Singapore
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Singapore is a small island nation located at the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia and north of Indonesia.
Its major environmental issues include: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia.
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. 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.
Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia. It is a focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes.
Geographic Coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E
Area: 697 km2 ( 687 km2 land and 10 km2 water)
arable land: 1.47%
permanent crops: 1.47%
other: 97.06% (2005)
Land Boundaries: None
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime Claims: Territorial sea: 3 nautical miles. Eexclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice.
Natural Hazards: None
Terrain: Lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve. The highest point is Bukit Timah (166 m)
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
Ecology and Biodiversity
See Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests, Peninsular Malaysian rain forests, and South China Sea large marine ecosystem
Government
Government Type: Parliamentary republic
Capital: Singapore
Independence Date: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Legal System: Based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction
International Environmental Agreements
Singapore is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
People and Society
Population: 4,657,542 (July 2009 est.)
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 348,382/female 324,050)
15-64 years: 76.7% (male 1,737,972/female 1,833,415)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 184,393/female 229,330) (2009 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 0.998% (2009 est.)
Birthrate: 8.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death Rate: 4.66 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
Net Migration Rate: 5.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Urbanization: 100% of total population (2008)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 81.98 years (male: 79.37 years, female: 84.78 years) (2009 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 1.09 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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% (2000 census)
Literacy: 92.5% (male: 96.6%, female: 88.6%) (2000 census)
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 0.6 cu km (1975)
Freshwater Withdrawal: Total: 0.19 cu km/yr (45% domestic, 51% industrial, 4% agricultural). Per capita: 44 cu m/yr (1975)
Agriculture
Agricultural products: Orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs; fish, ornamental fish.
Irrigated Land: None
Resources
Natural Resources: Fish, deepwater ports.
Energy
See Energy profile of Singapore
Economy
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 service sector. Real GDP growth averaged 7% between 2004 and 2007, but dropped to 1.1% in 2008 as a result of the global financial crisis. The economy contracted in the last three quarters of 2008. Prime Minister Lee and other senior officials have dampened expectations for a quick rebound in 2009. Over the longer term, the government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to global demand cycles especially for information technology products. It 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.
GDP: (Purchasing Power Parity): $237.3 billion (2008 est.)
GDP: (Official Exchange Rate): $181.9 billion (2008 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 1.1% (2008 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $51,500 (2008 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 0%
industry: 27.8%
services: 72.2% (2008 est.)
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.
Currency: Singapore dollars (SGD)