Singapore (2003) | Jersey (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | none | none (British crown dependency) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 411,656; female 385,575)
15-64 years: 75.5% (male 1,687,217; female 1,793,783) 65 years and over: 7.2% (male 144,277; female 186,087) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 17.9% (male 8,287; female 7,729)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 30,099; female 30,347) 65 years and over: 14.8% (male 5,729; female 7,584) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs, fish, ornamental fish | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 9 (2002) | 1 (2001) |
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 (2002) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 692.7 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km water: 10 sq km |
total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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 one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe. | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 12.75 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 10.86 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $27.9 billion
expenditures: $19.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.4 billion (FY 00/01 est.) |
revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | Singapore | Saint Helier |
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 | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 193 km | 70 km |
Constitution | 3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution) | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore |
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | Singapore dollar (SGD) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound |
Death rate | 4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 9.22 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $8.2 billion (2002 est.) | none |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Franklin L. LAVIN
embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: PSC Box 470, FPO AP 96507-0001 telephone: [65] 6476-9100 FAX: [65] 6476-9340 |
none (British crown dependency) |
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: San Francisco consulate(s): New York |
none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | disputes with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation works on Johor, maritime boundaries, and Singapore-occupied Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih persist - parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | none |
Economy - overview | Singapore, a highly developed and successful free market economy, enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing. It was hard hit in 2001-2002 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 than the current export-led model but is unlikely to abandon efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. |
Electricity - consumption | 28.35 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 30.48 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 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 | NA |
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 |
- |
Ethnic groups | Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% | UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.72 (2000), 1.69 (1999), 1.67 (1998) | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
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 Brig. Gen. (Ret.) LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990) and TAN Keng Yam Tony (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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | Malaysia 17.4%, US 15.3%, Hong Kong 9.2%, Japan 7.1%, China 5.5%, Taiwan 4.9%, Thailand 4.6%, South Korea 4.2% (2002) | UK |
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 | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $112.4 billion (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NEGL%
industry: 33% services: 67% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $25,200 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.2% (2002 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 1 22 N, 103 48 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
Geography - note | focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Highways | total: 3,066 km
paved: 3,066 km (including 150 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
total: 577 km (1995)
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
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 be used as a transit point for Golden Triangle heroin and as a venue for money laundering | - |
Imports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | Malaysia 18.2%, US 14.3%, Japan 12.5%, China 7.6%, Thailand 4.6%, Taiwan 4.6% (2002) | UK |
Independence | 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | -9.8% (2002 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, banking and finance, dairy |
Infant mortality rate | total: 3.57 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
5.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -0.4% (2002 est.) | 4.7% (1998) |
International organization participation | APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 9 (2000) | NA |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
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 | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | 2.19 million (2000) | 57,050 (1996) (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | financial, business, and other services 35%, manufacturing 21%, construction 13%, transportation and communication 9%, other 22% | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 0% other: 98.36% (1998 est.) |
arable land: NEGL%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official) | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English law and local statute |
Legislative branch | 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 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, SDA 1 |
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 80.42 years
male: 77.46 years female: 83.6 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 78.78 years
male: 76.34 years female: 81.4 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.2% male: 96.7% female: 89.7% (2003 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice
territorial sea: 3 NM |
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 859 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,836,021 GRT/32,765,063 DWT
ships by type: bulk 125, cargo 85, chemical tanker 87, combination bulk 6, combination ore/oil 8, container 176, liquefied gas 38, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 2, petroleum tanker 277, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 31 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 7, Belgium 6, China 12, Denmark 27, Germany 17, Greece 4, Hong Kong 44, Indonesia 8, Japan 52, Malaysia 4, Monaco 22, Netherlands 2, Norway 42, Philippines 6, Russia 3, Slovenia 1, South Korea 10, Sweden 13, Switzerland 7, Taiwan 46, Tanzania 2, Thailand 22, UAE 4, UK 14, US 1 (2002 est.) |
none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police Force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $4.47 billion (FY01 est.) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 4.9% (FY01) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,392,740 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,012,498 (2003 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 9 August (1965) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | NA | NA |
Natural resources | fish, deepwater ports | arable land |
Net migration rate | 25.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 2.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 139 km (2003) | - |
Political parties and leaders | governing party: People's Action Party or PAP [GOH Chok Tong]; opposition parties: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [leader NA]; National Solidarity Party or NSP [Steve CHIA]; 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 [leader NA]; Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS [Muhammad ALI Aman]; Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See Tong]; Workers' Party or WP [LOW Thia Kiang] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 4,608,595 (July 2003 est.) | 89,775 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 3.42% (2003 est.) | 0.44% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Singapore | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 16, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | NA |
Railways | total: 38.6 km
narrow gauge: 38.6 km 1.000-m gauge note: there is also an 83 km mass transit system with 48 stations |
0 km |
Religions | Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal and compulsory | NA years of age; universal adult |
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: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.95 million (2000) | 65,500 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2.74 million (2000) | 4,400 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 6 (2000) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | 1.24 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 1.57 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.6% (2002 est.) | 0.7% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |