was that Singapore should be a modernized but not a Westernized society, and that it would be a mistake for Singaporeans to become so thoroughly Westernized and cosmopolitan as to lose touch with their Asian roots and values. Such concepts as tradition and modernity, local and cosmopolitan, had a typically Singaporean meaning as was suggested by the widespread use of such terms as "Asian traditions" and "cultural ballast." The meaning of these concepts, remained to be defined more precisely by the discussions and day-to-day decisions of Singapore's citizens.
| Singapore | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,316,815 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 959,636 (2001 est.)
| Singapore | International Disputes | Back to Top |
Pedra Branca Island (Pulau Batu Putih) disputed with Malaysia
| Singapore | Economy | Back to Top |
Because of its phenomenal economic growth since freedom in 1965 and the continued robustness of its economy, Singapore is often referred to by economists as one of Asia’s “Four Tigers,” along with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan. In 1999 the gross domestic product (GDP) was around at U.S.$85 billion, or $21,810 per capita, among the highest per capita GDPs in the world. The economy centers around services, notably financial and business services.
Singapore, one of the great trading entrepôts of the British empire, has experienced remarkable economic growth and diversification since 1960. In addition to enhancing its position as a world trade centre, it has developed powerful financial and industrial sectors. Singapore has the most advanced economy in Southeast Asia and is often mentioned along with other rapidly industrializing countries in Asia, notably South Korea and Taiwan. Singapore's economy always has differed from those of the other Southeast Asian countries in that it never has been primarily dependent on the production and export of commodities.
Singapore is blessed with a highly developed and successful free-market economy, a remarkably open and corruption-free business environment, stable prices, and the fifth highest per capita GDP in the world. Exports, particularly in electronics and chemicals, and services are the main drivers of the economy. Mainly because of robust exports, particularly electronic goods, the economy grew 10.1% in 2000. Forecasters, are projecting only 4%-6% growth in 2001 largely because of weaker global demand, particularly in the US. The government promotes high levels of savings and investment through a mandatory savings scheme and spends heavily in education and technology. It also owns government-linked companies (GLCs) - particularly in manufacturing - that operate as commercial entities. As Singapore looks to a future increasingly marked by globalization, the nation is positioning itself as the region's financial and high-tech hub.
| Singapore | Education | Back to Top |
The government often referred to Singapore's population as its only natural resource and described education in the vocabulary of resource development. The goal of the education system was to develop the talents of every individual so that each could contribute to the economy and to the ongoing fight to make Singapore productive and competitive in the international marketplace. The result was an education system that stressed the assessment, tracking, and sorting of students into appropriate programs. Educators forthrightly described some students and some categories of students as better "material" and of more value to the nation than others. In the 1960s and 1970s the education system, burdened with large numbers of children resulting from the high birth rates of the previous decades and reflecting the customary practices of the British colonial time, produced a small number of highly trained university graduates and a much larger number of young people who had been selected out of the education systems following secondary schooling by the rigorous application of standards. The latter entered the work force with no particular skills. During the 1980s, more resources were put into vocational education and efforts were made to match the "products" of the school system with the manpower needs of industry and commerce. The combination of a school system emphasizing testing and tracking with the popular perception of education as the key to social mobility and to the source of the certifications needed for desirable jobs led to high levels of competition, parental pressure for achievement, and public attention and concern.
Although education is not compulsory in Singapore, primary school is free for 6 years, and attendance is nearly universal. Some 73% of children also attend secondary school. Since 1987 English has been the language of instruction, but a policy of bilingualism requires that children also be taught Chinese, Malay, or Tamil. Institutions of higher education include the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. Of Singaporeans aged 15 and older, 100% can read and write.
| Singapore | Government | Back to Top |
Government: Parliamentary system with written constitution. Unicameral parliament of eighty-one members (in 1989) elected by universal vote. President largely ceremonial head of state; government run by prime minister and cabinet representing majority of parliament. British-determined judiciary; Supreme Court separated into High Court, Court of Appeal, and Court of Criminal Appeal. Subordinate courts include district courts and magistrate's courts.
Politics: Nineteen registered political parties in mid1980s , but People's Action Party (PAP) won every general election from 1959 to 1988, usually holding every seat in parliament. Opposition parties separated and weak. Lee Kuan Yew prime minister from 1959 through 1989, providing unusual continuity in leadership and policy. PAP policies stressed economic development, government management of economy and society, firm government with little tolerance for dissent.
Administrative Divisions: Unitary state with no secondorder administrative divisions. Some advisory bodies based on fifty-five parliamentary electoral districts.
Foreign Relations: Primary goals of maintaining sovereignty, stability in Southeast Asia, and free international trade. Member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, Nonaligned Movement, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations.
Media: Seven newspapers, five radio stations, and three television channels publishing and broadcasting in four official languages. Government operates radio and television and supervises newspapers.
| Singapore | History | Back to Top |
Favorably located at the southern end of the Strait of Malacca, the shortest sea route between China and India, the island of Singapore was known to mariners as early as the third century A.D. By the seventh century, the Srivijaya Empire, the first in a succession of maritime states to arise in the region of the Malay Archipelago, linked numerous ports and cities along the coasts of Sumatra, Java, and the Malay Peninsula. Singapore likely was one of many outposts of Srivijaya, serving as an entrepôt and supply point for Chinese, Thai, Javanese, Malay, Indian, and Arab traders. An early chronicle refers to the island as Temasek and recounts the founding there, in 1299, of the city of Singapura -"lion city". In the following three centuries, Singapura came under the sway of successive Southeast Asian powers, including the empires of Srivijaya, Majapahit, and Ayutthaya and the Malacca and Johore sultanates. In 1613 the Portuguese, the newest power in the region, burned down a trading post at the mouth of the Singapore River, and the curtain came down on the tiny island for two centuries.
Singaporeans and their leaders immediately accepted the challenge of forging a viable nation on a tiny island with few resources other than the determination and talent of its people. The leaders sought to establish a unique "Singaporean identity" and to strengthen economic and political ties with Malaysia, Indonesia, and the other countries of the region. The government also began to reorient the economy toward more high-technology industries that would enhance the skills of the labor force and attract increased foreign investment. By the 1970s, Singapore was among the world leaders in shipping, air transport, and oil refining. By the mid1980s , the first generation of leaders under Lee Kuan Yew had successfully guided the nation for more than two decades, and a new generation was beginning to take charge.
| Singapore | Introduction | Back to Top |
Singapore, Republic of, independent city-state in South East Asia, comprising one major island and 59 small adjacent islets, located off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Singapore Island, the major island, is separated from Malaysia to the north by the narrow Johor Strait. On the south, it is separated from the Riau archipelago of Indonesia by Singapore Strait, an valuable shipping channel linking the Indian Ocean to the west with the South China Sea on the east. The city of Singapore is at the south-eastern end of the island; it is one of the most valuable port cities and commercial centres of South East Asia. The total area of the republic is 640 sq km (247 sq mi).
Official Name - Republic of Singapore| Singapore | Land | Back to Top |
In line with its goal of providing fast, convenient, and affordable transport for its population and visitors and a transportation infrastructure that supported its economic position, the government gave top priority to investments in public transport and the highway system. Beginning in the early 1970s, Singapore engaged in a systematic program of road building that led to the development of a network that was considered to be one of the best among developing countries. By late 1988, Singapore had 2,789 kilometers of roads occupying some 11 % of the nation's land area. In the previous decade, the government had spent some S$1.9 billion on building and maintaining roads.
Overland connections to the Malay Peninsula, across the causeway spanning the Johore Strait, included a highway and a Malaysian-owned railroad. These, in turn, were connected with the Thai railroad system.
| Singapore | Languages | Back to Top |
Chinese is the primary language spoken in the majority of homes. English is the language of administration and business and it is widely spoken as a second language.
| Singapore | Legal | Back to Top |
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction vote: 21 years of age; universal and compulsory administrator branch: chief of state: President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Chok Tong GOH (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers Brig. Gen (Res.) Hsien Loong LEE (since 28 November 1990) and Keng Yam Tony TAN (since 1 August 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 28 August 1999 (next to be held NA August 2005); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN elected president unopposed Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 2 January 1997 (next to be held by 26 August 2002) election results: % of vote by party - PAP 65% (in contested constituencies), other 35%; seats by party - PAP 81, WP 1, SPP 1; note - consequent to the election, there was a change in the distribution of seats, the new distribution is as follows: PAP 80, WP 1, SPP 1, vacant 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals
| Singapore | Life | Back to Top |
Almost all Singaporeans lived in small nuclear families. Although both Chinese and Indian traditions favored large extended families, such families were always rare in immigrant Singapore where neither the occupational structure, based on wage labor, or the housing pattern, characterized by small, rented quarters, favored such family forms. In the 1980s, families were valuable in that most individuals as a matter of course lived with their parents until marriage and after marriage maintained a high level of interaction with parents, brothers, and sisters. likely the most common leisure activity in Singapore was the Sunday visit to the grandparents for a meal and relaxed conversation with brothers, sisters, in-laws, uncles and aunts, cousins, and other assorted kin. Although the age of marriage increased in the 1970s and 1980s, reaching a mean 28.5 years for grooms and 25.8 years for brides in 1987, Singapore remained a society in which it was assumed that everyone would marry, and marriage was a normal aspect of fully adult status.
Divorce rates in Singapore were low. Interethnic marriages were somewhat more likely to end in divorce than were marriages within an ethnic group. During the 1980s the divorce rate for Malays fell, while it rose for the other ethnic groups. In 1987 there were 23,404 marriages in Singapore, and 2,708 divorces, or 115 divorces for every 1,000 marriages. The figures included 4,465 marriages under the Muslim Law Act, which regulated the marriage, divorce, and inheritance of Muslims, and 796 divorces under the same act, for a Muslim divorce rate of 178 divorces for every 1,000 marriages. Marriages under the Women's Charter -which regulated the marriage and divorce of non-Muslims totaled 18,939, and divorces under that law were 1,912, for a non-Muslim divorce rate of 100 per 1,000 marriages. The differential rates of divorce for ethnic groups may have suggested greater differences than were in fact the case. Situations that for Malay families resulted in prompt, legal divorce were sometimes tolerated or handled informally by Chinese or Indian families for whom the social stigma of divorce was greater and the barriers to legal separation higher. For all ethnic groups, the most common source of marital breakdown was the inability or unwillingness of the husband to contribute to maintaining the household. This sometimes led to desertion, which was the most common ground for divorce.
| Singapore | organization | Back to Top |
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, Australia Group (observer), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
| Singapore | People | Back to Top |
Singapore had a population of 2,674,362 in July 1989 and the low birth and death rates common to developed economies with high per capita incomes. In 1987 the crude birth rate was 17 per 1,000 and the death rate was 5 per 1,000 for an annual increase of 12 per 1,000. The infant mortality rate of 9.1 per 1,000 in 1986 was quite low by international standards and contributed to a 1987 life expectancy at birth of 71.4 years for males and 76.3 years for females. As in most developed countries, the major causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and strokes. As of 1986, 74% of married women of childbearing age practiced contraception, and the total fertility rate was 1.6, which was below the replacement level but comparable to that of many countries in Western Europe.
The population of Singapore is various, the result of considerable past immigration. Chinese predominate, making up more than three-fourths of the total. Malays are the next largest ethnic group, and Indians the third. None of these three major communities is homogeneous. Among the Chinese, more than two-fifths originate from Fukien province and speak the Amoy dialect, about one-fourth are Teochew from the city of Swatow in Kwangtung province, and a smaller number are from other parts of Kwangtung. The Chinese community as a whole, therefore, speaks mutually incomprehensible dialects. Linguistic differences are less pronounced among the Malays, but the group includes Indonesians speaking Javanese, Boyanese, and other dialects. The Indian group is most various, consisting of Tamils ,Malayalis, and Sikhs; it also includes Pakistani and Sinhalese communities.
| Singapore | Politics | Back to Top |
People's Action Party or PAP [Chok Tong GOH, secretary general] - the governing party; Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See Tong]; Workers' Party or WP [J. B. JEYARETNAM]
| Singapore | Provinces | Back to Top |
N/A
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| Singapore | Time | Back to Top |
| Angola | Currency and General Information | Back to Top |
| Countries Currency Unit | SGD/Unit | Units/SGD | |
| DZD | Algeria Dinars | 0.0237970 | 42.0220 |
| USD | United States Dollars | 1.84220 | 0.542829 |
| ARS | Argentina Pesos | 0.625535 | 1.59863 |
| AUD | Australia Dollars | 0.982841 | 1.01746 |
| ATS | Austria Schillings ** | 0.116609 | 8.57567 |
| BSD | Bahamas Dollars | 1.84220 | 0.542829 |
| BBD | Barbados Dollars | 0.925729 | 1.08023 |
| BEF | Belgium Francs ** | 0.0397764 | 25.1405 |
| BMD | Bermuda Dollars | 1.84220 | 0.542829 |
| BRL | Brazil Reals | 0.792344 | 1.26208 |
| GBP | United Kingdom Pounds | 2.62672 | 0.380702 |
| BGL | Bulgaria Leva | 0.824003 | 1.21359 |
| CAD | Canada Dollars | 1.15487 | 0.865901 |
| CLP | Chile Pesos | 0.00280631 | 356.340 |
| CNY | China Yuan Renminbi | 0.222558 | 4.49321 |
| CYP | Cyprus Pounds | 2.80396 | 0.356639 |
| CZK | Czech Republic Koruny | 0.0519677 | 19.2427 |
| DKK | Denmark Kroner | 0.215991 | 4.62982 |
| XCD | East Caribbean Dollars | 0.682297 | 1.46564 |
| EGP | Egypt Pounds | 0.397669 | 2.51466 |
| EUR | Euro | 1.60458 | 0.623218 |
| FJD | Fiji Dollars | 0.824251 | 1.21322 |
| FIM | Finland Markkaa ** | 0.269870 | 3.70549 |
| FRF | France Francs ** | 0.244616 | 4.08804 |
| DEM | Germany Deutsche Marks ** | 0.820406 | 1.21891 |
| XAU | Gold Ounces | 556.797 | 0.00179599 |
| GRD | Greece Drachmae ** | 0.00470895 | 212.362 |
| HKD | Hong Kong Dollars | 0.236192 | 4.23385 |
| HUF | Hungary Forint | 0.00659872 | 151.545 |
| ISK | Iceland Kronur | 0.0184232 | 54.2795 |
| INR | India Rupees | 0.0377470 | 26.4922 |
| IDR | Indonesia Rupiahs | 0.000187512 | 5,332.98 |
| IEP | Ireland Pounds ** | 2.03739 | 0.490824 |
| ILS | Israel New Shekels | 0.388409 | 2.57461 |
| ITL | Italy Lire ** | 0.000828694 | 1,206.72 |
| JMD | Jamaica Dollars | 0.0386936 | 25.8441 |
| JPY | Japan Yen | 0.0138877 | 72.0063 |
| JOD | Jordan Dinars | 2.59831 | 0.384866 |
| LBP | Lebanon Pounds | 0.00121678 | 821.843 |
| LUF | Luxembourg Francs ** | 0.0397764 | 25.1405 |
| MYR | Malaysia Ringgits | 0.484917 | 2.06221 |
| MXN | Mexico Pesos | 0.204454 | 4.89107 |
| NZD | New Zealand Dollars | 0.811459 | 1.23235 |
| NOK | Norway Kroner | 0.208072 | 4.80602 |
| NLG | Netherlands Guilders ** | 0.728124 | 1.37339 |
| PKR | Pakistan Rupees | 0.0306778 | 32.5969 |
| PHP | Philippines Pesos | 0.0361074 | 27.6951 |
| XPT | Platinum Ounces | 956.061 | 0.00104596 |
| PLN | Poland Zlotych | 0.448032 | 2.23198 |
| PTE | Portugal Escudos ** | 0.00800359 | 124.944 |
| ROL | Romania Lei | 0.0000559344 | 17,878.07 |
| RUR | Russia Rubles | 0.0591967 | 16.8928 |
| SAR | Saudi Arabia Riyals | 0.491246 | 2.03564 |
| XAG | Silver Ounces | 8.52910 | 0.117246 |
| SGD | Singapore Dollars | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| SKK | Slovakia Koruny | 0.0384191 | 26.0287 |
| ZAR | South Africa Rand | 0.162198 | 6.16532 |
| KRW | South Korea Won | 0.00139476 | 716.971 |
| ESP | Spain Pesetas ** | 0.00964369 | 103.695 |
| XDR | IMF Special Drawing Rights | 2.29689 | 0.435372 |
| SDD | Sudan Dinars | 0.00708539 | 141.136 |
| SEK | Sweden Kronor | 0.177803 | 5.62421 |
| CHF | Switzerland Francs | 1.09572 | 0.912640 |
| TWD | Taiwan New Dollars | 0.0527096 | 18.9719 |
| THB | Thailand Baht | 0.0422991 | 23.6411 |
| TTD | Trinidad and Tobago Dollars | 0.301013 | 3.32211 |
| TRL | Turkey Liras | 0.00000137059 | 729,615.22 |
| VEB | Venezuela Bolivares | 0.00200067 | 499.832 |
| ZMK | Zambia Kwacha | 0.000412125 | 2,426.45 |
| Singapore : Geographic coordinates | 1 22 N, 103 48 E |
| Singapore : Population growth rate | 3.5% |
| Singapore : Birth rate | 12.8 births/1,000 population |
| Singapore : Death rate | 4.24 deaths/1,000 population |
| Singapore : People living with HIV/AIDS | 4,000 |
| Singapore : Independence | 9 August 1965 |
| Singapore : National holiday | Independence Day, 9 August |
| Singapore : Constitution | 3 June 1959 |
| Singapore : GDP | purchasing power parity - $109.8 billion |
| Singapore : GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $26,500 |
| Singapore : Electricity - consumption | 25.464 billion kWh |
| Singapore : Exports | $137 billion machinery and equipment (including electronics), chemicals, mineral fuels |
| Singapore : Imports | $127 billion machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs |
| Singapore : Telephones | 1.928 million |
| Singapore : Mobile cellular | 2.333 million |
| Singapore : Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 16, shortwave 2 |
| Singapore : Radios | 2.6 million |
| Singapore : Television broadcast stations | 6 |
| Singapore : Televisions | 1.33 million |
| Singapore : Internet country code | .sg |
| Singapore : Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 9 |
| Singapore : Internet users | 1.74 million |
| Singapore : Railways | 38.6 km |
| Singapore : Highways | 3,150 km |
| Singapore : Waterways | N/A |
| Singapore : Pipelines | N/A |
| Singapore : Ports and harbors | Singapore |
| Singapore : Merchant marine | 879 ships |
| Singapore : Airports | 9 |
| Singapore : Heliports | N/A |
| Singapore : Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police Force |
| Singapore : Military expenditures | $5 billion |