Singapore

Location

• Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
• focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes; consists of about 60 islands, the largest of which by far is Pulau Ujong; land reclamation has removed many former islands and created a number of new ones

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Singapore	5,638,700	Capital
Ulu Bedok	276,990
Bedok New Town	276,990
Tampines Estate	265,340
Jurong Town	262,730
Tampines New Town	259,900
Jurong West	257,470
Woodlands	255,180
Sengkang New Town	244,600
Hougang New Town	227,560

Size

• 267 square miles
• 693 square kilometers
• slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

History

A Malay trading port known as Temasek existed on the island of Singapore by the 14th century. The settlement changed hands several times in the ensuing centuries and was eventually burned in the 17th century, falling into obscurity. In 1819, the British founded modern Singapore as a trading colony on the same site and granted it full internal self-government for all matters except defense and foreign affairs in 1959.  Singapore joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but was ousted two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links and per capita GDP among the highest globally. The People’s Action Party has won every general election in Singapore since the end of the British colonial era, aided by its success in delivering consistent economic growth, as well as the city-state's fragmented opposition and electoral procedures that strongly favor the ruling party.

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

Terrain

lowlying, gently undulating central plateau

Languages

English (official) 48.3%, Mandarin (official) 29.9%, other Chinese dialects (includes Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka) 8.7%, Malay (official) 9.2%, Tamil (official) 2.5%, other 1.4% (2020 est.)major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)世界概況  –  不可缺少的基本消息來源 (Mandarin)note: data represent language most frequently spoken at home

Religions

Buddhist 31.1%, Christian 18.9%, Muslim 15.6%, Taoist 8.8%, Hindu 5%, other 0.6%, none 20% (2020 est.)

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest adopted 22 December 1965amendment process: proposed by Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote in the second and third readings by the elected Parliament membership and assent of the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting sovereignty or control of the Police Force or the Armed Forces requires at least two-thirds majority vote in a referendum
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal and compulsory
• Legal System: English common law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President THARMAN Shanmugaratnam (since 14 September 2023)head of government: Prime Minister Lawrence WONG (since 15 May 2024)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister; responsible to Parliamentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 6-year term (no term limits); following legislative elections, the president appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister; deputy prime ministers also appointed by the presidentmost recent election date: 1 September 2023election results: 2023: THARMAN Shanmugaratnam elected president; percent of vote - THARMAN Shanmugaratnam (independent) 70.4%, NG Kok Song (independent) 15.7%, TAN Kin Lian (independent) 13.9%2017: HALIMAH Yacob declared president on 13 September 2017, being the only eligible candidateexpected date of next election: 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (number of judges varies but includes judicial commissioners, judges of appeal, and international judges); the court is organized into an upper-tier Appeal Court and a lower-tier High Courtjudge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president from candidates recommended by the prime minister after consultation with the chief justice; judges usually serve until retirement at age 65, but terms can be extendedsubordinate courts: district, magistrates', juvenile, family, community, and coroners' courts; small claims tribunals; employment claims tribunals
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliamentlegislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 108 (97 directly elected; 9 appointed)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 5/3/2025percentage of women in chamber: 32.3%expected date of next election: May 2030

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, service-based economy; global financial hub; business-friendly policies and open to investment and trade; inflation easing but persistent in services; public investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure; strong human capital development challenged by aging population
• Budget: revenues: $80.836 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $73.144 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: fish, deepwater ports
• Industries: electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, biomedical products, scientific instruments, telecommunication equipment, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, entrepot trade
• Agricultural Products: chicken, eggs, vegetables, pork, duck, spinach, lettuce, pork offal, cabbages, pork fat (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 0.9% (2022 est.)arable land: 0.8% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)forest: 21.2% (2022 est.)other: 77.9% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: integrated circuits, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, gold, gas turbines (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 15%, Malaysia 11%, Taiwan 11%, USA 10%, S. Korea 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: integrated circuits, refined petroleum, machinery, vaccines, gold (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Hong Kong 13%, China 11%, USA 10%, Malaysia 9%, S. Korea 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports