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Background: 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.
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Common Name: Singapore
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Local Official Name: Singapura
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Abbreviated Name: Republic of Singapore
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Official Name: Republic of Singapura
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Official Script Name: Singapore
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Local Common Name: S'pore
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Former Name: NA
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Territory of: none
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Head of State: President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN
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Government Type: parliamentary republic
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Independence: 1965 August 09 (from Malaysia)
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Constitution: 1959 June 03, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution)
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 9 August (1965)
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International Organization Participation: APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: None
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Dependent Areas: None
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Legal System: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 21 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive branch:
chief of state: President S. R. NATHAN (since 1 September 1999)
note: uses S. R. NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Shunmugan JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Minister WONG Kan Seng (since 1 September 2005); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004); Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004)
cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; last appointed 17 August 2005 - see note (next election to be held by August 2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
election results: Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN appointed president in August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine nominated members; the losing opposition candidate who came closest to winning a seat may be appointed as a "nonconstituency" member
elections: last held 6 May 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%, SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 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
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Party Leaders: People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; Singapore Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong]; Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia Lim Swee LIAN]
note: SDA includes National Solidarity Party or NSP, Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP
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International Disputes: disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works, bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait
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Illicit Drugs: as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for money laundering
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Location of Singapore: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
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Continent: Asia
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Land Area Total: 692 sq km
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Region: South East Asia |
Land Area Land: 10 sq km
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Capitol City: Singapore (Xinjiapo)
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Land Area Water: 682 sq km
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Latitude: 001 22 N
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Border Boundary Land: 0 km
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Longitude: 103 48 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 193 km
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Arable Land: 1.47 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 1.47 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 5.00
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Highest Elevation: 166 m
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Location: Bukit Timah
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Singapore Strait
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Largest City in Singapore: Singapore
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Singapore Largest City Population: 3,522,000
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Threatened Species: 80
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Environmental Issues: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 0
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Bordering Countries: None
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Natural Resources: fish, deepwater ports
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Geographical Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
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Comparative Area of Singapore: slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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Singapore's Geography: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
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General Climate: 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
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Natural Hazards: NA
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Economic Overview: Singapore, a highly-developed and successful free-market economy, enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the four largest West European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing. It was hard hit in 2001-03 by the global recession, by the slump in the technology sector, and by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which curbed tourism and consumer spending. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal stimulus, low interest rates, a surge in exports, and internal flexibility led to vigorous growth in 2004, with real GDP rising by 8% - by far the economy's best performance since but growth slowed to 5.7% in 2005.
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GDP: $124,300,000,000 USD
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Currency: Singapore Dollar
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GDP per Capita: $28,100 USD
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Currency Code: SGD
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GDP Growth Rate: 6.40 %
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 0.00 %
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GDP of Industry: 33.90 %
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GDP of Services: 66.10 % |
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Inflation Rate: 0.40 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 3.10 %
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Tourism: 6,258,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $18,670,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $18,210,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 36,800,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 33,200,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 100.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 8,290 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 800,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 5,320,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 2,500,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $23,760,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $0 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs; fish, ornamental fish
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Primary Industries: 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
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Industrial Growth Rate: 9.50 %
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Import Amount in USD: $118,300,000,000 USD - machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs
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Import Partners: Malaysia 14.4%, US 12.4%, China 10.8%, Japan 10.1%, Indonesia 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, South Korea 4.5%
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Export Amount in USD: $204,800,000,000 USD - machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels
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Export Partners: Malaysia 14.7%, US 11.5%, Indonesia 10.7%, Hong Kong 10.4%, China 9.5%, Japan 6%, Thailand 4.5%, Australia 4.1%
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GINI Index: 42.50%
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Labor Force Number of People: 2,280,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%, financial, business, and other services 39%, other 26%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 19 |
Number of People with Radios: 2,600,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 1 |
Number of People with Televisions: 1,330,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 1,847,800 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 4,256,800 |
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Internet Service Providers: 679,369 |
Internet Users: 2,421,800 |
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Internet Country Code: .sg |
Newspapers: 324 |
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Two Letter Country Code: SN |
Weights and Measures: Imperial and Metric |
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Phone Country Code: 65 |
Electricity Voltage: 240 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: General assessment: excellent service
Domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless service in February 2005
International: country code - 65; 9 submarine cables provide direct connection to more than 100 countries; 4 satellite earth stations, supplemented by VSAT coverage
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Highways: 3,234 km |
Railways: 38 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 139 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 9 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 155 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 80,276,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 23.40 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 1,063 ships (1000 GRT or over) 31,033,735 GRT/49,715,650 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 155, cargo 87, chemical tanker 136, container 214, liquefied gas 53, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 353, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 40
foreign-owned: 592 (Australia 7, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 12, China 23, Denmark 52, Germany 9, Greece 9, Hong Kong 50, India 5, Indonesia 56, Italy 2, Japan 100, South Korea 17, Malaysia 35, Netherlands 2, Norway 90, Philippines 5, Slovenia 1, Sweden 12, Taiwan 59, Thailand 22, UAE 7, UK 9, US 7)
registered in other countries: 285 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 12, Belize 6, Bolivia 3, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 10, Cyprus 1, Dominica 9, France 2, Honduras 11, Hong Kong 24, Indonesia 17, Isle of Man 7, North Korea 1, Liberia 28, Malaysia 44, Marshall Islands 6, Mongolia 10, Nigeria 1, Panama 67, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Thailand 6, Tuvalu 6, US 2, unknown 2)
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Ports and Harbors: Singapore
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Population: 4,492,150 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 9.34 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 6,882.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 4.28 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 1.42% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.23 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 362,329 |
Population Female 0-14: 337,964 |
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Population Male 15-64: 1,666,709 |
Population Female 15-64: 1,750,736 |
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Population Male 65+: 165,823 |
Population Female 65+: 208,589 |
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Population 0-14: 15.60% |
Literacy Rate: 92.50% |
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Population 15-64: 76.10% |
Literacy rate of Males: 96.60% |
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Population 65+: 8.30% |
Literacy rate of Females: 88.60% |
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Population that is Male: 48.00
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Population that is Female: 52.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 81.71 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 2.29 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 79.31 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 84.49 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.20%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 4,100
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 9.12
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Nationality: SINGAPOREAN
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Ethnic Groups: Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4%
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Primary Language: English
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Other Languages: 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%
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Primary Religion: Buddhist
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Other Religions: Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8%
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Branches: Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 1,215,568 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 982,368 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $4,470,000,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 4.90
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Singapore Spa and Resort Directory
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Singapore Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Singapore Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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