Singapore
Singapore
Business & The Environment
Singapore is a small island nation located separated from the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia by the Straits of Jabor.
Singapore lies north of Indonesia's Riau Islands separated by the Singapore Strait. the country of Singapore actually comprises 63 distinct islands.
Regional setting of Singapore, at the tip of the Malay Peninsula.
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Map of Singapore. Source: CIA World factbook
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Major environmental issues of Singapore include:
- industrial water pollution;
- limited natural freshwater resources;
- loss of tidelands from man-made fill;
- limited land availability presenting waste disposal problems; and,
- seasonal smoke/air pollution resulting from forest burning in Indonesia.
The earliest documented inhabitation of Singapore dates to the second century AD, when it was an outliying element of the Sumatran Srivijava empire.
Modern History
The Englishman Thomas Stamford Raffles came to Singapore and entered into an agreement with sultan Hussein Shah; Raffles represented the British East India Company, who sought to improve the southern elements of Singapore. Singapore was then founded as a British trading colony in 1819. By 1824 the entirety of Singapore evolved into a British Crown Possession. The population of Singapore reached a level of 100,000 by the year 1869. Japan invaded Singapore early in World War II, but Britain regained control after the Japanese surrender. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Great Britain granted independence to Singapore in 1969.
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. Disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of freshwater to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works, bridge construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits.
Geography
The nation of Singapore consists of 63 separate islands situated in Southeast Asia between Malaysia and Indonesia. It is a focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes. The largest island, which is also the chief population centre, is known as Pulau Ujong. Other islands of significant size are Sentosa, Pulau Tekong, pulau Ubin and Jurong Island. Two human contructed causeways connect Singapore to the Malay Peninsula. Ongoing fill of tidelands and wetlands has increased the land area of singapore by about 20 percent over the last half century, and may increase the national land area by a further 10 percent by the year 2035.
Geographic Coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E
Area:697 km2 ( 687 km2 land and 10 km2 water)
Arable land:1.47%
Permanent crops:1.47%
Other:97.06% (2005)
Land Boundaries: None
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime Claims: Territorial sea: three nautical miles. Eexclusive fishing zone:within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practise.
Natural Hazards: None
Terrain: Lowland topography; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and the Bukit Timah nature preserve, the chief remaining intact rainforest in Singapore. The highest point of the nation isBukit Timah (166 m).
Climate
Because of its location close to the equator, there is little temperature distinction among the seasons; however, there is a pronounced change in wind and rainfall, dominated by the winter monsoon regime extending from November to January. Year around the temperature varies diurnally from 22 to 32 degrees Celsius, with the lower value occurring at night. Humidity is quite high all year long, with characteristic afternoon relative humitity levels of about 73 percent. The months of July to October typically bring a visibility recing smoke haze from slash-and-burn activity in Indonesia.
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
Ecology and Biodiversity
See:
- Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests
- Peninsular Malaysian rain forests
- South China Sea large marine ecosystem
Government
Government Type: Parliamentary republic
Capital: Singapore
Independence Date: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Legal System: Based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction
International Environmental Agreements
Singapore is party to international agreements on:Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
People and Society
Population: 4,740,737 (July 2011 est.)
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 338,419/female 314,704)15-64 years: 77% (male 1,774,444/female 1,874,985)65 years and over: 9.2% (male 196,101/female 242,084) (2011 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 0.817% (2011 est.)
Birthrate: 8.5 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death Rate: 4.95 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
Net Migration Rate: 4.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Urbanization: 100% of total population (2011)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 82.14 years (male:79.53 years, female:84.96 years) (2011 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 1.11 children born/woman (2011 est.)
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)
Literacy: 92.5% (male:96.6%, female:88.6%) (2000 census)
The city of Singapore (center of image), which now encompasses the whole island of Singapore, may be seen in this northeast-looking view. Singapore has a large natural harbor and is strategically located on the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula between the Strait of Malacca to the west (extreme bottom left), and the South China Sea to the east (not visible). Image courtesy of NASA.
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 0.6 cu km (1975)
Freshwater Withdrawal: Total:0.19 cu km/yr (45% domestic, 51% industrial, 4% agricultural). Per capita:44 cu m/yr (1975)
Agriculture
Agricultural products: Orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs; fish, ornamental fish.
Irrigated Land: None
Resources
Natural Resources: Fish, deepwater ports.
Energy
See Energy profile of Singapore
Economy
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 7.1% between 2004 and 2007. The economy contracted 1.3% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis, but rebounded nearly 14.7% in 2010, on the strength of renewed exports. Over the longer term, the government hopes to establish a new growth path that focuses on raising productivity, which has sunk to 1% growth 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.
GDP: (Purchasing Power Parity): $291.9 billion (2010 est.)
GDP: (Official Exchange Rate): $222.7 billion (2010 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 14.5% (2010 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $62,100 (2010 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 0%industry: 28.3%services: 71.7% (2010 est.)
Industries: Electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade.
Currency: Singapore dollars (SGD)
Citation
Central Intelligence Agency (Lead Author);C Michael Hogan (Contributing Author);CIA World Factbook (Content Source);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Singapore". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth October 13, 2009; Last revised Date December 31, 2011; Retrieved February 8, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Singapore>
The Author
The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S. Truman. The act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to serve as head of the United States intelligence community; act as the principal adviser to the President for intelligence matters related to the national security; and serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 amended the National Securit ... (Full Bio)
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