The Republic of Singapore, 2015
Population, July 2014: 5.57 million
Total Area: 697 square kilometers or 269 square miles or 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Location: Singapore Island and 57 other small islets are located off the southern coast of the Malayan peninsula, about 80 miles north of the equator
The People
Ethnic Breakdown, 2014: 74.2% Chinese, 13.3% Malay, 9.2% Indian, 3.3% Other
Languages: English almost universally spoken.
Four “official” languages: English, Chinese (Mandarin), Malay, Tamil
Religions: The majority of Chinese are Buddhists or atheists; almost all Malays are Muslims; minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Taoists, Confucianists
Life Expectancy, 2013: 79.7 men, 84.6 women
Birth Rate: 9.9/1000 population (one of the lowest in the world)
Infant Mortality: 2.59/1000; U.S. is 5.2/1000
The Government
Parliamentary Republic
President: Tony Tan
Prime Minister: Lee Hsien Loong since August 2014
Parliament Composition, 2011: PAP 81 members, Workers’ Party 6
Vote Breakdown, 2011: PAP 60.1%, WP 12.8%, Other 27.1%
Next election must be held by January 2017.
Key Dates:
1819 Founded by Thomas Stamford Raffles as British Colony
1942-45 Occupied by the Japanese
1959 Became a self-governing parliamentary republic within the British Commonwealth
1963-65 Becomes part of the Federation of Malaysia
1965 Secedes from the Federation of Malaysia and and becomes an independent nation on August 9, 1965
The Economy
Services: 80.1%, Manufacturing 18.6%, Agriculture 1.3%
Biggest industries, 2014: Electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, oil services, food services, petroleum refining, life sciences & biotech
Currency, April 25, 2015: Singapore dollar S$1.33=US $1
GDP Per Capita: $81,300, 7th in world; U.S. $54,800, 19th in world (CIA, 2014)
Gross National Savings Rate: 46.8%, 7th in world (CIA, 2014)
Sources
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Coclanis, UNC-Chapel Hill, for compiling this information.
CIA World Factbook, 2015; The Economist Pocket World in Figures 2015; IMF, World Economic Outlook Database, April 2014.