Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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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. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is 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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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
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Geographic coordinates:
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1 22 N, 103 48 E
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia
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Area:
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total: 692.7 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km
water: 10 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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193 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice
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Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon from December to March and Southwestern monsoon from June to September; inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms
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Terrain:
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lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
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Natural resources:
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fish, deepwater ports
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Land use:
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arable land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 98.36% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - current issues:
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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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Environment - international agreements:
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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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Geography - note:
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focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
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Population:
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4,353,893 (July 2004 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 16.5% (male 370,660; female 345,713)
15-64 years: 75.8% (male 1,611,502; female 1,687,048)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 149,452; female 189,518) (2004 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 36.2 years
male: 35.9 years
female: 36.6 years (2004 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.71% (2004 est.)
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Birth rate:
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9.63 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Death rate:
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4.05 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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11.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 2.28 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 2.49 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 81.53 years
male: 78.96 years
female: 84.29 years (2004 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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4,100 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 200 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore
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Ethnic groups:
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Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4%
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Religions:
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Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
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Languages:
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Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 96.6%
female: 88.6% (2002)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore
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Government type:
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parliamentary republic
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Capital:
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Singapore
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Administrative divisions:
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none
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Independence:
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9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 9 August (1965)
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Constitution:
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3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution)
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Legal system:
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based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; universal and compulsory
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN (since 1 September 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004); Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Ministers Shunmugan JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004) and Tony TAN Keng Yam (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 by 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
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Legislative branch:
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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 3 November 2001 (next to be held not later than 25 June 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 75.3% (in contested constituencies), other 24.7%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SPP 1
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Judicial branch:
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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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Political parties and leaders:
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governing party: People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; opposition parties: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [LING How Dong]; National Solidarity Party or NSP [vacant] (SDA group); Singapore Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong] (includes SPP, PKMS, NSP, SJP); Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Singapore Justice Party or SJP [Desmond LIM] (SDA group); Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS [Muhammad ALI Aman] (SDA group); Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See Tong] (SDA group); Workers' Party or WP [LOW Thia Kiang]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee
chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100
FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876
consulate(s) general: San Francisco
consulate(s): New York
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Franklin L. LAVIN
embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508
mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001
telephone: [65] 6476-9100
FAX: [65] 6476-9340
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Singapore, a highly developed and successful free market economy, enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a high per capita GDP. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing. It was hard hit in 2001-03 by the global recession and the slump in the technology sector. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle but is unlikely to abandon efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal stimulus, low interest rates, and global economic recovery should lead to much improved growth in 2004.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $109.4 billion (2003 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.1% (2003 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $23,700 (2003 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: negligible
industry: 32.2%
services: 67.8% (2003 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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24.9% of GDP (2003)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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0.5% (2003 est.)
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Labor force:
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2.2 million (2003)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%, financial, business, and other services 49%, other 16% (2003)
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Unemployment rate:
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4.8% (2003 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $14.15 billion
expenditures: $15.61 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.6 billion (2003 est.)
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Public debt:
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106.4% of GDP (2003)
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Agriculture - products:
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rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables, poultry, eggs, fish, ornamental fish
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Industries:
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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 production growth rate:
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2.8% (2003 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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30.48 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - consumption:
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28.35 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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700,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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2.5 billion cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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2.5 billion cu m
: Note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2001 est.)
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Current account balance:
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$26.15 billion (2003)
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Exports:
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$142.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels
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Exports - partners:
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Malaysia 15.8%, US 14.3%, Hong Kong 10%, China 7%, Japan 6.7%, Taiwan 4.7%, Thailand 4.3%, South Korea 4.2% (2003)
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Imports:
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$121.6 billion (2003 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs
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Imports - partners:
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Malaysia 16.8%, US 14.1%, Japan 12%, China 8.7%, Taiwan 5.1%, Thailand 4.3% (2003)
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$95.75 billion (2003)
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Debt - external:
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$15.06 billion (2003 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA
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Currency:
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Singapore dollar (SGD)
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Currency code:
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SGD
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Exchange rates:
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Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001), 1.724 (2000), 1.695 (1999)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1,896,100 (2004)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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3,521,800 (2004)
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: excellent service
domestic: excellent domestic facilities
international: country code - 65; 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)
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2 (2003)
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Television broadcast stations:
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7 (2003)
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Internet country code:
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.sg
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Internet hosts:
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484,825 (2003)
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Internet users:
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2.31 million (2002)
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Highways:
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total: 3,066 km
paved: 3,066 km (including 150 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
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Pipelines:
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gas 139 km (2004)
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Ports and harbors:
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Singapore
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Merchant marine:
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total: 900 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 23,065,290 GRT/36,393,317 DWT
by type: bulk 136, cargo 84, chemical tanker 96, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 8, container 186, liquefied gas 41, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large load carrier 2, petroleum tanker 290, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 5, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 32
foreign-owned: Australia 6, China 15, Denmark 32, Germany 18, Greece 12, Hong Kong 31, India 3, Indonesia 33, Japan 58, South Korea 13, Malaysia 31, Monaco 19, Norway 53, Papua New Guinea 1, Philippines 9, Russia 2, Slovenia 1, Sweden 12, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 44, Tanzania 1, Thailand 16, United Kingdom 15, United States 1
registered in other countries: 383 (2003 est.)
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Airports:
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9 (2003 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 10
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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This page was last updated on 27 January, 2005
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