Singapore – country information

Country name	Singapore
Official name	Republic of Singapore
Capital	Singapore
Continent	Asia
Area	683 km2
Population	5,399,200 (2013)
Foundation of a state	9/8/1965
The highest mountains	highest point 176 m
State system	a pluralist republic with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Singapore (capital city)
Official language	Chinese, Malay, Tamil, English
Ethnicity/National Composition	Chinese 78%, Malays 14%, Indians 7%
Religious affiliation	Buddhists and Taoists 55%, Muslims 15.5%, Christians 12.5%, Hindus 3.5%, no religion 13.5%
Currency	1 Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$60,799 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	81.71 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture and fishing 0.3%, industry 29.7%, construction 6.7%, services 63.3%

Country overview

Separated from the Malay Peninsula by a narrow strait, Singapore is one of the smallest, most densely populated and economically strongest countries in the world. According to Abbreviationfinder, the vast majority of the 3 million inhabitants live on the island of Singapore. The rest are inhabited by 54 small neighboring islands.

Country data

Location: Southeast Asia

Time zone: CET + 7 (during summer time: CET + 6)

Total area: 697 km²

Land area: 687 km²

Water area: 10 km²

Length of the state border: 0 km

Coastline: 193 km

Capital: Singapore (city-state)

Electric current: 220, 240 V / 60 Hz

Telephone code: 00 65 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m

Population

Population: approx. 5.6 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 1.9% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 8.034

Life expectancy: 82 (male), 87 (female)

Official language: English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil

Religions:

• 33% Buddhists
• 14% Muslim
• 11% Taoists
• 7% Catholic
• 5% Hindu
• 30% other

Climate

• tropical climate
• average daily temperature 30 ° C
• average night temperature 22 ° C
• Precipitation is distributed over the whole year
• In November and December there is a lot of rain

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Singapore dollar (SGD)

Division: 1 dollar = 100 cents

ATMs: There are many available.

International credit cards: These are accepted by a large number of hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts. A declaration is required from an equivalent value of SGD 30,000.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

All tobacco products carried must be cleared upon entry.

There is an import ban for:

• Drugs and related accessories of all kinds
• Weapons of all kinds
• Meat and meat products
• pornographic literature

For all medication you are taking with you, you should have an English-language certificate stating that it is necessary to take it and a list of the ingredients. In Singapore, many drugs are subject to the import ban.

Possession of drugs and drug-like substances is often punishable by death! At best, there is a sentence of several decades.

Travel advice

There is currently no country-specific safety notice for Singapore.

Behavioral advice

Luggage or objects should never be brought across the border for other people.

According to the prevailing law, even the possession of small amounts of drugs carries the death penalty.

Economy

Trade in goods is the city-state’s main industry.

The port is one of the busiest in the world. Many thousands of ships moor here every year.

Industries: Electronics, Oil Extraction, Finance, Rubber Processing, Commerce, Food Manufacturing, Shipbuilding, Tourism

Natural resources: fish

Land use:

• Usable land: 2%
• Grain cultivation: 6%
• Pasture area: 0%
• Forests: 5%
• other: 87%

Plants

Hundreds of species of plants, trees and shrubs bloom in Singapore’s botanical gardens.

The National Orchid Garden has the largest collection of different types of orchids.

Animals

There are no wild animals due to the lack of living space. Many animal species can only be admired in the zoo.