Fast Facts

Country Name:
conventional long form:    Republic of Singapore
conventional short form:  Singapore

Capital: Singapore

Currency: Singapore dollar (Code: S$)

Geographic Coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E

Area:
– total: 692.7 sq km
– land: 682.7 sq km
– water: 10 sq km

Coastline: 193 km

Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve

Natural Resources: fish, deepwater ports

Land use:
– arable land: 1.47%
– permanent crops: 1.47%
– other: 97.06 % (2005)

Population: 4,839,400 (July 2008 est)

Nationality: Singaporean(s)

Ethnic groups:
Chinese 74.99%, Malay 13.69%, Indian 8.75 %, others 2.57% (2007 census)

Religions:
Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other .07%, none 14.8% (2000 census)

Languages:
Official languages:  English (for business and administration), Malay (national language), Mandarin, Tamil

Literacy:
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 92.5%
Male: 96.6%
Female: 88.6% (2000 census)

Government
Government Type: Parliamentary Republic

Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

National Holiday: 9 August (1965)

Constitution: 3 June 1959; amended 1965 (base on pre-independence State of Singapore Constitution

Legal System: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal and compulsory

Branches:
Executive: chief of state: President S R Nathan (September,1999)
Head of government: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (August 2004)
Cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament

Legislative: Unicameral 84 seats Parliament

Judicial: Supreme Court, Court of Appeals

Flag description: 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

Communication and Transportation
Telephone – main lines in use: 1.859 million (2007)

Telephone – mobile cellular: 5.619 million (2007)

Telephone country code: 65

Internet country code: .sg

Sources:
– www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/themes/people/hist/lifetable.html
– www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn.html