Singapore (2001) | Antigua and Barbuda (2007) | |
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Administrative divisions | none | 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
17.89% (male 397,124; female 372,058) 15-64 years: 75.16% (male 1,575,381; female 1,656,838) 65 years and over: 6.95% (male 130,815; female 168,203) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 27.3% (male 9,647/female 9,306)
15-64 years: 69% (male 24,137/female 23,801) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 965/female 1,625) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs, fish, ornamental fish | cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock |
Airports | 9 (2000 est.) | 3 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
9 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total:
647.5 sq km land: 637.5 sq km water: 10 sq km |
total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
land: 442.6 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963, but withdrew 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 one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe. | The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. |
Birth rate | 12.8 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 16.62 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$18.1 billion expenditures: $17.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $9.5 billion (FY99/00 est.) |
revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | Singapore | name: Saint John's
geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | 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 | tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 193 km | 153 km |
Constitution | 3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution) | 1 November 1981 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda |
Currency | Singapore dollar (SGD) | - |
Death rate | 4.24 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5.31 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $9.7 billion (2000) | $427.3 million; note - data are for public external debt, not total external debt (2000) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: PSC Box 470, FPO AP 96534-0001 telephone: [65] 476-9100 FAX: [65] 476-9340 |
the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda |
Diplomatic representation in the US | 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: Los Angeles, San Francisco consulate(s): New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122 FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami |
Disputes - international | Pedra Branca Island (Pulau Batu Putih) disputed with Malaysia | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $7.23 million (2005) |
Economy - overview | Singapore is blessed with a highly developed and successful free-market economy, a remarkably open and corruption-free business environment, stable prices, and the fifth highest per capita GDP in the world. Exports, particularly in electronics and chemicals, and services are the main drivers of the economy. Mainly because of robust exports, especially electronic goods, the economy grew 10.1% in 2000. Forecasters, however, are projecting only 4%-6% growth in 2001 largely because of weaker global demand, especially in the US. The government promotes high levels of savings and investment through a mandatory savings scheme and spends heavily in education and technology. It also owns government-linked companies (GLCs) - particularly in manufacturing - that operate as commercial entities. As Singapore looks to a future increasingly marked by globalization, the country is positioning itself as the region's financial and high-tech hub. | Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals. |
Electricity - consumption | 25.464 billion kWh (1999) | 97.65 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 27.381 billion kWh (1999) | 105 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Singapore Strait 0 m highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m |
Environment - current issues | industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia | water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% | black 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9% (2001 census) |
Exchange rates | Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.7365 (January 2001), 1.7240 (2000), 1.6950 (1999), 1.6736 (1998), 1.4848 (1997), 1.4100 (1996) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002)
note: fixed rate since 1976 |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) head of government: Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990) 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 NA 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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general |
Exports | $137 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment (including electronics), chemicals, mineral fuels | petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% |
Exports - partners | US 19%, Malaysia 17%, Hong Kong 8%, Japan 7%, Taiwan 5%, Thailand 4%, UK 4%, Netherlands 3.8%, China 3%, South Korea 3%, Germany 3% (1999) | Spain 34%, Germany 20.7%, Italy 7.7%, Singapore 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 April - 31 March |
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 | red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $109.8 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NEGL% industry: 30% services: 70% |
agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 22% services: 74.3% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $26,500 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 10.1% (2000 est.) | 3.8% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 1 22 N, 103 48 E | 17 03 N, 61 48 W |
Geography - note | focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes | Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
3,150 km paved: 3,066 km (including 150 km of expressways) unpaved: 84 km (2000) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, to use as a transit point for Golden Triangle heroin and as a venue for money laundering | considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center |
Imports | $127 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs | food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil |
Imports - partners | US 17%, Japan 17%, Malaysia 16%, Thailand 5%, China 5%, Taiwan 4%, Germany 3%, Saudi Arabia 3% (1999) | US 21.1%, China 16.4%, Germany 13.3%, Singapore 12.7%, Spain 6.5% (2006) |
Independence | 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia) | 1 November 1981 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 14% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Industries | electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, biotechnology | tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) |
Infant mortality rate | 3.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 18.26 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.4% (2000) | 0.9% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, Australia Group (observer), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 9 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
Judicial branch | 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 | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); member Caribbean Court of Justice |
Labor force | 2.1 million (2000) | 30,000 (1991) |
Labor force - by occupation | financial, business, and other services 35%, manufacturing 21%, construction 13%, transportation and communication 9% | agriculture: 7%
industry: 11% services: 82% (1983) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
2% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 5% other: 87% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55% other: 77.27% (2005) |
Languages | Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official) | English (official), local dialects |
Legal system | based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 2 January 1997 (next to be held by 26 August 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 65% (in contested constituencies), other 35%; seats by party - PAP 81, WP 1, SPP 1; note - subsequent to the election, there was a change in the distribution of seats, the new distribution is as follows: PAP 80, WP 1, SPP 1, vacant 1 |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
80.17 years male: 77.22 years female: 83.35 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 72.42 years
male: 70.03 years female: 74.94 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.5% male: 97% female: 89.8% (1999) |
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 85.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | total:
879 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,849,168 GRT/33,215,317 DWT ships by type: bulk 134, cargo 111, chemical tanker 63, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 6, container 167, liquefied gas 28, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 295, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 33 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bermuda 12, Belgium 6, China 9, Denmark 29, Germany 8, Greece 1, Hong Kong 20, Indonesia 9, Japan 32, South Korea 3, Netherlands 2, Norway 9, Russia 1, Sweden 22, Thailand 22, Taiwan 17, UK 3, US 10 (2000 est.) |
total: 1,059 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,158,597 GRT/10,757,767 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 46, cargo 612, carrier 4, chemical tanker 6, container 350, liquefied gas 11, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 20 foreign-owned: 1,021 (Australia 1, Colombia 1, Cyprus 2, Denmark 15, Estonia 15, France 1, Germany 891, Greece 3, Iceland 9, Latvia 9, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 6, Netherlands 19, Norway 7, NZ 2, Poland 2, Russia 5, Slovenia 6, Sweden 1, Switzerland 5, Turkey 7, UK 4, US 8, Vietnam 1) (2007) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police Force | Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (2006) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $5 billion (FY00/01 est.) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 4.5% (FY00/01 est.) | NA (2006) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,316,815 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
959,636 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Independence Day, 9 August (1965) | Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981) |
Nationality | noun:
Singaporean(s) adjective: Singapore |
noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan |
Natural hazards | NA | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts |
Natural resources | fish, deepwater ports | NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism |
Net migration rate | 26.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -6.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | People's Action Party or PAP [GOH Chok Tong, secretary general] - the governing party; Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See Tong]; Workers' Party or WP [J. B. JEYARETNAM] | Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for Change [Arthur NIBBS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] |
Population | 4,300,419 (July 2001 est.) | 69,481 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 3.5% (2001 est.) | 0.527% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Singapore | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 16, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 2.6 million (2000) | - |
Railways | total:
38.6 km narrow gauge: 38.6 km 1.000-m gauge note: there is a 83 km mass transit system with 48 stations |
- |
Religions | Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist | Anglican 25.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.3%, Pentecostal 10.6%, Moravian 10.5%, Roman Catholic 10.4%, Methodist 7.9%, Baptist 4.9%, Church of God 4.5%, other Christian 5.4%, other 2%, none or unspecified 5.8% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.037 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.014 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.594 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
major consideration given to serving business interests; excellent international service domestic: excellent domestic facilities international: 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) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-268; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe (2007) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.928 million (November 2000) | 40,000 (2006) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2.333 million (November 2000) | 102,000 (2006) |
Television broadcast stations | 6 (2000) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve | mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas |
Total fertility rate | 1.22 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.23 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3% (2000 est.) | 11% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |