Because of you…
Youth for Christ’s energetic ministry in Singapore includes outreaches to preteens and teens; street kids and youth at risk; outreach through internet, performing arts, sports and adventure; youth missions; and media and publications.
Prayer Needs
- Continued effectiveness of ministry teams in the country
- Spiritual growth of youth who have come to Jesus
- Increase involvement in schools
- Initiate staff and leadership renewal process
About Singapore
Singapore
Introduction
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. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
Geography
Location
Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic Coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E
Area
Total Area: 697 sq km Rank: 192
Land Area: 687 sq km
Water Area: 10 sq km
Comparison: slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land Boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 193 km
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
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
Elevations
Lowest Point: Singapore Strait 0 m
Highest Point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural Resources
fish, deepwater ports
Land Use
Arable land: 1.47%
Permanent Crops: 1.47%
Other: 97.06% (2005)
Irrigated Land: NA
Renewable Water Resources: 0.6 cu km (1975)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 0.19 cu km/yr (45%/51%/4%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 44 cu m/yr (1975)
Environment
Natural Hazards: NA
Environmental Issues: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
Environmental Agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
Geography Notes
focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
People
Population: 4,657,542 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 117
Age Structure
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 348,382/female 324,050)
15-64 years: 76.7% (male 1,737,972/female 1,833,415)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 184,393/female 229,330) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 39.1 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 0.998% (2010 est.) Rank: 128
Birth Rate: 8.82 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 216
Death Rate: 4.66 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 196
Net Migration Rate: 5.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 15
Urbanization
Urban Population: 100% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 1.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 2.31 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 224
Life Expectancy at Birth: 81.98 years Rank: 4
Fertility Rate: 1.1 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 221
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.2% (2007 est.) Rank: 96
People living with HIV/AIDS: 4,200 (2007 est.) Rank: 126
HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 200 (2007 est.) Rank: 118
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Singaporean(s)
Adjective: Singapore
Ethnic Groups: Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census)
Religion: Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)
Languages: Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 92.5% Male: 96.6% Female: 88.6% (2000 census)
Education expenditures: 3.7% of GDP (2001) Rank: 123
Government
Country Name
Conventional Long Form: Republic of Singapore
Conventional Short Form: Singapore
Local Long Form: Republic of Singapore
Local Short Form: Singapore
Government Type: parliamentary republic
Capital: Singapore Geographic Coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E
Administrative divisions
none
Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)
Constitution: 3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based 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
Executive Branch
Chief of State: President S R NATHAN (since 1 September 1999)
Elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; appointed on 17 August 2005 (next election to be held by August 2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
Election Results: Sellapan Rama (S R) NATHAN was appointed president in August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held
Legislative Branch
unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to 9 nominated members; up to three losing opposition candidates who came closest to winning seats may be appointed as "nonconstituency" members
Elections: last held on 6 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011)
Election Results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%, SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 1
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
Politics
Political parties and leaders: People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; Reform Party [NG Teck Siong]; Singapore Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong]; Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia LIM Swee Lian]
Note: SDA includes Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP
Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: none
International Organization Participation: ADB, AOSIS, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FATF, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIT, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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 denotes brotherhood and equality; white signifies purity and virtue; the waxing crescent moon symbolizes a young nation on the ascendancy; the five stars represent the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality
Economy
Economy Overview: Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics, information technology products, pharmaceuticals, and on a growing financial services sector. Real GDP growth averaged 6.8% between 2004 and 2008, but contracted 2.1% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis. The economy has begun to rebound in 2010 and the government predicts growth of 3-5% for the year. Over the longer term, the government hopes to establish a new growth path that focuses on raising productivity growth, which has sunk to 1% per year in the last decade. Singapore has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $243.2 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 46
GDP - real growth rate: -1.3% (2009 est.) Rank: 133
GDP - per capita (PPP): $52,200 (2009 est.) Rank: 8
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 0% Industry: 27.6% Services: 72.4% (2009 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 3.03 million (2009 est.) Rank: 102
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 0% Industry: 23.8% Services: 76.2% (2008)
Unemployment Rate: 3% (2009 est.) Rank: 22
Poverty
Population below poverty line: NA
